The judge presiding over Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s trial was “noticeably uncomfortable” by former porn actress Stormy Daniels’ “incredibly detailed” testimony.
Daniels testified before a jury Tuesday where she faced questioning and cross-examination regarding a $130,000 hush money payment made out by Michael Cohen, an ex-attorney for former President Donald Trump, to keep an alleged extramarital affair undisclosed. She testified in intense detail about an alleged sexual encounter with the former president in 2006 after he invited her to dinner in his Lake Tahoe hotel suite.
“He was noticeably uncomfortable as she was going into some of the details,” CNN anchor and former Daily Caller report Kailan Collins, who was present in the courtroom, said. “Really, it was Stormy Daniels’ prerogative here, though. I mean, the prosecution was asking her pretty open-ended questions. ‘Tell us about that interaction with Trump,’ or ‘Explain what the two of you talked about there.’ And she would take those opportunities to go into intense detail. I mean it was incredibly detailed.”
New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan was reported to be “noticeably upset” as Daniels described Trump sitting on the edge of his bed in his boxers and a T-shirt, according to The New York Times. She alleged that Trump blocked her access to the bedroom door in a non-threatening manner. She then claimed she “blacked out,” describing how the “room spun in slow motion” and that the “blood left her hands and feet.”
The judge reportedly appeared “unusually angry” during the testimony as he sustained at least two objections, according to The New York Times.
Daniels alleged to prosecutor Susan Hoffinger that she did not confront Trump on not wearing a condom during the encounter, according to the Times.
“Did you say anything about it?” Hoffinger asked.
“No,” Daniels replied. “I didn’t say anything at all.”
The former porn actress told the court she has been shaken and bewildered by the alleged encounter, wondering how she got to a place where she had sex with Trump. She reportedly did not object to the event at the time, but alleged there was an “imbalance” in the power dynamic. (RELATED: Andy McCarthy Says Bragg Is Attempting To ‘Spin’ Trump’s Legal Actions Into ‘Criminal Conspiracy’)
A slew of details about the sexual encounter had not appeared in earlier versions of Daniels’ account, according to the Times. In a 2011 interview, she never mentioned blacking out and described the event as being more casual. Experts specializing in traumatic sexual experiences said a person’s memory of a particular sexual encounter can change over time to emphasize the traumatic portions.
During the defense team’s cross-examination, Daniels confirmed she hates Trump and would dance in celebration if he were put in jail, CNN reported.
Bragg has charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records as a cover-up of the hush money payment in order to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. Critics and legal experts have argued payments to hide politically embarrassing information are not a crime.