Donald Trump's trial over hush-money payments entered its 12th day on Monday, highlighted by emotional testimony from his former top aide, Hope Hicks, towards the end of the previous week. Hicks informed jurors that Trump exercised complete control over his 2016 presidential campaign, including a media strategy allegedly involving improper business records for hush-money payments.
Hicks' testimony is viewed as a potential boon for prosecutors seeking to demonstrate that Trump collaborated with aides, including his former lawyer Michael Cohen and tabloid executive David Pecker, to suppress negative stories that could have harmed his presidential bid. These stories included reports of extramarital affairs with adult actress Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Cohen purportedly paid Daniels $130,000 for her silence, with prosecutors arguing that Trump reimbursed him under the guise of legal services, constituting felony falsification of business records. Hicks' testimony places Trump at the core of this media strategy, potentially bolstering prosecutors' case that he was aware of and involved in the scheme to bury these stories and conceal the payments.
Additionally, Hicks' testimony shed light on the motive behind this alleged scheme. When the Washington Post was on the verge of publishing a recording of Trump making derogatory remarks about women, Hicks stated that the campaign saw it as a crisis. Trump's team sought to downplay the remarks as "locker room talk," emphasizing the importance of keeping any allegations related to words rather than actions for the sake of the campaign. However, allegations of physical impropriety soon surfaced, prompting Cohen to scramble to hide Daniels' story.
Hicks also recounted a conversation with Trump following a February 2018 New York Times article in which Cohen admitted to paying Daniels before the election but claimed it was not a campaign contribution. Trump inquired about the article's reception and expressed relief that they were addressing it at that time, rather than before the election.
Hicks' emotional testimony concluded with her recalling Trump's remarks about timing, after which she became emotional and requested a break. She left the courtroom with a crumpled tissue in her hand.