WHO DID IT HELP?
IT HELPED DONALD TRUMP.
>> Martha: INJURY SO RIGHT.
LET’S GO TO JAKE GIBSON AND
BRYAN LLENAS.
JAKE WAS IN THE COURTROOM AND HE
HAS THE INDICTMENT.
JAKE AND BRYAN, WHAT CAN YOU
TELL US?
>> ALL RIGHT, MARTHA.
JAKE GIBSON IS THE DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE PRODUCER.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE
CHARGES?
>> SO 34 CHARGES.
THEY’RE FELONY CHARGES FOR
FALSIFYING BUSINESS RECORDS IN
NEW YORK.
THEN ALSO WITHIN THAT, USING
THOSE RECORDS TO HELP SUPPRESS A
STORY THAT MAY HAVE DONE DAMAGE
TO HIS CAMPAIGN.
THOSE ARE THE CHARGES.
34 OF THEM.
MR. TRUMP WALKED IN, THE FORMER
PRESIDENT TRUMP WALKED IN.
HE SEEMED TO HAVE A BIT OF A
SWAGGER.
HE LOOKED STOIC, STONE-FACED.
HE PLEAD NOT GUILTY, SAID NOT
GUILTY.
AT SOME POINT THE PROSECUTION
BROUGHT UP ALL OF THE SOCIAL
MEDIA POSTS THAT HE HAS PUT OUT
RECENTLY INCLUDING ONE WHERE
HE’S HOLDING A BAT NEXT TO D.A.
BRAGG.
THE PROSECUTION SAID THIS IS --
COULD BE LOOKED AT AS INCITING
VIOLENCE.
THEY WANTED THE JUDGE TO --
SEEMED LIKE THEY WANTED HIM TO
GIVE A GAG ORDER.
THE JUSTICE SAID THAT NO, HE
WOULDN’T GIVE A GAG ORDER.
HE SAID TO MR. TRUMP AND TO HIS
ATTORNEYS, I DON’T WANT TO SEE
THIS ANYMORE.
I DON’T -- THE NEXT TIME I SEE
SOMETHING LIKE, THIS I MIGHT
HAVE A DIFFERENT IDEA ABOUT WHAT
I SHOULD DO.
HIS ATTORNEY SAID THIS CASE HAS
BEEN INVESTIGATING IT FOR THREE
YEARS.
THERE’S BEEN SELECTIVE LEAKS
THAT ARE HARMING FORMER
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
IT’S UNTHINKABLE THAT HE WOULD
BE ALLOWED TO DEFENSE HIMSELF.
THAT’S THEIR WAY OF JUSTIFYING
HIS POSTS.
THE JUDGE SAID THAT HE DIDN’T --
HE WASN’T SURE THAT THAT
JUSTIFIED IF HE WAS INCITING
VIOLENCE, RIGHT?
LATER THE PROSECUTION ALSO SAID
THAT THERE WAS A CONFLICT OF
INTEREST WITH DEFENSE ATTORNEY
TACOPINO.
THEY JUST RECEIVED A LETTER FROM
STORMY DANIELS LAWYER WHERE IN
THEY THEY SAID HE HAD
COMMUNICATIONS WITH HER.
THAT’S A CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
AND TACOPINO SAID NO, HE HAD
NEVER MET WITH HER, HAD NEVER
SPOKEN WITH HER.
SHE CALLED HIS OFFICE LOOKING TO
HIRE HIM.
SPOKE TO A PARALLEL.
HE NEVER TOOK HER AS A CLIENT.
THAT SHOULDN’T BE A CONFLICT OF
INTEREST.
VERY INTERESTINGLY, THE
PROSECUTION WANTS THIS TO GO TO
TRIAL IN JANUARY OF 2024.
YOU KNOW WHAT ELSE IS IN JANUARY
OF 2024?
PRIMARY SEASON FOR THE
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
PRESIDENT TRUMP’S TEAM DIDN’T
WANT TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH
THAT.
THEY WANT IT FURTHER OUT.
THE JUDGE SAID I WOULD LIKE TO
MOVE EXPEDITIOUSLY.
THERE’S DEFENSE MOTIONS AND
PROSECUTION WILL HAVE TO HAVE A
RESPONSE.
AND THE JUDGE WILL GIVE HIS
DECISION ON THE MOTIONS.
THAT’S THE NEXT TIME WE HAVE
SOMETHING HERE, DECEMBER 4 IN
PERSON.
THE PRESIDENT TRUMP’S TEAM, YOU
KNOW, HINTED MAYBE THEY DIDN’T
WANT TO COME TO THAT HEARING.
THE JUDGE SAID IT’S GOOD IF HE
WOULD COME TO THESE HEARINGS, A
JURY, IF THERE’S A TRIAL, WOULD
WANT TO SEE HIM.
THE DEFENSE SAID RIGHT, BUT
THINK OF ALL THE MONEY THAT IS
SPENT WITH THIS TODAY.
HOW MUCH -- THE BURDEN THIS PUT
ON THE CITY.
THE JUDGE SEEMED TO AGREE, IT
WAS A SERIOUS BURDEN.
BUT THAT HE STILL THOUGHT THAT
MR. TRUMP SHOULD ATTEND.
HE DENIED THE REQUEST THAT MAYBE
IF HE DIDN’T WANT TO ATTEND THE
DECEMBER 4th HEARING.
HE SAID MAYBE IN THE FUTURE WE
CAN LET HIM OUT BUT I’D LIKE TO
SEE HIM AT THE DECEMBER 4
HEARING.
>> A TON OF INFORMATION.
IF YOU CAN COME IN WITH A
QUESTION, MARTHA.
I WANT TO WRAP UP WHAT YOU WERE
SAYING.
SO THE FORMER PRESIDENT WILL
HAVE HIS NEXT HEARING DECEMBER 4
IN MANHATTAN.
THERE’S THE TALK OF THE GAG
ORDER.
THE JUDGE WAS NOTE INTERESTED IN
DOING THAT BECAUSE HE DID NOT
THINK IT WAS AN INCITEMENT OF
VIOLENCE.
>> WHAT HE SAID IS I’M
REQUESTING THAT YOU DON’T DO
THAT.
IT’S A REQUEST AT THIS POINT.
IT’S NOT AN ORDER.
IT’S A REQUEST.
>> STAY OFF OF SOCIAL MEDIA.
>> NOT DO THINGS THAT MIGHT BE
LOOKED AT AS INCITING SOME TYPE
OF VIOLENCE OR GETTING, YOU
KNOW -- HAVING SOMETHING THAT
WOULD END UP WITH A PROTEST OR
SOMEONE COULD BE HURT.
HE SAID NOW, I’M NOT GOING TO
IMPOSE A GAG ORDER NOW.
HOWEVER, IF, YOU KNOW, THE
PROSECUTION SHOWED THE JUDGE THE
POST, THEY GAVE HIM PRINTED
COPIES OF THEM.
HE WAS LOOKING AT THEM AND HE
SAID IF I SEE THESE -- IF I G IT
THIS PASSED TO MEGAN, I MIGHT
HAVE A DIFFERENT IDEA ABOUT
THIS.
THIS IS HOW IT WORKS IN A LOT OF
TRIALS.
JUDGES CONSIDER A GAG ORDER TO
BE A SEVERE ORDER.
SO HE DIDN’T SEEM LIKE WANT TO
GO OUT THERE ALREADY ON THE
FIRST HEARING ON ARRAIGNMENT DAY
AND GO THAT FAR.
>> OKAY.
SEEMS LIKE THIS HAD TO DEAL WITH
STORMY DANIELS AND KAREN
McDOUGAL, IS THAT RIGHT?
>> I DIDN’T HEAR THE NAME KAREN
McDOUGAL.
WE HEARD STORMY DANIELS’ NAME.
>> Martha: THAT’S SIGNIFICANT.
ONE OF THE THINGS WE WERE
LOOKING TO INTENSIFY THIS
PRESENTATION OF THIS INDICTMENT
WAS THAT WE HEARD DAVID PECKER
INVOLVED IN TWO HEARINGS.
HE CAME BACK AT THE END AND
THOUGHT MAYBE THAT KAREN
McDOUGAL’S PART OF THIS STORY
WOULD PUT MORE SUBSTANCE BEHIND,
THIS SOUNDS LIKE THAT’S NOT THE
CASE.
SO THE JUDGE SAYS HE WANTS TO
MOVE FAIRLY QUICKLY.
THE NEXT HEARING ISN’T UNTIL
DECEMBER 4?
DID I HEAR THAT RIGHT?
>> YEAH, NO, YOU HEARD THAT
RIGHT.
HE WANTS TO MOVE QUICKLY.
THE NEXT HEARING ISN’T UNTIL
DECEMBER 4.
>> THERE WILL BE MOTIONS.
SEPTEMBER -- IN AUGUST, THERE
ARE THE MOTIONS THAT THE DEFENSE
CAN FILE.
AND THEN THE PROSECUTION HAS TO
RESPOND BY SEPTEMBER 19.
AND THEN THE NEXT HEARING WOULD
BE DECEMBER 4.
IT IS QUIT A WAYS OFF.
YES.
>> DID THE DEFENSE SHOW THEIR
CARDS ON THE TYPES OF MOTIONS
THEY’RE GOING TO FILE?
WAS A CHANGE OF VENUE, A MOTION
TO DISMISS THE CASE?
>> CHANGE OF VENUE WAS NOT
MENTIONED.
WHEN THE PROSECUTION LAID OUT OR
THEY TALKED ABOUT THE BACKGROUND
OF THE CHARGES AND LAUNCHED INTO
AN ATTACK ANT MR. TRUMP’S --
WHAT PRESIDENT TRUMP, WHAT HE’S
BEEN SAYING OVER SOCIAL MEDIA,
THE DEFENSE ATTORNEY SAID I
DIDN’T KNOW WE WERE DOING
OPENING STATEMENTS TODAY.
HE SEEMED TO BE TAKING A JAB AT
THEM.
I THOUGHT THIS WAS AN
ARRAIGNMENT DAY.
NOT YOU’RE DOING TO GIVE IT’S
YOUR WHOLE OPENING STATEMENT.
>> DEFENSE DIDN’T WANT TO SHOW
THEIR CARDS IN GETTING TO THAT
KIND OF DETAIL AT THIS TIME.
MARCH THAT YOU HAD MENTIONED
DAVID PECKER.
WE HAVE A PRESS RELEASE.
YOU HAVE IT AS WELL FROM THE
D.A. ALVIN BRAGG THAT GOES OVER
SOME OF THESE COUNTS.
IT DOES TALK ABOUT AMI, WHICH
WAS AMERICAN MEDIA COMPANY,
DAVID PECKER WAS THE WITNESS
BROUGHT IN TO THE GRAND JURY,
CORRECT?
HE TESTIFIED TWICE AS YOU
MENTIONED, MARTHA.
HE WAS ACCUSED OF CATCH FOR
KILL.
HE WAS THE PERSON THAT WAS THE
INTERMEDIARY BETWEEN HIM AND
MICHAEL COHEN, THE FORMER
PRESIDENT’S PERSONAL ATTORNEY TO
PAY KAREN McDOUGAL THE $150,000.
THAT IS MENTIONED IN THE D.A.’S
PRESS RELEASE DESCRIBING THESE
PAYMENTS AND DESCRIBING THESE
FELONY COUNTS.
SO IT DOES APPEAR THAT KAREN
McDOUGAL IS AT THE BASE OF THIS
AND DAVID PECKER THAT WAS
INTERVIEWED MULL TIME TIMES BY
THE GRAND JURY AND MICHAEL COHEN
AND STORMY DANIELS.
JAKE, YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE TO
OFFER US?
>> IT’S WORTH NOTING, I THINK I
BROUGHT IT UP ALREADY BUT I MAY
NOT HAVE, THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP,
FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP
DEFINITELY GLARED AT THE DA
BRAGG WHEN HE LEFT.
HE GOT UP, LOOKED AROUND THE
RIM.
CHEF WALKED IN -- TRUMP WAS THE
LAST ONE TO WALK IN THE HEARING.
THIS WAS PRETTY INTENSE.
IT’S NOT A HUGE ROOM.
THERE’S 50 REPORTERS IN THERE.
THERE WERE 15, 20, 25 LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS THAT WERE
ON THE END OF EACH ROW.
SO WE COULDN’T REALLY SEE THAT
WELL.
THEY’RE STANDING UP IN FRONT.
SO WE CAN’T REALLY SEE UP THERE.
YOU JUST -- WHAT YOU SAW WELL IS
HIM ENTER THE ROOM AND LEAVE THE
ROOM.
THERE WAS SECRET SERVICE AGENTS,
THE COURT POLICE, THERE WERE
WERE A LOT OF POLICE IN THERE.
THEY WERE VERY STRICT WITH THE
PRESS.
WE WILL KICK YOU OUT OF HERE.
WE SEE A PHONE, WE’LL KICK YOU
OUT.
PEOPLE TRY TO SET UP TO LOOK.
SIT DOWN.
THIS WAS A VERY SERIOUS -- IT
WAS VERY INTENSE IN THERE.
>> WHAT WAS THE JUDGE’S TONE
WHEN HE WAS -- DID HE ADMONISH
THE FORMER PRESIDENT OR HIS
LAWYERS?
>> NO.
THE JUDGE WAS VERY MEASURED.
HE DID NOT SHOW -- HE DIDN’T
SEEM TO HAVE ANY BEEF WITH
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
YOU KNOW, HE -- I THINK HE WENT
OUT OF HIS WAY TO MAKE SURE THAT
HE WAS SHOWING EVERYONE THAT HE