What to know about the alleged October 2016 payment to Stormy Daniels at the center of the case
Prosecutors and the defense have been zeroing in on the hush money payment at the center of the case, with Donald Trump's lawyers trying to poke holes at Michael Cohen's testimony.
According to prosecutors, on October 27, 2016, Cohen paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 to her attorney through a shell company in exchange for her silence about an affair she allegedly had with Trump in 2006.
Trump has publicly denied having an affair with Daniels and denied making the payments.
Prosecutors say Daniels first brought her story to American Media Inc., whose executives brought the story to Cohen on Trump’s behalf.
According to prosecutors, Trump directed Cohen to delay making the payment as long as possible, telling him if they delayed paying until after the election they could avoid paying it at all.
The former president has been accused of taking part in an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election and an unlawful plan to suppress negative information, which included the payment to Daniels.
Prosecutors allege that Trump allegedly disguised the transaction as a legal payment and falsified business records numerous times to “promote his candidacy.”
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