Here are the takeaways from day 11 of the Trump hush money trial:
Hicks describes the tape "crisis" and denying Daniels’ allegations: After sitting in the witness box, Donald Trump’s former campaign press secretary and White House communications director Hope Hicks looked visibly uncomfortable and quickly acknowledged as much when she began answering questions. “I’m really nervous,” she said.
Much of Hicks’ testimony focused on her role in the Trump campaign in October 2016, just before Election Day. Prosecutors asked what happened when the “Access Hollywood” tape came out. “The tape was damaging. This was a crisis,” Hicks said.
The aftermath of the tape then informed how the campaign responded when the Wall Street Journal reported on Karen McDougal’s deal with American Media, Inc. not to speak about an alleged affair as part of a $150,000 agreement
In the WSJ story, which also mentioned Daniels, Hicks, then a Trump campaign spokesperson, denied that Trump had had affairs with either woman. “What I told to the Wall Street Journal is what was told to me,” Hicks said of the denial she gave about the Daniels allegations.
When prosecutors finished with their questions and Trump’s attorney took the podium, Hicks began crying and appeared to become overwhelmed. She finished her testimony after a brief break.
When cross-examining Hicks, Trump attorney Emil Bove elicited testimony that Trump was also concerned about what his wife would think. Trump asked for the newspapers not to be delivered to his residence the day the story was published, Hicks testified.
Jurors hear how Trump responded to ‘Access Hollywood’ tape: Jurors saw a full transcript of the “Access Hollywood” tape Friday, including Trump’s infamous “grab ‘em by the p*ssy” comment, as well as other vulgar language the campaign tried to dismiss as “locker room talk.” They did not, however, hear Trump on the tape, as the judge ruled the video would be prejudicial to the jury.
Prosecutors are getting closer to the crime: For two weeks, prosecutors have delved deeply into the negotiations that led to hush money payments made to McDougal and Daniels before the 2016 election. But those payments are not illegal on their own. Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records stemming from how he allegedly hid the way Cohen was reimbursed for paying $130,000 to Daniels in order to keep her quiet before the 2016 election. With Hicks’ testimony, prosecutors nudged closer to the repayment and the alleged charges.
Attacks continue against Michael Cohen: Trump’s legal team continued its trial-long assault on Michael Cohen’s credibility Friday, going after everything from the way he handled his cell phones to how he would go “rogue” during the 2016 campaign.
