Tuesday didn’t start off well for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg as his star witness, adult film star Stormy Daniels, faced criticism for her demeanor on the stand. During her testimony, Daniels attempted to lighten the mood with jokes, but her efforts fell flat with the jury.
CNN panelists didn’t hold back in their assessment of Daniels’ behavior, highlighting her attempts at humor and noting the jury’s lack of response. Kaitlan Collins pointed out moments where Daniels seemed to be scripted, trying to elicit reactions from the jury, but to no avail. Jake Tapper emphasized the jury’s seriousness in their duty.
Former prosecutor Elie Honig expressed discomfort with Daniels’ approach, cautioning against using humor in the courtroom, especially when pre-planned. He stressed that spontaneous humor may work, but attempting to script jokes for the jury rarely succeeds.
Stormy Daniels is apparently making scripted jokes in the courtroom to win over the jury and nobody is laughing
She's hurting the prosecution's case by showing the jury how much of an attention seeker she is. This is hilarious pic.twitter.com/jQmWdIRU5m
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) May 7, 2024
Despite the light-hearted moments, Daniels’ testimony also touched on serious topics, including her discussion with Trump about her sexual health in 2006. She mentioned working for Wicked Pictures, a studio with condom-mandatory policies, and Trump’s interest in the business aspects of the adult entertainment industry during their meeting at a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe.
Prosecutors allege that Trump authorized a $130,000 payment to Daniels before the 2016 election to prevent her from disclosing an alleged affair, categorizing the payment as a legal expense. Bragg has been pursuing charges against Trump, arguing that the payment was illegally classified. However, the Federal Election Commission previously ruled that the payment didn’t qualify as a campaign expense.
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