Update – 10:00 am Eastern:
Before court began, former President Donald Trump took a moment to address the cameras outside the courtroom and wish his wife, Melania, a happy birthday.
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A new hearing date has been set for the motion(s) regarding purported gag order violations. That issue will now be taken up on Thursday.
Prior to the jury being brought in and former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker retaking the stand, there was a discussion between the attorneys and Judge Juan Merchan regarding Trump attorney Emil Bove’s questioning of Pecker. Bove agreed to apologize to Pecker and clarify the questioning regarding the FBI interview. Merchan also instructed the jury that prosecutors meeting with witnesses is permitted by law.
Trump’s lawyer Emil Bove: Yesterday we spoke about a meeting with prosecutors, about Hope Hicks – but it was the Federal prosecutors. If I’m unclear, I’m sure Mr. Steinglass will raise it. But you may to. Now on Hope Hicks, I asked if she was in the meeting
— Inner City Press (@innercitypress) April 26, 2024
Bove is questioning Pecker regarding the August 2015 meeting and prior negative coverage of Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Bove is now asking about stories about Bill and Hillary Clinton stories in the National Enquirer, confirming with Pecker that AMI had decided to run negative stories before the August 2015 Trump Tower meeting.
Bove asks, “Before August 2015 meeting you had decided it made sene for the business of AMI to run articles about Bill and Hillary Clinton? “Yes,” Pecker replies as Bove continues to focus on this being in the interest of AMI
Bove asks, “And those articles were negative right?”
Pecker responds, “Yes.”
“Running those stories were beneficial to AMI, correct,” Pecker says of the Bill and Hillary Clinton stories.
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As (relatively) quickly as the jury selection process went, the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump in Manhattan for allegedly falsifying business records to mask payments made to Stormy Daniels for a non-disclosure agreement has been plodding along in its second week. In part, that’s due to the early dismissals on Monday and Tuesday for Passover. But the prosecution’s first witness, former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, is still on the stand as we close out the week. He’s now being cross-examined by the defense, and that part of the process should be briefer than the five-plus hours spent on direct examination. (Cross-examination almost always is, by its very nature.)
Court is set to get underway at 9:30 am Eastern. Stay tuned here as we bring you live updates of the day’s developments in the case.