In a recent court hearing in New York this week, Donald Trump found himself facing former adult film actress Stormy Daniels as she candidly recounted their apparent sexual encounter from 2006. This marked a significant point in the case that has been ongoing since April, with Trump facing allegations of clandestinely arranging ‘silence money’ payments to Daniels in 2016 in a purported attempt to sway the presidential ballot.
Testimonies have additionally been heard from Trump’s previous White House consultant Hope Hicks. The court has been briefed about Trump’s association with ex-National Enquirer publisher David Pecker who apparently utilized a method commonly referred to as “catch and kill”. This involves purchasing and then suppressing scandalous ‘tell all’ narratives, which in Trump’s case and others could have been potentially damaging.
Trump, on his part, has been penalised with a contempt of court citation on as many as ten instances due to his disruptive behaviour towards the case, the jury, and the prosecuting party.
While the court proceedings have at best been shaming thus far, the prosecution is yet to deliver the damning evidence that could culminate in a criminal charge.
This information was presented by Bernice Harrison and the details were provided by producer Aideen Finnegan.