Former President Trump exits Trump Tower in New York City on Monday, April 15, 2024. Jury selection begins today in the so-called hush money trial in Manhattan Criminal Court this morning. (Probe-Media for Fox News Digital)
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass pushed back Monday to include evidence surrounding the video, which he said is an "admission of sexual assault" and "living proof that the defendant wasn’t all talk."
"That is more than just comments of a sexual nature," Steinglass said, adding that when the video surfaced in 2016, it threw Trump's presidential campaign into a "tailspin."
NINE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TRUMP TRIAL, ANSWERED
Trump's attorney said the video is prejudicial and too salacious to present to the jury.
Adult film actress Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, speaks to the media along with lawyer Michael Avenatti outside federal court in the Manhattan borough of New York City on April 16, 2018. (REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)
The trial revolves around payments made by Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, to former pornographic actor Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. The $130,000 payment was to allegedly quiet her claims of an alleged extramarital affair she had with Trump in 2006.
Trump, however, has denied the affair and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The charges stem from checks written by the Trump Organization to Cohen over a roughly 12-month period reimbursing him for the payment to Daniels. Prosecutors say the checks were falsely recorded as legal expenses.
Falsifying business records is a misdemeanor, and prosecutors are working to prove that Trump falsified records with an intent to commit or conceal a second crime, which is a felony.
Former President Trump speaks to members of the media at Manhattan criminal court in New York City on Monday, April 15, 2024. (Angela Weiss/AFP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Upon arrival at the courthouse Monday, Trump slammed the case as "political persecution."
"Nothing like this has ever happened before," he said in Lower Manhattan. "This is political persecution. ... It's a case that should have never been brought."
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"This is an assault on America and that's why I'm very proud to be here," Trump added. "This is really an attack on a political opponent."
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