Trump's First Criminal Trial Begins... 'Hush Money for Sexual Misconduct' Hearing Starts

Former U.S. President Donald Trump went on trial on the 22nd (local time) on charges of falsifying company records to conceal payments related to a sexual misconduct scandal.

The New York Times (NYT) and the Associated Press (AP) reported that Judge Juan Merchan of the New York Manhattan District Court held the first hearing with the jury present, hearing statements from both the prosecution and defense.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, both sides finalized the list of 12 jurors and 6 alternate jurors by the 19th.

Trump is the first former or sitting U.S. president to face a criminal trial.

At the first hearing, the prosecution argued that Trump distorted the election by covering up the crime of paying "hush money" during the 2016 presidential election. In contrast, Trump's defense claimed that the money in question was unrelated to the prosecution's allegations and accused the prosecution of trying to criminalize the matter.

Trump is accused of paying "hush money" to former adult film actress Stormy Daniels through his personal lawyer just before the 2016 election to prevent her from revealing past sexual misconduct allegations, and of falsifying company records related to the payment.

The prosecution stated, "The defendant concealed the substance of the payment in internal company documents and denies having a sexual relationship with Daniels. Through his lawyer, he claims the payment was a legitimate legal expense, but the investigation shows this was a pure and simple election fraud based on a bribery deal negotiation."

The prosecution also explained that, in addition to the charges related to Daniels listed in the indictment, Trump's side used a "catch and kill" method?buying and burying unfavorable information about the election.

When former Playboy model Karen McDougal attempted to reveal an affair with Trump ahead of the 2016 election, the tabloid National Enquirer conspired to pay McDougal $150,000, purchased exclusive rights to the story, and then buried it. According to the NYT, David Pecker, CEO of AMI, the parent company of National Enquirer and the first witness in the trial, denied any illegal activity.

On the other hand, Trump's defense completely denied the charges. Trump's lawyer argued, "The payment was not made to prevent stories about the defendant's sex life from being made public during the 2016 election and is unrelated to the prosecution's claims." The AP reported that the lawyer also said, "He is innocent. The prosecution should not have filed charges in this case."

After arriving at the courthouse, Trump claimed, "This is being held to harm the worst president in our country's history and is a witch hunt aimed at my presidential campaign, which is shameful."