On Tuesday, Donald Trump’s attorneys moved for a mistrial in his first criminal case, citing the salacious testimony of ex-porn star Stormy Daniels.
“The guardrails for this witness, answering questions from the government, were just thrown to the side,” Trump attorney Todd Blanche said.
Prosecutors called Daniels, a porn star, to the stand on Tuesday.
“I do think some things were better unsaid,” Judge Juan Merchan said. “I don’t believe we are at the point where a mistrial is warranted.”
The Hill reports:
Blanche asked for a mistrial after the court reconvened following the lunch break. Daniels had taken the stand in the morning, testifying in sordid detail about the alleged sexual encounter.
Blanche suggested that Daniels’ story has changed since 2016 from a consensual affair to be more dubious and that some of the details the jury was allowed to hear, including that he didn’t use a condom, were inappropriate.
“How can you just let them ring the bell?” Blanche said.
Susan Hoffinger, a prosecutor with the Manhattan district attorney’s office, pushed back against Blanche’s accusations.
“In your motions, your honor did not put any guardrails on the testimony,” she said, claiming that Daniels’s story has been public for several years and the defense should not be surprised by her testimony.
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