New York: Donald Trump faced opening arguments in the first-ever criminal trial of a former US president on Monday. Prosecutors accused Trump of orchestrating a “criminal conspiracy and a cover-up.
Assistant District Attorney Matthew Colangelo alleged that Trump had falsified business records to facilitate a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The payment was purportedly made to silence Daniels about an alleged 2006 extramarital affair, which could have been politically damaging during the 2016 presidential election.
“This case is about a criminal conspiracy and a cover-up,” Colangelo declared before a jury of New Yorkers in a Manhattan courtroom. He further claimed that Trump had “orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election.”
Before the court session began, Trump denounced the trial as “election interference” aimed at undermining his potential 2024 White House run.
“This is a witch hunt and it’s a shame and it comes out of Washington,” Trump said to reporters. “It’s a very, very sad day in America,” he added, expressing his frustration at being unable to campaign in key states like Pennsylvania and Georgia due to the trial.
Notably, Trump is the first former president in US history to face criminal charges, and this trial poses significant risks to his political future, especially with less than seven months remaining before his potential election rematch with President Joe Biden.
Key witnesses for the prosecution are expected to include Stormy Daniels and Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen. The jury, comprising five women and seven men, remains anonymous for their own protection. Trump is facing 34 counts of falsifying business records related to the “hush money” payment to Daniels.
