By Isabelle Wilson-
Judge Juan Merchan rebuked Trump’s defense team for failing to object to explicit details provided by porn actor Stormy Daniels during her testimony.
Daniels, who took the stand this week, delved into graphic descriptions of her alleged sexual encounter with Trump at a 2006 golf tournament, an event Trump vehemently denies. Trump’s legal team, citing Daniels’s explicit testimony, renewed their plea for a mistrial at the conclusion of Thursday’s proceedings.
Despite the defense’s efforts, Judge Merchan dismissed the motion, expressing sympathy for their concerns but directing criticism at Trump’s attorney, Susan Necheles, for not interjecting objections when prosecutors broached sensitive topics, notably whether Trump had used a condom during the purported encounter.
While acknowledging the impropriety of such questioning, Judge Merchan voiced perplexity over Necheles’s failure to intervene. “Why on earth she wouldn’t object to a mention of a condom, I don’t understand,” the judge remarked, visibly perturbed by the oversight.
Daniels’s testimony, which included assertions that Trump did not use a condom and that she “blacked out,” prompted Trump’s legal team to assert that her remarks unfairly implied non-consensual behaviour and an inconsistency in her narrative.
Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche, asserted, “This is extremely prejudicial testimony,” emphasizing that the case revolves around business records rather than the disputed encounter itself.
While court transcripts reveal instances of Necheles objecting during Daniels’s testimony, the absence of an objection to the specific question about condom usage raised eyebrows in the courtroom.
Despite denying the mistrial request, Judge Merchan has conceded to providing the jury with instructions on how to interpret certain aspects of Daniels’s testimony, aiming to mitigate potential prejudice.
The trial revolves around allegations that Trump falsified business records related to the repayment of $130,000 in hush money to Daniels, facilitated by his former attorney Michael Cohen.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to all 34 counts, maintaining the accuracy of the records in question.