Trump criminal trial: Day 2 of Stormy Daniels’ cross-examination

On her second day of testimony Thursday, adult film actress Stormy Daniels was cross-examined by defense attorneys regarding her motives and inconsistencies behind sharing her alleged encounters with former President Donald Trump over the years.

Daniels remains a key witness for the prosecution due to the alleged “hush money” paid to her by Trump’s previous lawyer — and future witness — Michael Cohen. The 34-count criminal case against Trump centers around Daniels. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is accusing Trump of falsifying business records made before his 2016 presidential election to keep his alleged relationship with Daniels from becoming public.

The apparent transaction was $130,000 to Daniels in exchange for her silence.

Trump, who is on track to run against President Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential election, has denied any wrongdoing and claims to have never had a relationship with Daniels. During the case, Trump has been handed a gag order that he has been accused of and punished for violating multiple times by the prosecution.

In a Truth Social post, he accused Biden, along with the New York court system, of treating him unfairly and taking away his right to free speech:

“It is hard to sit back and listen to lies and false statements be made against you knowing that if you respond, even in the most modest fashion, you are told by a Corrupt and Highly Conflicted Judge that you will be PUT IN PRISON, maybe for a long period of time,” he posted on Wednesday.

Trump added, “This Fascist mindset is all coming from D.C. It is a sophisticated hit job on Crooked Joe Biden’s Political Opponent, ME!. Judges Engoron and Kaplan, also of New York, are equally Corrupt, only in different ways. What these THUGS are doing is AN ATTACK ON THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, AND OUR ONCE GREAT NATION ITSELF. OUR FIRST AMENDMENT MUST STAND, FREE AND STRONG. ‘GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!’”

Day 2 of Daniels’ testimony

Daniels’ first day of testimony on Tuesday included her recounting of events between her and Trump, going back to 2006. While promoting the adult film company she worked for at the time, Daniels claims she had a sexual encounter with Trump at a celebrity golf tournament he was participating in at Lake Tahoe.

When cross-examined by Trump attorney Susan Necheles Thursday morning, Daniels was pushed on her varying stories over the years, specifically in her In-Touch Magazine and “60 Minutes” with Anderson Cooper interviews.

At one point, Necheles accused Daniels of changing her story regarding her claim that she “blacked out” during the physical encounter with Trump, something she had never said previously.

“There were parts I didn’t remember,” Daniels said, per CBS News.

“You’re making this up, right?” Necheles responded, to which Daniels denied and added, “You’re trying to make me say it changed, but it hasn’t changed.”

She was also questioned about her desire to use the alleged story to make a profit off of Trump.

In her negotiations with Cohen prior to Trump’s presidential election, Daniels said Thursday that she also communicated with different media groups as “backup,” but Necheles said Daniels wasn’t willing to share her story with journalists because there was no money in that option, according to The Associated Press.

“The better alternative was for you to get money, right?” Necheles said.

“The better alternative was to get my story protected with a paper trail so that my family didn’t get hurt,” Daniels responded.

Daniels was on the stand for nearly eight hours during her questioning on Tuesday and Thursday.