NEW YORK (NEWSnet/AP) – Stormy Daniels, a former adult film actor and director whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was called as a witness in the Donald Trump hush money trial Tuesday.

Daniels has said she had a 2006 sexual encounter with Trump; and Trump says it never happened.

But as the 2016 presidential election approached, Trump feared the story, which he says is false, would cost him votes. As a result, prosecutors say, he arranged to pay the woman to keep quiet.

Daniels took the stand about 10:30 a.m., according to Associated Press coverage.

After multiple discussions with the judge and Trump’s lawyers out of the earshot of jurors, prosecutor Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger instructed Daniels to keep her answers brief and free of extra details.

The introductory questions included an introduction to her work in the adult film industry, starting at age 23, which included writing and directing such pieces. 

Daniels said she met Trump in 2006 at a celebrity golf outing, as the company she was working for at the time was one of the event sponsors. As the day's activities wrapped up, she said, Trump asked if she wanted to join him for dinner. She met him at his hotel suite; and they spoke for about two hours on topics that included the business aspect of the adult film industry and his TV show at the time, "The Apprentice."

Daniels testified that, after a while, she had to use the bathroom. When she was finished, she said, she found Trump sitting on the bed wearing boxer shorts and a T-shirt.

And before she left, she had sex with Trump on the bed.

Trump has denied having sex with Daniels.

Testimony is continuing in the case.

Monday's testimony, from Trump Organization controller Jeffrey McConney, had focused on whether money paid to Michael Cohen — reimbursing him for payments to Daniels — was correctly logged as a legal expense.

Background on the Case

 

The hush money case, formally known as People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump, is the first of four criminal investigations pending against the former president to go to trial.

The 34 felony counts of falsifying business records involve a series of incidents and conversations that took place when Trump ran in 2016 for what became a successful election attempt to the White House. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. 

The trial itself is expected to last a few weeks. There are usually no sessions on Wednesdays because of the judge’s schedule. There will be no court on May 17 so Trump can attend the high school graduation for his son Barron; and no court on May 24 to allow travel plans that were already made for the Memorial Day holiday.

Media Coverage Rules

 

New York state rules do not allow TV cameras during courtroom hearings; pool photographers are allowed in only for a few minutes each day before the session gets started.

There is an overflow room where news media can watch the proceedings live via monitor, but visitors are prohibited from recording and photography in the overflow space.

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