Happy friday, it is 10 00 eastern. Im Ana Cabrera Reporting from new york, and Donald Trumps Hush Money Trial just resuming this morning with a former Trump White House aide facing cross examination. Madeleine westerhout back on the stand, shes testified about trump signing checks and Michael Cohen visiting the white house. And speaking of cohen, we just learned that the prosecutions star witness will take the stand on monday. Nbcs Vaughn Hillyard is outside the courthouse for us. Also with us our legal panel for the hour White Collar Defense Attorney and former federal prosecutor sarah krisoff, and criminal defense attorney bernard via low na. Vaughn, catch us up. Whats happening inside that courtroom this morning . Reporter hey, good morning, ana. Madeleine westerhout who was the trump Executive Assistant inside of the white house for his first two and a half years there is currently testifying Under Cross Examination by Susan Necheles. Theyre currently looking at an email in which a
Both of you now. That is all for us. This has been cnn central, cnn special live coverage of the criminal trial. Donald trump picks up right now a live look at the Manhattan Courthouse behind me. Were shooting the jury will hear again from Marquee Witness for me, daniels, moments ago, the former president of the United States heading into court for you, listen to testimony from the Adult Film Star comes as his lawyers are adopting a new Mission Store his reputation by attacking her credibility made her school for life from new york and distance cnn special live coverage on trumps Hush Money Trial and im jim acosta in washington today, court resumes with crossexamination were told to expect Stormy Daniels to be on the Witness Stand with a while still to go. Thats a giant change in the trump and his legal team. Initially saw her as a witness who would be a wash, neither helping nor hurting the peoples case against donald trump. Now sources familiar with the former president s legal strat
To quote Stormy Daniels, when somebody attacks me, im going to defend myself. Those were some of the final words from the Adult Film Star before she was excused from the stand in Donald Trumps Hush Money Trial. It is good to be back with you. Im chris jansing, alongside my colleague, andrea mitchell. Defense lawyer suggested she was trying to extort him, and capitalizing on his fame with merchandise, prosecutors for their part pointing out that daniels was the target of nasty, threatening tweets for even coming forward about an alleged affair with donald trump. They asked daniels been telling the truth net positive or net negative in your life. Daniels response, negative. Over the next hour, well bring you live updates from the courtroom, the latest witness who will be back after the lunch break, a bookkeeper at the Trump Organization who handled checks, including of course the key checks, the ones in question in this hush money case. So lets bring in the panel joining us now, nbc Nati
Alongside andrea mitchell. Our continuing coverage will continue with jose diazbalart next. Good afternoon, great to be with you. Im jose diazbalart in for katy tur. It has been a roladex of witnesses. The director of oval office operations, Madeleine Westerhout is on the witness stand. During her time she was known as trumps gate keeper. Westerhouts testimony comes after Stormy Daniels second round on the stand earlier today. Daniel was grilled on the details of the alleged sexual encounter and the 130,000 payment that followed. I want to start with whats happening right now inside the courtroom. Joining us from outside the New York City courthouse is Nbc News National Correspondent Yasmin Vossoughian, criminal defense attorney, and msnbc legal analyst, danny cevallos, and new York Law School professor and former manhattan assistant district attorney, rebecca. Bring us up to speed on whats happening now. Reporter im not a lawyer. Im trying to be one on tv. The way im seeing this, and
As former President Trumps lawyer for tried to discredit her story and her motivation for telling it, often using her career in the adult Film Industry for reference one exchange reading quote, necklace, the lawyer saying you have a lot of experience of making phony stories about sex appear to be real. Daniels responds, wow, thats not how i would put it. The second in the films is very much real, just like what happened to me in that room. The sex is real. Thats why its Pornography Necklace than asking, now, you have a story youve been telling about having sex with President Trump daniels answers, if that story was untrue, i would have written it to be a lot better. And thats not the only moment where trumps team highlighted daniels work in the adult Film Industry. Caitlin know, its certainly not. They repeatedly pointed to that and there was another moment where trumps attorney, Susan Nicholas daniels and choose questioning her, and nicholas asked her and im quoting trumps attorney no