Benzinga - by Shanthi Rexaline, Benzinga Editor.
Hope Hicks, the former aide of Donald Trump, testified in the New York hush-money criminal case trial last week, and, last Friday, former Department of Justice Attorney and law professor Andrew Weissmann delved into what has transpired so far in the case and the path forward.
Victory For Bragg: The week ended on a very high note for New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office, Weissmann said.
“I cannot stress enough how much of a big fat nail in the coffin Hope Hicks was to the Trump criminal defense,” he said.
Hicks’ statement, coming from a staunch Trump loyalist fully aware of the hush-money agreements, including those with Karen McDougal and adult film star Stormy Daniels, leaves no room for doubt, he added.
Weissmann, who served as the assistant United States Attorney from 1991 to 2002, said Hicks was a “devastating” witness against Trump. He noted that Hicks made it clear that Trump knew of Michael Cohen‘s payoff to Daniels. Her testimony also sinks Trump’s defense, as the ex-president went on record in a civil case admitting that he had reimbursed Cohen the $130,000, Weissmann added.
Hicks confirmed that Trump understood the purpose of the money was to silence Daniels, not for the purported legal fees for ongoing work by Cohen, Weissman stated.
“And Hicks’ crying on the stand makes it that much clearer that she does not want to be implicating her former boss — the DA is making the case, as the J6C did, through Trump loyalists,” the legal expert said.
What Lies Ahead: Looking ahead, Bragg must prove “Trump made or caused making knowingly false business records with intent to further or conceal another crime, such as state campaign law,” Weissmann said.
So far, the defense has cited evidence of intent to conceal another crime, the DOJ veteran said. He added that, based on Hicks’ testimony, it was clear that at the time Trump reimbursed Cohen, the former president was aware of the hush-money scheme.
“The knowledge of the false business records is next, which will come from Trump himself signing the repayment checks, the amounts, the timing, and the invoices falsely noting they are for current legal services versus Hicks’ testimony that Trump knew of the hush money scheme at that time and Trump’s own prior admissions that he repaid Michael Cohen,” Weissmann said.
“With that, the DA case will be done.”
“Thanks to District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his crackerjack team of experienced attorneys, we have witnessed a criminal case unfold like clockwork, building a case based on Trump-world insiders, corroborated by hundreds of tapes, emails, texts, phone records, documents, tweets and financial records,” Wesimann said in an article he contributed to MSNBC on Saturday.
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