Judge Juan Merchan has denied a request by former president Donald Trump's legal team to declare a mistrial following testimony from porn star Stormy Daniels.
"I don't believe we're at the point where a mistrial is warranted," Judge Merchan said, The Guardian reported. The judge allowed a motion by Trump's attorneys to strike certain testimony from the record. Defense lawyers had sought to scrap the trial entirely after Daniels testified about her alleged encounter with Trump.
Attorney Todd Blanche, representing Trump, argued passionately against the prosecution's line of questioning, accusing them of attempting to sway the jury through inflammatory tactics, The Telegraph reported.
Daniels' testimony has been central to the prosecution's case, which accuses Trump of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 hush money payment made to Daniels just before the 2016 election.
However, Judge Merchan had previously cautioned prosecutors against delving into explicit details about the alleged encounter. Despite these warnings, Daniels provided detailed testimony about her interaction with Trump, leading to heated objections from the defense.
Describing the alleged incident, Daniels recounted meeting Trump at a celebrity golf tournament in 2006 and later having dinner with him in his hotel room. She testified that Trump, then married, had discussed potential career opportunities for her before the encounter turned intimate.
Trump, according to Daniels, suggested that having sex with him could advance her career, to which she acquiesced. Despite feeling an "imbalance of power," Daniels testified that she did not feel threatened during the encounter.
Trump faces multiple counts related to falsifying business records tied to the payment made to Daniels. The prosecution contends that this payment, facilitated by Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen, was an attempt to silence Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.
Before the jury entered the courtroom, Trump's legal team argued vehemently against Daniels' testimony, asserting that details of the alleged sexual encounter should not be included in a trial concerning financial matters.
