Trump lashes out after prosecutors outline ‘election fraud’ scheme in hush money trial

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “We did nothing wrong.” The former president is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records as part of what prosecutors called a “criminal conspiracy” to bury politically compromising stories of his alleged affairs, part of a months-long scheme to protect Mr Trump’s reputation and deceive voters ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Prosecutors say Trump’s campaign was in ‘damage control mode’ before election In laying out the state’s case, prosecutors plan to detail a months-long “catch-and-kill” agreement – in which the National Enquirer’s publishing company would buy up potentially politically damaging stories and boost positive ones for Mr Trump’s campaign, all leading up to the release of the so-called Access Hollywood tape just one month before Election Day 2016. Focus on the evidence, listen to the testimony, read the documents, emails, text messages, bank statements, handwritten notes, all of it.” After the trial, when prosecutors return to the jurors for closing arguments after reviewing that evidence, all of it “inescapably leads to only one conclusion,” he said: “Donald Trump is guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.” Trump attorneys argue he ‘fought back’ to protect his reputation In the defence’s opening statement, Todd Blanche, Mr Trump’s lead attorney in the case, argued that there is “nothing wrong with trying to influence an election”. open image in gallery A courtroom sketch depicts Donald Trump sitting with his attorney Todd Blanche while Manhattan prosecutor Matthew Colangelo delivers opening statements on 22 April As for Mr Trump’s former attorney, a close ally turned nemesis, Mr Blanche said: “He cannot be trusted.” “He rants and he raves about President Trump,” he added.