A very cursory summary of Day 10 of the Malignant Loser's trial for paying hush money to porn stars, thereby interfering in the 2016 election while fraudulently cooking the books:
- Keith Davidson wrapped up his
testimony. The lawyer negotiated Daniels’ and McDougal’s hush money
agreements and spoke at length about the inner workings of his dealings
with Trump fixer Michael Cohen.
- Prosecutors say Trump
violated his gag order four more times, leading Trump attorney Todd
Blanche to enter into the record Cohen’s nickname for Trump, “Von
ShitzinPants.” Blanche was attempting to argue that Trump should be
allowed to respond in kind.
- Doug Days, a senior forensic
analyst at the Manhattan DA’s office, took the stand to testify about
the office’s procedures for handling and preserving data.
- Trump tried to swat back at the numerous reports he’s fallen asleep during the trial, posting on social media over the lunch break, “I don’t fall asleep … I simply close my beautiful blue eyes, sometimes.”
("Von ShitzinPants." Who knew Michael Cohen was a wordsmith with a future as a blogger!)
Another main takeaway was that the Malignant Loser's "lawyers" were doing their best to make it look like he was the victim of a "shakedown" by Davidson and others. Testimony by others to come will likely knock down that desperate line of defense (though it only takes one juror...).
What's on tab today, you didn't ask:
"[Hope] Hicks is likely to take the stand as early as Friday in a Manhattan court as part of Donald Trump’s hush money trial, where she is expected to be pressed on her knowledge of a deal between the National Enquirer and Trump allies to bury unflattering stories about him during the 2016 campaign. [snip]
While she emerged from the administration legally unscathed and with her reputation largely intact, Hicks was also present for nearly every scandal that caught the scrutiny of special counsels, U.S. attorneys, congressional committees, grand juries and federal prosecutors.
Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker testified last week that Hicks was “in and out” of an August 2015 meeting at Trump Tower he had with Trump and his then-attorney Michael Cohen to discuss the tabloid acting as the campaign’s “eyes and ears” and helping kill stories that could damage Trump’s chances of winning the White House...
So, another insider (and a reluctant witness at that) will be pressed to tell what she knows of the interactions between Cohen, Pecker, and Von ShitzinPants, er, the Malignant Loser during their "catch and kill" discussions. It's a preview of more tawdry, seamy testimony once some or all of the key players (Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Karen McDougal) take the witness stand, likely next week.
(Photo: Von ShitzinPants with his mouth likely full of NoDoz / Justin Lane, Reuters)
