Hush money isn't illegal, it's 'democracy,' Trump lawyer says in defiant trial opening statements
businessinsider.com
- 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.
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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.
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.
I don't tend to mind the "hush money" framing, since that makes him sound like the mobster that he definitely is.