Trump hush-money trial: Key takeaways from week two of testimony

Justice Juan Merchan on Tuesday found Trump in contempt of court and fined the former president $9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that bars him from publicly discussing trial witnesses or jurors. The judge warned that future breaches could result in jail time.

Prosecutors sought the penalties after Trump repeatedly took to social media to attack his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen as well as Daniels, two of the government’s top witnesses. The former president’s lawyers argued he should be able to respond to Cohen attacking him.

The judge also is weighing whether to hold Trump in contempt for three additional statements he made after the government’s first contempt motion but before the first fine was issued.

Deal maker

California lawyer Keith Davidson described the genesis of the hush payments to McDougal and Daniels. Davidson, who he represented both women before the 2016 election, explained how he got American Media Inc., the publisher of the National Enquirer, to pay McDougal $150,000, and convinced Cohen to pay Daniels $130,000.

Davidson recounted his frantic talks with Cohen and AMI’s then-CEO David Pecker, who testified last week. “I have a blockbuster Trump story,” Davidson said in a June 2016 text to an Enquirer editor.

Trump’s lawyer sought to portray Davidson as a sleazy lawyer employing the same playbook he’d used before to extract money from famous men seeking to avoid scandals. Much of Davidson’s testimony was backed up by extensive evidence, including text messages and emails.

Secret recording

Jurors heard a recording Cohen secretly made in which Trump discussed financing a $150,000 payment just a few months before the 2016 election.

The recording didn’t name names, but the timing coincides with the McDougal payout arranged by Pecker, who had testified earlier about his efforts to help Trump win the election by buying and burying negative stories about the real estate mogul.

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