A judge has denied a mistrial request by Donald Trump‘s lawyers, marking their second unsuccessful attempt in three days to halt the former president’s criminal hush money trial.
What Happened: On Thursday, Judge Juan Merchan rejected the request for a mistrial, following a failed attempt to relax Trump’s gag order, which would have allowed him to discuss the testimony of porn star Stormy Daniels, reported CNBC.
During her second day of testimony, Daniels stated that publicly discussing her alleged sexual encounter with Trump has hurt her life.
In a tense courtroom exchange, Daniels faced rigorous questioning from Trump attorney Susan Necheles regarding her alleged one-night stand with the then-married businessman in 2006.
The adult film star rebuffed Necheles’ insinuation that she would willingly disclose her affair with the former president, stating, “Nobody would ever want to publicly say that.”
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Necheles suggested Daniels had a history of fabricating sexual stories, to which Daniels countered, “The sex in the films is very much real, just like what happened to me in that room.” She asserted that if her claim about Trump was false, “I would've written it to be a lot better.”
Trump’s defense attorney, Todd Blanche, argued that Daniels’ testimony was irrelevant to the case and could prejudice the jury.
Why It Matters: The trial against Trump alleges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to Daniels. This case is increasingly likely to be the only one to go to trial before the Nov. 5 presidential election, as other criminal indictments against Trump are facing delays.
On Tuesday, a federal Judge indefinitely postponed Trump’s trial on charges that he illegally took classified documents and then tried to conceal them from authorities.
A federal election interference case against Trump in Washington, D.C., is also on hold while the Supreme Court considers whether Trump is immune from the charges because he was president at the time the alleged crimes occurred.
Photo via Shutterstock
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