Trump trial: Stormy Daniels in court today, CBS sources say - BBC News
Trump trial live updates: Stormy Daniels to testify in court today - BBC News
(32 minutes later)
Nada Tawfik
Madeline Halpert
Reporting outside the courtroom
Reporting from court
The defence just unsuccessfully tried to stop Stormy Daniels' testimony about sexual acts. Donald Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche claimed in opening statements that her testimony “while salacious, does not matter”.
We've just finished with Sally Franklin's testimony.
Let’s break that down.
We're expecting our second witness of the day, Stormy Daniels, shortly.
There’s no getting around the fact that her testimony about their sexual encounter will include details that will be embarrassing for Donald Trump. He, of course, denies it happened - but as this trial has proven, he is preoccupied with how he is portrayed in the media.
The headlines that will write themselves from her testimony will no doubt bother him, as he once again seeks a return to the White House.
Next, does her testimony matter or not?
In regard to the charges, it doesn’t matter if they had sex, beyond questions of her credibility as a witness. She also has no knowledge of whether the business records were allegedly falsified to cover up the payment to her.
But she is still important for the prosecution’s case and serves as another corroborating witness. She will likely detail how she was prepared to go public before the 2016 election with her story and how the motivation to pay her off in exchange for her silence was in fact the election, and not Melania Trump’s feelings.
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