Former President Donald Trump chalked out a criminal plot to ‘corrupt’ the 2016 presidential election and then tried to cover it up as th prosecutors alleged at the start of his blockbuster hush money trial in New York via Daily Mail.
In court, Trump raged and shook his head when he faced accusations of lying ‘over and over and over again’ to conceal an alleged scheme to buy the silence of porn star Stormy Daniels with an illegal $130,000 payment.
He was also compelled to listen as a full transcript of the infamous ‘Access Hollywood’ tape was read aloud to the jury. Prosecutors noted how Trump, aided by allies including the National Enquirer, used a ‘catch and kill’ scheme to buy the rights to damaging stories about his private life.
In opening statements, prosecutor Matthew Colangelo told a packed Manhattan courtroom: ”This case is about a criminal conspiracy and a cover-up. The defendant, Donald Trump, orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election.”
”Then he covered up that criminal conspiracy by lying in his New York business records over and over and over again.”
He added: ”It was election fraud, pure and simple.”
Todd Blanche, Trump’s attorney, told the jury the former president had ‘nothing to do with’ paying Daniels, and it was handled by a bookkeeper.
He also indicated that Trump would continue to deny the porn star’s claims that she had a relationship with the former president.
Blanche added: ”There’s nothing wrong with trying to influence an election, it’s called democracy.”
He also accused Daniels of trying to ‘extort’ Trump. Blanche said: ”She saw her chance to make a lot of money, $130,000, and it worked. Her testimony, whilst salacious, does not matter.”
Blanche told the jury: ”Use your common sense. We’re New Yorkers. It’s why we’re here.”
