Trump "hush money" trial opening statements set for today
CBSN
Opening statements are set to begin this morning in former President Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York. Prosecutors will begin laying out their case for jurors, alleging Trump falsified business records to cover up a "hush money" payment during his 2016 campaign, while defense attorneys are expected to argue Trump has been charged on flimsy evidence from an untrustworthy key witness.
It's a moment nearly eight years in the making, dating back to the fall of 2016, just days before the election, when that witness, Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen, paid $130,000 to adult film star Stormy Daniels to buy her silence about an alleged sexual encounter. Prosecutors say Trump reimbursed Cohen for the payment in 12 monthly installments during the first year of his presidency, portraying them as checks for ongoing legal services in a scheme to conceal the "hush money." Trump was charged last year with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Trump, who has entered a not guilty plea in the case, denies having had a sexual encounter and has called the case a "witch hunt" and "election interference."
