“He was concerned about the story. He was concerned how it would be viewed by his wife,” the former Trump campaign press secretary said, referring to the former president’s reaction when The Wall Street Journal published a story about payments to model Karen McDougal.

Trump was worried about what Melania would think

The third week of the trial against Donald Trump ends with the testimony of Hope Hicks, who was press secretary for the former president’s campaign in 2016 and subsequently held several positions in his administration. Hicks testified that the former president was so concerned about his wife Melania’s possible reaction to the publication that he asked that the newspaper not arrive at his home that day.

Hicks’ testimony contradicts the entire district attorney(DA) ’s case, which claims that the former president made the payments to Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels because he sought to influence the presidential elections. The story of Hicks, one of Trump’s closest collaborators, shows that the then-presidential candidate did not want the newspapers talking about these accusations to protect his brand and, above all, his family. Hicks said Trump wanted his family to be proud of him.

Although it is not a crime to sign a confidentiality agreement to prevent a story - no matter if it is true or false - from coming to light and thus protect the image of a presidential candidate, in any case, Hicks’ testimony destroys the DA’s theory that Trump would have undertaken an entire scheme to “catch and kill” stories to determine to some extent the 2016 electoral results. His former press secretary made clear in her testimony that the Republican was fundamentally concerned about how the stories could affect his family.

As the days progress, each of the testimonies presented in court seem to contradict the case brought by Democratic DA Alvin Bragg.

There was no hush money

This Thursday, May 2, Keith Davidson, the lawyer for Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels, stated that he would not classify the payments made to the porn actress as “hush money” but as a “consideration,” which is a term used to describe legal expenses. He also claimed that his only interaction with Trump had been in public appearances.

According to prosecutors, the Trump campaign recorded those payments as “legal fees,” which constituted fraud, but Daniels’ own lawyer contradicted the district attorney when he tried to point out the payments as a kind of bribe.

The exchange was as follows:

District attorney: Would you use the phrase hush money to describe the payment to your client?

Davidson: “I would never use that word.”

District attorney: What would you say?

Davidson: “Consideration.”

Politicization of Justice?

Trump has been held up in court for three weeks, unable to campaign just a few months before the elections. However, he has taken advantage of the few moments he has to make some public appearances. Yesterday, he delivered pizza at a fire station. He has also taken advantage of the minutes before and after the trial to give brief speeches and, on some occasions, even answer questions.

This morning, before entering court, the former president addressed journalists, assuring them that he is winning the trial and that “they’re doing this because it’s politics. They want to get Biden elected; that’s the only reason.”

Trump also complained about the judge’s handling of the case and about the witnesses who have already passed through the court and those who may possibly come: “He is trying to make it as salacious as possible by allowing testimony that has nothing to do with the case. He wants to make it a nice salacious case, try to hurt Trump, but it’s having the opposite effect.”

The president’s team has indicated on different occasions that they see no point in calling porn actress Stormy Daniels to testify, that the only thing the judge is looking for is to damage the image of the former president, and that the woman’s testimonies do not provide any evidence about the accusations since she has nothing to do with the accounting books and transactions carried out by the lawyers.

Trump also referred to the gag order that prevents him from answering the accusations that the DA’s star witness, Michael Cohen, constantly makes against him. “The gag order stops me from talking about people and responding when they say things about me.” He also added that his lawyers will appeal the gag order.

The Republican’s team has said that it is unconstitutional to prevent a presidential candidate, in the midst of his race for the White House, from defending himself against the accusations that are constantly made against him in the media by the main witness of the DA’s Office.