By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Newsunplug KenyaNewsunplug KenyaNewsunplug Kenya
  • News
    • Metro
    • Politics
    • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports
  • Tech
  • Spotify
Reading: Prosecutors allege Donald Trump ‘orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt’ the 2016 election as trial for ex-president begins
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Newsunplug KenyaNewsunplug Kenya
Font ResizerAa
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports
  • Tech
  • Spotify
  • News
    • Metro
    • Politics
    • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Sports
  • Tech
  • Spotify
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Newsunplug Kenya > Blog > News > Prosecutors allege Donald Trump ‘orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt’ the 2016 election as trial for ex-president begins
News

Prosecutors allege Donald Trump ‘orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt’ the 2016 election as trial for ex-president begins

new5nuke
Last updated: April 23, 2024 4:35 am
new5nuke
1 year ago
Share
SHARE

Donald Trump “orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election” a prosecutor said in his opening statement in a New York courtroom as the first-ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president got under way.

“This case is about conspiracy of fraud,” prosecutor Matthew Colangelo told 12 jurors and six alternates. Colangelo said they would hear Trump working out the details of a scheme to pay and hide hush money payments in his own voice on recorded conversations.

Colangelo told jurors that Trump engaged in a “catch and kill” conspiracy with his former lawyer Michael Cohen and David Pecker, then the publisher of the National Enquirer, to cover up unflattering information about Trump and help him defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton.

That included payments to women who said they had sexual encounters with Trump, including a $130,000 US payment to Stephanie Clifford, known as the porn performer Stormy Daniels, at a time when he was facing other revelations of sexual misbehaviour.

In the New York trial, Trump is charged by the Manhattan District Attorney with falsely recording his 2017 reimbursement of Cohen for the Daniels payment as a legal expense in his real estate company’s books. Prosecutors say he did so to conceal the fact that Cohen’s payment exceeded the $2,700 limit on individual campaign contributions at the time.

READ MORE  Nairobi Hospital halts court chance to charge former PC Davis Chelogoi in the sick ward

Colangelo said Trump disguised his reimbursements to Cohen as legal expenses through 11 falsified invoices, 12 falsified ledger entries, and 11 falsified cheques.

“Those were lies. There was no retainer agreement. Cohen was not being paid for legal services,” Colangelo said. “The defendant falsified those business records because he wanted to conceal his and others’ criminal conduct.”

Lawyers for the Republican presidential candidate began their opening statement in what may be the only one of Trump’s four criminal prosecutions to go to trial before an expected Nov. 5 election rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden.

Todd Blanche, Trump’s lawyer, said the former president was “innocent” of all charges and “had nothing to do with the invoice.” It is expected the defence will impugn the character of Cohen, who served a prison sentence not only for his involvement in the hush money scheme, but for tax offences that had nothing to do with Trump.

“There’s nothing wrong with trying to influence an election. It’s called democracy. They put something sinister on this idea, as if it’s a crime,” Blanche said.

READ MORE  Ruto defends alliance with Raila, dismisses opposition critics

A Secret Service agent wearing an earpiece sat directly behind Trump as the opening statements began.

Pecker, 72, was the first witness called to the stand. He explained the basics of tabloid journalism and said his company often paid for stories. He did not discuss his interactions with Trump, as court was adjourned early for Passover.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsification of business records. He at first denied knowledge of the payment to Daniels from Cohen, but then later backtracked, saying it was meant to make a false allegation disappear.

A guilty verdict in the case would not bar Trump from taking office, but it could hurt his candidacy.

The mother of Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka passes away
Pakistan tests missile weapons system amid India standoff
Sunak nears first anniversary as UK PM with little to celebrate
Commissioner Mwanza of Nairobi warns vandals of road furniture
County budget shortage to continue while State works through legal issues
Share This Article
Facebook Email Print
Previous Article EU Threatens To Suspend TikTok Lite App’s ‘Addictive’ Rewards
Next Article Kim Kardashian loses over 100K followers after Taylor Swift’s diss track
about us

We influence 20 million users and is the number one business and technology news network on the planet.

Recent Posts

  • Former Russian president reminds Trump of Russia’s ‘dead hand’ nuclear strike capability
  • Suspected Arkansas double murd3rer arrested while getting a haircut
  • Paris Jackson and her fiancé end their engagement a week after she was spotted crying in public
  • Singer Justin Timberlake reveals Lyme disease diagnosis
  • Kenya Power warns public against conmen posing as CEO Siror

Recent Comments

No comments to show.
Newsunplug KenyaNewsunplug Kenya
© Newsunplug Kenya. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?