Prosecution and Defense Offer Opening Arguments in Trump’s Hush Money Trial

In a Manhattan courtroom, both the prosecution and defense delivered opening statements Monday in Donald Trump’s criminal hush money case — the first of four criminal cases Trump is facing. Prosecutors said Trump’s $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016 — and his efforts to cover it up by falsifying business records — constituted “election fraud, pure and simple.” Meanwhile, Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche argued the former president did not do anything illegal, saying, “There’s nothing wrong with trying to influence an election.” The court heard briefly...