Witness cross-examined in hush money trial, plus new indictments in Arizona
Apr 25, 2024
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NPR's Andrea Bernstein discusses Trump's hush money trial with insights from former National Enquirer publisher. Election law professor Edward Foley explains fake elector indictments in Arizona involving Trump's allies. Topics include hush money payments, cross-examination, and fake electors scheme.
Trump advised hush money payments to keep Karen McDougal silent, peeling back secrecy layers in the scheme.
Arizona indictments, including Trump allies, for fake elector plot aiming to sway election outcome through false submissions.
Deep dives
Trump's Hush Money Trial Details Revealed
Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker's testimony unveiled Trump's involvement in hush money payments to Karen McDougall. Pecker testified about Trump advising to pay her off and the intricate plans to keep the payments secret from the books. The testimony highlighted Trump's awareness and intimate connection to the hush money scheme involving McDougall and Stormy Daniels. Trump's lawyers emphasized the practice of checkbook journalism and mutual benefits in their defense.
Arizona Indictments in Fake Elector Scheme
Arizona charges individuals, including Trump allies like Mark Meadows and Rudy Giuliani, tied to fake elector scheme. The scheme aimed to submit false documents claiming Trump's victory, seeking to sway Congress to overturn 2020 election results. Ohio State professor Ned Foley discusses the Arizona charges, pointing out the involvement of individuals linked to Trump's campaign and the accountability in the broader alleged scheme. Trump's unindicted co-conspirator listing in the charges suggests his central role in the alleged criminal activities.
Future Election Security Measures and Risks
Professor Ned Foley mentions the importance of the Electoral Count Reform Act in deterring future election manipulation attempts. The Act clarifies language to prevent ambiguities that could be exploited for election interference. Despite reduced likelihood, the risk of similar manipulations in future elections remains a concern, necessitating ongoing vigilance in safeguarding electoral processes from fraudulent schemes and subversion.
For this episode of Trump's Trials host Scott Detrow speaks with NPR's Andrea Bernstein about the latest in the New York hush money trial. Later, election law professor Edward Foley explains the fake elector indictments out of Arizona.
In a New York courtroom, former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker took the stand for his third day of testimony. In his testimony Pecker said Trump had intimate knowledge of hush money payments from the very beginning. Pecker was then questioned by Trump's defense team, who tried to poke holes in his story.
In Arizona, 18 people have been indicted for their alleged efforts to overturn the state's 2020 election. They include some of former President Donald Trump's closet allies — former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani. Trump himself was listed as an unindicted co-conspirator. Arizona becomes the fourth state to criminally charge people related to the fake electors scheme.