Key Witness Testimony
Manhattan prosecutors are poised to push their case against Donald J. Trump into a critical new phase on Tuesday, as they prepare to question a key witness and urge the judge to hold the former president in contempt for attacking witnesses and jurors in the landmark trial.
Opening Statements
The case, the first criminal trial of an American president, debuted to a newly seated jury on Monday, as both sides delivered opening statements that offered dueling visions of Mr. Trump and the evidence against him. While a prosecutor accused the former president of orchestrating a “criminal conspiracy and a coverup,” Mr. Trump’s lawyer proclaimed that “President Trump is innocent.”
First Witness Testimony
The prosecution also began questioning its first witness, David Pecker, the former publisher of The National Enquirer, who buried damaging stories about Mr. Trump as he mounted his first campaign for president. Mr. Trump is accused of falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal involving a porn star that could have derailed his campaign.
The flurry of activity set the stage for a weekslong trial that will continue to captivate the political and legal worlds and test the limits of the justice system as Mr. Trump attacks judge and jury alike.