New York prosecutors lay out case against Trump
The former president's first criminal trial started in earnest Monday
![Donald Trump on trial](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/S2Nv7caBcF4m5xBC7VQNn6-415-80.jpg)
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.
Who said what
Starting in 2015, Trump "orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election. Then he covered up that criminal conspiracy by lying in his New York business records over and over and over again," Colangelo said. "It was election fraud, pure and simple." Blanche said Trump did nothing illegal. "There is nothing wrong with trying to influence an election," he said. "It's called democracy."
The commentary
Colangelo made clear prosecutors will touch on "tabloid journalism, tawdry affairs and covertly recorded phone calls," ensuring jurors will stay "wide-awake during the six or so weeks" of the trial, The New York Times said. The government's first witness, former National Enquirer chief David Pecker, "may serve as a kind of tour guide" to the "seamy world of tabloid sex scandals" and how he, Trump and former Trump fixer Michael Cohen allegedly conspired to "catch and kill" negative stories to keep them from voters, The Washington Post said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
Judge Juan Merchan will hear arguments Tuesday morning on whether Trump violated his gag order, as prosecutors charge.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
The lab-made meat that 'could kill the EU'
Under The Radar Concerned at 'unintended consequences for farming' some farmers are 'turning rabid' over the rise of cultured meat
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Magazine solutions - August 2, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 2, 2024
By The Week Staff Published
-
Magazine printables - August 2, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 2, 2024
By The Week Staff Published
-
Bodycam shows deputy killing Black woman
Speed Read An Illinois deputy fatally shot Sonya Massey, who had called 911 about suspected trespassers
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Irish flight attendant breaks silence after 'distressing' Dubai charges dropped
Speed Read Tori Towey was charged with attempted suicide and consuming alcohol after being attacked in her home
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Kyle Clifford: crossbow suspect caught near Enfield cemetery
Speed Read The 26-year-old is alleged to have killed the wife and two daughters of BBC racing commentator John Hunt
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Trump ally Bannon reports to prison
Speed Read He will serve a four-month sentence for contempt of Congress
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Missing Jay Slater: police find 'human remains' in Tenerife
Speed Read Spanish police say evidence 'strongly suggests' body is that of missing teenager
By The Week UK Last updated
-
'Baby Elsa' and two other babies abandoned in London are siblings
Speed Read Baby 'Elsa', rescued in sub-zero temperatures, is third abandoned child born to the same unknown parents, court hears
By Julia O'Driscoll, The Week UK Published
-
Trump won't testify as trial enters final phase
Speed Read Despite his public insistence on testifying, Trump's defense team called two witnesses, "neither of them the former president"
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump hush money trial: what has the jury heard?
Today's Big Question Former loyal fixer Michael Cohen proves star witness for prosecution, but Stormy Daniels's graphic testimony could offer grounds for appeal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published