New York prosecutors lay out case against Trump

The former president's first criminal trial started in earnest Monday

Donald Trump on trial
"It was election fraud, pure and simple"
(Image credit: Victor J. Blue / The Washington Post / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

What happened

Prosecutors and former President Donald Trump's lawyers presented their opening statements Monday as Trump's first criminal trial got underway in Manhattan. Assistant District Attorney Matthew Colangelo laid out the government's roadmap to convincing the jury Trump falsified records about a hush-money payment to a porn actress to illegally influence the 2016 election. Defense attorney Todd Blanche previewed Trump's rebuttal.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.