'Blockbuster' Trump trial witness blew up his key defense: ex-prosecutor
The name Stormy Daniels has been an albatross for Donald Trump ever since won the presidency in 2016.
And given that the former president at one point pleaded ignorance to having ever meeting the adult film star, former federal prosecutor Gene Rossi believes it could "hurt" his defense now that his executive assistant of three decades, Rhona Graff, testified remembering she was in Trump Tower and being considered for a spot on his television show "Celebrity Apprentice".
"In any trial, you should under-promise and over-perform," he said during an appearance on CNN to discuss the ongoing hush money trial. "In your opening — under promise. And one of the Achilles heels of the defense is basically saying these relationships did not happen."
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For Rossi, Graff is a critical witness, calling her testimony a "bombshell" because "Trump has said 'I don't even know Stormy Daniels, let alone having a relationship.' And that is going to hurt them in front of the jury because they over-promised."
The former president back in 2018, posted on Twitter a response to a Washington Post story claiming he kissed Rachel Crooks on the mouth in 2006.
He claimed then that Daniels was a stranger bringing some frivolous claims.
It reads: "A woman I don’t know and, to the best of my knowledge, never met, is on the FRONT PAGE of the Fake News Washington Post saying I kissed her (for two minutes yet) in the lobby of Trump Tower 12 years ago. Never happened!”
Graff's tenure as Trump's gatekeeper started in 1987 and ended in 2021.
On Friday, she testified that she had added the contacts for Daniels and ex-Playboy playmate Karen McDougal to the Trump Organization’s computer system.
Graff also recalled a critical nugget: overhearing Trump mention he had been considering casting Daniels on a celebrity version of his hit reality TV show "The Apprentice" to be called "Celebrity Apprentice".
Both Daniels and McDougal are being cited by Manhattan prosecutors for receiving six-figure sums to keep their alleged sexual affairs with Trump under wraps weeks ahead of the 2016 election. It's alleged Trump, with the help of his former fixer and attorney Michael Cohen, cooked up a scheme to hide the payments to ultimately manipulate the outcome of the election results.
Trump has been charged with 34 felony counts in the hush money trial involving falsifying business records.
He has pleaded not guilty.
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