{"id":2230700,"date":"2024-04-26T06:18:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-26T10:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-trial-hope-hicks-contradictions-may-hurt-new-york-case\/"},"modified":"2024-04-26T06:20:13","modified_gmt":"2024-04-26T10:20:13","slug":"trump-trial-hope-hicks-contradictions-may-hurt-new-york-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-trial-hope-hicks-contradictions-may-hurt-new-york-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Hope Hicks&#8217; conflicting statements could harm the New York trial involving Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-trial-hope-hicks-contradictions-may-hurt-new-york-case%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2230700&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Attorneys for Donald Trump suggest that Michael Cohen \u2063isn&#8217;t the only \u2063witness with truthfulness issues in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-sets-date-for-trumps-hush-money-trial-and-the-timing-could-heavily-impact-the-2024-election\/\" title=\"Trial date set for Trump's hush money case, with potential impact on 2024 election\">hush money trial<\/a>.\u200b Trump&#8217;s team aims to undermine Cohen&#8217;s\u2063 credibility by highlighting his history of lying. They are also challenging the testimonies of \u200cother \u200bwitnesses like \u200bHope Hicks to weaken the case against the former president. The attorneys representing Donald Trump imply that Michael Cohen \u2063is not the sole witness facing credibility challenges \u200cin the \u2062hush money trial. Their strategy involves exposing Cohen&#8217;s dishonesty to diminish\u2062 his credibility. \u200dAdditionally, they are scrutinizing testimonies, including that of Hope Hicks,\u2064 to weaken the case against the former president.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Attorneys for former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/author\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Donald Trump<\/a> hinted Thursday that ex-lawyer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/michael-cohen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Michael Cohen<\/a> isn\u2019t the only witness they plan to prove has an issue with telling the truth during the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/donald-trumps-criminal-hush-money-trial-set-for-march-25\/\" title=\"Trump's hush money trial scheduled for March 25\">criminal hush money trial<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Trump and his attorneys <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/2964672\/trump-trial-begins-weaknesses-defense\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"have made clear they intend to use Cohen's history of lying\">have made clear they intend to use Cohen\u2019s history of lying<\/a> to Congress and his recent admonishment by a judge over perjury concerns to discredit Manhattan District Attorney <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2902594\/alvin-bragg-dealt-blow-after-arizona-judge-rules-not-to-extradite-murder-suspect-to-nyc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Alvin Bragg<\/a>\u2018s 34-count indictment against the former president. But already less than a half-day into witness cross-examination, defense attorneys are aiming to discredit other witnesses before they even get to the stand, such as former White House communications director Hope Hicks.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>President Donald Trump points to outgoing White House Communications Director Hope Hicks on her last day before he boards Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Thursday, March 29, 2018. (AP Photo\/Andrew Harnik)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Bragg\u2019s team of prosecutors finished their third day of interviewing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/2973520\/who-is-david-pecker-media-mogul-reported-to-be-first-testimony-in-trump-trial\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">David Pecker<\/a>, the legendary <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/national-enquirer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Enquirer<\/a> <\/em>publishing executive who prosecutors say helped Trump and his former fixer Cohen hatch a plan for a \u201ccatch and kill\u201d scheme to silence bad press about Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Trump lawyer Emil Bove began his cross-examination just before the day\u2019s end, pressing Pecker about an inconsistency as to whether Hicks was at a 2015 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2976174\/trump-trial-witness-recounts-frantic-efforts-kill-stories\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Trump Tower meeting<\/a>, where the media mogul says he first agreed to suppress stories on Trump\u2019s behalf.<\/p>\n<p>Bove\u2019s line of questioning suggested that Pecker informed federal prosecutors that Hicks was not at the meeting \u2014 but told state prosecutors that she was.<\/p>\n<p>During that meeting with federal prosecutors, Bove asked, \u201cYou did not tell anyone that Hope Hicks participated in the August 2015 meeting, correct?\u201d Pecker said that was the case.<\/p>\n<p>The media mogul\u2019s admission could become a strain on prosecutors as they seek to bring in more witnesses to prove that Trump instructed Cohen to work with Pecker to kill porn star Stormy Daniels\u2019s story alleging she had an affair with Trump in 2006. <\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Former president Donald Trump, left, watches as David Pecker answers questions on the witness stand, far right, from assistant district attorney Joshua Steingless, in Manhattan criminal court, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Prosecutors are using Pecker\u2019s testimony to \u201cset the scene for the conspiracy,\u201d former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>But Pecker is also a co-conspirator in the indictment who testified under a grant of immunity, so \u201cthe defense will cross-examine him aggressively and argue that he is lying to save himself and sell more magazines,\u201d Rahmani added.<\/p>\n<p>Although Hicks hasn\u2019t been scrutinized for perjury like Cohen and isn\u2019t a notorious tabloid publisher like Pecker, her credibility may well come under scrutiny when she eventually testifies due to her inconsistent statements to Congress in June 2019.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Former White House communications director Hope Hicks arrives for a closed-door interview with the House Judiciary Committee at the Capitol in Washington Wednesday, June 19, 2019. (AP Photo\/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>One month after she testified to Congress that she wasn\u2019t present when Trump and Cohen discussed Daniels at the Trump Tower meeting, a federal court <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/hope-hicks-appears-lied-congress-about-hush-money-payments-1450066\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"unsealed search warrant records\">unsealed search warrant records<\/a> that were part of the Southern District of New York\u2019s investigation into campaign finance violations tied to Trump and his attorney. The documents showed that Hicks at least spoke to both Trump and Cohen before the start of negotiations to make payments to Daniels.<\/p>\n<p>Rahmani said he believes \u201cHicks is less concerning because she isn\u2019t alleged to have participated in any criminal activity, but any inconsistent statements are a potential problem and something the prosecutors should prepare her for and have her explain.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bragg has charged Trump under New York Penal Law Section 175.10, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/are-the-charges-brought-against-the-trump-organizations-cfo-part-of-a-witch-hunt-experts-weigh-in\/\" title=\"Are The Charges Brought Against The Trump Organization\u2019s CFO Part Of A Witch Hunt? Experts Weigh In\">falsifying business records<\/a> in the first degree. Falsification alone is a misdemeanor under Section 175.05, but the district attorney, an elected Democrat, has boosted the charge to a felony by alleging Trump falsified the records with the \u201cintent to commit another crime and aid and conceal the commission thereof.\u201d However, Trump is not charged with any additional crimes.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors over the last three days have sought to show Trump, Cohen, and Pecker\u2019s alleged \u201ccatch and kill\u201d scheme was done with the intent of preventing the emergence of anything damaging or \u201cembarrassing\u201d to the then-candidate\u2019s 2016 campaign. But the prosecution may have hit some roadblocks on Thursday when Bove walked Pecker through ways he had engaged in very similar behavior to help Arnold Schwarzenegger\u2019s campaign for governor with similar protection deals.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Former President Donald Trump\u2019s lawyer Emil Bove appears in state Supreme Court in Manhattan on Thursday, April 25, 2024, in New York. (Jefferson Siegel\/The New York Times via AP, Pool)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Bove even referenced Tiger Woods, which may have related to an incident in which Pecker traded information about one of the women the golfer allegedly had an affair with in exchange for an exclusive interview with Woods in one of his magazines, <em>Men\u2019s Fitness,<\/em> in 2007.<\/p>\n<p>The defense\u2019s line of questioning to Pecker appears to reveal the Trump team\u2019s desire to show the media mogul was willing to cut deals and do favors with a variety of celebrities and politicians, which could prove to be convincing to a jury. In essence, they would like to dispel the prosecution\u2019s notion that Trump was only working with Pecker for campaign-related reasons.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTrump\u2019s attorneys will try to undercut the reliability of Pecker \/ Hicks \/ Cohen and all witnesses for that matter because that is what trial attorneys do,\u201d Andrew Lieb, a managing partner at Lieb at Law, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Lieb noted that Bragg\u2019s reliance on multiple witnesses likely intends to have a \u201cbarrage effect of compounding from every angle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cSo, while each, on their own, may have veracity problems, cumulatively the people intend it to be damning,\u201d Lieb said.<\/p>\n<p>Lawyers for Trump will continue questioning Pecker on Friday. It is not immediately clear when prosecutors will call Hicks to the stand.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former President Trump&#8217;s legal team suggested that Michael Cohen is not the only witness with truthfulness issues in the hush money trial. They aim to highlight Cohen&#8217;s past lies to Congress and recent criticism, indicating a strategy to challenge his credibility during the proceedings<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2230701,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP18088590595284.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2230700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP18088590595284.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2230700","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2230700"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2230700\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2230701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2230700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2230700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2230700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}