Justice
Defense: “President Trump is innocent”
Donald Trump is on trial: The public prosecutor’s office is accusing the ex-president of falsifying business documents. photo
© Jabin Botsford/Pool The Washington Post/AP/dpa
The opening arguments are now to be heard in the trial against Donald Trump. If convicted, the ex-president faces several years in prison. His lawyer portrays him as righteous.
In the trial over hush money payments to a porn actress Donald Trump’s lawyer portrayed the former US president as righteous and defended him against allegations of election fraud.
“President Trump is innocent. President Trump committed no crimes,” said defense attorney Todd Blanche in New York in his opening statement in the first criminal trial of a former president in American history. It is completely legal to enter into confidentiality agreements. Trump, who was present in the hall, turned to his lawyer during his speech and was obviously listening attentively.
The criminal case against Trump is about his hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels – he is accused, among other things, of falsifying business documents. The 77-year-old, who is seeking re-election as US president in November, has pleaded not guilty. In the worst case, Trump could face several years in prison, which could be suspended. The case is said to have an influence on the progress of the current US election campaign.
Lawyer highlights Trump’s human side
Blanche spoke out against allegations by prosecutors that Trump wanted to suppress reports of sex scandals and thereby influence the 2016 US presidential election. “There’s nothing wrong with influencing elections, that’s called democracy,” the lawyer said. The money paid was received legally.
Blanche also sharply attacked the defense’s key witness, Trump’s ex-lawyer Michael Cohen: He was an untrustworthy criminal who had already lied under oath. At the same time, he also highlighted a human side of Trump. This may sometimes seem larger than life itself, but that is not everything: “He is also a man, he is a husband, he is a father and he is a human being, just like you and like me.”
The indictment accuses Trump of committing a crime
The indictment had previously accused Trump of unlawfully influencing the 2016 presidential election. Trump “conspired” with his lawyer and the editor of a tabloid newspaper to influence the 2016 presidential election, prosecutor Matthew Colangelo said in his opening statement.
Trump arranged for the suppression of negative stories about his extramarital affairs, including with a porn actress, and subsequently falsified business documents accordingly. “This trial is about a criminal conspiracy and cover-up orchestrated by the defendant Donald Trump,” Colangelo said. “It was election fraud.”
The trial began last Monday with the selection of a twelve-person jury. A verdict could be made in June.