Stormy Daniels’ rapid-fire and sensational testimony in Donald Trump’s criminal trial is set to continue for a second day Thursday.
The adult film star pointed directly at the former president while testifying on Tuesday, identifying Trump as the man from an alleged 2006 sexual encounter that set off a nearly two-decade chain of events leading to these historic proceedings.
Speaking so fast she had to be frequently interrupted and asked to slow down by the judge or prosecutor, Daniels gave jurors a detailed recounting of the alleged encounter in a hotel suite, which she said happened during a celebrity golf tournament in Nevada. She then explained why she accepted $130,000 in exchange for her silence a decade later, days before Trump was elected president.
Her description of a two-hour long conversation that turned sexual included some details that Judge Juan Merchan said would have been “better left unsaid.” The testimony prompted defense attorneys to unsuccessfully seek a mistrial.
Tuesday’s trial session ended with Daniels under fire in a cross-examination by Trump attorney Susan Necheles, who accused Daniels of fabricating aspects of her story and questioned whether she had financial motive for coming forward.
While Trump appeared relatively stoic throughout the testimony, the transcript of the proceedings shows those within earshot heard him lash out.
Merchan called lawyers and prosecutors to his bench for a sidebar around midday, and said Trump was “cursing audibly” and “shaking his head visually” as Daniels testified.
Calling Trump’s behavior “contemptuous,” he told another Trump attorney, Todd Blanche, to warn the defendant.
Prosecutors have told the jury how a former lawyer for Trump, Michael Cohen, wired Daniels’ attorney $130,000 in October 2016 after she agreed not to tell her story. They say a series of reimbursements from Trump to Cohen were illegally disguised to hide their connection to the Daniels payment.
Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records stemming from those reimbursements. His defense attorneys have argued the money was to cover Cohen’s legal fees. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denies having sex with Daniels.