Stormy Daniels, a former adult film actress who alleged she had an affair with Donald Trump before he became president, will likely take the witness stand in Trump’s hush money trial in New York on Tuesday, her attorney told the Associated Press.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg alleges Trump tried to conceal an “illegal scheme to influence the 2016 presidential election” by trying to cover up extramarital affairs. Bragg claims Trump falsified records to hide payments to attorney Michael Cohen that were meant for porn actress Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, as well as a former doorman at Trump Tower.
Daniels’ possible testimony could provide additional insight into how these alleged payments were transferred from Trump to Cohen to Daniels.
In a now-deleted post on Truth Social, Trump said he was told today that Daniels would be called on to testify, that it was “unprecedented” and gave his lawyers “no time” to prepare. He also accused Judge Juan Merchan of being “crooked and highly conflicted” and complained that Merchan was taking away his First Amendment rights through a gag order.
On Monday, Merchan threatened Trump with jail time if he continues to violate the court’s gag order. The gag order limits Trump from disparaging potential witnesses and others involved in the case. Merchan said Trump has violated the gag order 10 times, fining him $1,000 for each violation.