Donald Trump’s hush-money trial will close out its explosive third week of testimony Friday, with his former White House aide Madeleine Westerhout set to take the stand once again in the morning.
She was first called to testify Thursday after jurors heard almost two days of testimony from Stormy Daniels, the porn star who prosecutors say was paid $130,000 on the eve of the 2016 election to keep quiet about her claims of a one-night stand with Trump a decade earlier. The former president’s lawyers sought to undermine Daniels’ credibility, portraying her in sometimes heated exchanges as a liar attempting to extort money from Trump.
Jurors heard lurid details from Daniels about her alleged tryst with Trump including specifics about condoms, sexual positions, and more during her time on the stand. At one point, Trump’s attorneys asked for a mistrial given the salacious details of her testimony, but Judge Juan Merchan rejected the request. Trump denies ever having sex with Daniels.