• 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.

  • PorradaVFR@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    Unfortunately for him the case is actually not about paying hush money, it’s about lying about the payments in company documents and its direct impact on the election.

    Sure you can give money to people, the lying about it on financial/campaign finance documents is what he’s being tried for.

    Of course the media keeps calling it “hush money trial” which it is not.

    • MyTurtleSwimsUpsideDown@kbin.social
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      7 months ago

      It’s because Hush Money Trial is pithy. It is succinct yet distinct. Fraud Trial would be a great name if there weren’t several more of them to differentiate from, and Election Fraud Trial Relating to the Disclosure of Hush Money Payments regarding a Mushroom Shaped Erection doesn’t fit in the headline.

      Erection Fraud Trial does have a ring to it, though.

    • ArbitraryValue
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      7 months ago

      My understanding is that he’s denying that he was the one who had the documents altered.

    • Billiam@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      I’m partial to Trial for the crime he committed and his former lawyer went to prison for covering up.

      I agree, it’s not as pithy.

    • njm1314@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      The case may not be, but another one should be maybe. Paying hush money to hide something from the voters is fraud. He’s trying to deprive Americans of the information they need to make an informed decision. It’s perpetrating a fraud on the US people.

    • deweydecibel@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      They’re calling it a “hush money” trial because it stands out more than “falsifying documents” trial, and that’s not an unreasonable thing to do when Trump has so many different trials going on at once that is kind of hard for the public to keep it all straight.

      As for the defense attorney, this is just the opening arguments, he’s laying down track and trying to get certain facts on the jury’s minds right up front.