• Opening statements began in Donald Trump’s hush-money trial on Monday.
  • Trump faces 34 felony counts for falsifying business records in the historic case.
  • “This case is about a criminal conspiracy and a coverup,” ADA Matthew Colangelo said.

Opening arguments in Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial got underway on Monday with a prosecutor describing the case as being about a “criminal conspiracy,” while a defense attorney for the former president likened hush-money payments to “democracy.”

“This case is about a criminal conspiracy and a coverup,” Assistant District Attorney Matthew Colangelo told the 12-person Manhattan jury in the hush-money trial.

Prosecutors in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office allege Trump illegally falsified business records by covering up a $130,000 hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

  • Bahnd Rollard@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Im I wrong to think that we (the media) should stop calling it a “hush-money” case? I think its a poor move to put more focus on the moral issues of him spending a night with a porn star and paying them to keep quiet than to focus on the fact that he falsified business records to save face during a presidential campaign.

    • chakan2@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      No…and it’s like Trump already won the court of opinion due to it. It’s terrible messaging.

      No one really cares that he banged a prostitute. Clinton was all over that too…We DO care that he committed fraud.

      But reading through this…well…who cares really: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/22/trump-hush-money-trial-charges/

      Instead of framing this as Trump is a terrible person who did terrible things, it’s worded like he tripped on a very complex piece of legislature.

      TL;DR: You made an important point.

    • ilinamorato@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      I don’t tend to mind the “hush money” framing, since that makes him sound like the mobster that he definitely is.