Madeleine Westerhout, Trump’s former executive assistant, leaves Manhattan Criminal Court on May 9, 2024 in New York City.
Michael M. Santiago | beautiful images
This is developing news. Check back for updates throughout the day.
A former top White House aide with intimate knowledge of the how Donald Trump Oval Office activist will continue testifying Friday in the former president’s hush money trial.
Madeleine Westerhout took the stand for the first time on Thursday, where she detailed Trump’s work habits and confirmed a list of high-level contacts had been compiled for Trump in 2017. The list of contacts included “SNL” producer Lorne Michaels, quarterback Tom Brady and tennis great Serena Williams.
Also named are former tabloid publisher David Pecker and former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. The two men are at the center of a case by Manhattan prosecutors in which Trump is accused of falsifying business records about hush money payments as part of a scheme to influence public relations. 2016 presidential election.
Former US President Donald Trump steps forward to speak to the press at the end of the day of his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments related to extramarital affairs, at Manhattan Criminal Court in the City New York, on May 9, 2024.
Angela Weiss | Via Reuters
Westerhout painted a flattering portrait of Trump, praising his work ethic and relationship with his wife, Melania Trump. Westerhout cried as he described his situation fired from her job in 2019 after criticizing members of Trump’s family during a dinner with reporters.
Her description of Trump as a devoted husband stands in stark contrast to the testimony of porn star Stormy Daniels. Just before Westerhout went on trial, Daniels testified that she had sex with the then-married Trump in 2006, and was later paid $130,000 for her silence before the 2016 election.
Over seven hours of testimony, Daniels vividly detailed his one-night stand with Trump. She also clashed with Trump’s lawyer, who questioned her about later efforts to sell her story.
There are also lighter moments.
At one point, Trump’s lawyer told Daniels, “You have a lot of experience doing fake sex stories,” referring to Daniels’ work in adult films and later writing scripts for porn movies. adultery.
“Wow. That’s not the way I meant it,” Daniels shot back. “The sex in the movie is very real. Just like what happened to me in that room” with Trump.
After the jury was excused for the day, Trump’s lawyers asked for a second mistrial in two days. And for the second time in two days, this request was denied.
Judge Juan Mercan also denied Trump’s request that he amend the gag order to allow the former president to publicly attack Daniels, now that she has finished testifying. Trump is currently prohibited from making statements about any witnesses during the trial.
“My concern is to protect the integrity of the entire proceeding,” Mercan said, rather than just individual witnesses before they testify. Mercan has held Trump in contempt 10 times for violating the gag order.
