“Did you want to make money? “: Donald Trump’s defense tries to discredit Stormy Daniels

Donald Trump strikes back. The former US president’s defense attempted to discredit porn star Stormy Daniels on Thursday in the second day of marathon and intense testimony at his trial in New York.

Over the course of five hours Tuesday, the actress and director gave an unfiltered account of the 2006 meeting and sexual relationship she claims to have had with the current Republican presidential candidate on the sidelines of a celebrity golf tournament in Nevada. She was questioned for three more hours on Thursday, in a tense face-to-face conversation with Donald Trump’s lawyer Susan Necheles, during which she denied lying and tried to enrich herself with the story.

At the heart of the case is a sexual relationship that Donald Trump denies. It was for this episode that ten years later, at the very end of the 2016 presidential campaign, the actress received $130 thousand. Amount paid by Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen as part of a confidentiality agreement. A former US president, the first in history to face criminal charges, is on trial for concealing his lawyer’s reimbursement from his holding company’s accounts.

“Frankenstein”

When he arrived in court on Thursday, he denounced the “Frankenstein” case that “nobody understands.” Then, in a courtroom with dated wood furniture and white neon chandeliers, Susan Necheles tried to push Stormy Daniels to her limits by portraying her as a money-hungry woman. “Did you threaten President Trump with political harm if he didn’t give you money for this story? “,” the lawyer asked, while Donald Trump sat opposite the actress.

“Did you want to make money? “, “You wanted to make more money, didn’t you?” ” she insisted, claiming that after entering into a confidentiality agreement with Donald Trump, the actress told everything in a book, Full Disclosure, which the defense believes would have earned her $800,000. The entire story of the two was revealed by the Wall Street Journal in 2018. “I chose safety,” Stormy Daniels responded. “The best decision was to protect my story with a written protocol so that my family would not be in danger,” she added of the original agreement.

The fight continued in a tense atmosphere. “You have also directed and directed more than 150 pornographic films (…), so you have extensive experience in the art of making fake sexual relationships a reality,” the lawyer said. “I didn’t have to write that,” Stormy Daniels shot back.

On Tuesday, the actress held nothing back about her 2006 meeting with the real estate mogul, from the “silk or satin pajamas” he wore in his hotel room to secrets about his wife – “we don’t sleep in the same place.” room” – to the point that he did not use a condom. “Because he was supposedly wearing a T-shirt and boxers, you were so upset that he wanted to have sex with him that you couldn’t refuse? “, the lawyer asked again, before clearly saying: “You made it all up, didn’t you? “Stormy Daniels stood by her story. When her cross-examination ended at noon, she walked out of the room defiantly, without looking at Donald Trump.