Information from Eyewitness News, ABC News and the Associated PressDonald Trump's hush money trial is set to resume Thursday, but in D.C., there is even more legal drama for the former president.
While the judge can impose imprisonment, the prosecution is not seeking that yet. Authorities say the Secret Service has already held meetings and started planning for what to do if the former president were to be held in contempt.Trump made a surprise campaign stop at a Midtown construction site ahead of Thursday's trial. Supporters gathered to see and shake hands with the former president.
Former President Donald Trump speaks after leaving Manhattan criminal court, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in New York.Trump angrily criticized Judge Merchan and the limited gag order that was the topic of this morning's contempt hearing. Pecker said he immediately called Trump's then-attorney Michael Cohen to inform him. By then, he was speaking to Cohen "a couple times a week," but that soon changed. Pecker said he and Cohen spoke "much more frequently" about McDougal's claims.
"Yes I did," Pecker responded before recounting a phone conversation Pecker said he himself had with Trump. Trump, sitting at the defense table, shook his head when Pecker laid out the allegation: that "Donald Trump fathered an illegitimate girl with a maid at Trump Tower." Pecker testified that Cohen later called back to say the story is "absolutely not true" and that Trump "would take a DNA test" -- an apparently new revelation -- but Pecker said it wouldn't be necessary.
The former National Enquirer publisher recalled calling Michael Cohen and explaining that they could purchase the doorman's silence for $30,000 by buying the exclusive rights to his story. He added that it would "probably be the biggest sale of the National Enquirer since the death of Elvis Presley," but noted he would've held it until after the election, citing his agreement with Cohen.
The articles were timed to run just as Trump's rivals were climbing in polls, and some of the allegations - such as articles falsely tying Ted Cruz's father to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy - entered the mainstream via cable news and conservative-leaning talk programs.
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