Trump Jury Receives Final Instructions from Prosecutors: Stormy Daniels Mentioned | Vanity Fair

Written by Dan Adler

Manhattan prosecutor Joshua Steinglass reminisced about a particularly uncomfortable scenario from the past on a recent Tuesday.

During his concluding statements in the trial over alleged hush money related to Donald Trump, Steinglass transported the jury back to the evening of 2006. That night, according to earlier testimony from adult film actor Stormy Daniels, she spent the night with the one-time president. Steinglass, known for his breezy and casual manner of referring to Trump's group as "these guys," outlined the case against Trump in clear and uncomplicated language.

Steinglass pointed out that the narrative Daniels presented could be uneasy to some and avowed that this unease highlighted the case’s relevance.

Trump’s trial has predominantly focused on numerous documents and phone logs over the last five weeks. Trump has entered a not guilty plea to 34 charges of modifying business records to cover up a payment to Daniels, in return for her silence, and has denied having any affair with her. Earlier, attorney Todd Blanche described that primarily, the case revolves around paper evidences. Steinglass, however, stressed on a connecting narrative in the case.

Steinglass told the jury that the motive of the lawsuit all along had been Stormy Daniels.

Prior to the 2016 election, Trump faced controversy due to the surfacing of the notorious Access Hollywood tape in which, according to Steinglass, Trump was taped making lewd remarks about women. This was followed by the payment to Daniels, which, as per the prosecutor, was aimed at influencing the election process. Steinglass agreed that opinions might differ on whether a decade-old affair with an adult film star would matter to voters, but maintained that it was the voters' right to make their decision based on the information.

Blanche had aimed his summary argument at discrediting Michael Cohen, Trump's former aide who arranged the pay-off to Daniels. While not completely defending Cohen, an admitted perjurer, Steinglass offered a tale of Cohen's behaviour marked by resentment towards Trump, his former employer, after serving time in prison related to the Daniels payment. According to Steinglass, Cohen had been abandoned by Trump when things went awry, referring to him as "a scumbag" publicly.

Steinglass cast doubt on the unusual realities of “the Trump phenomenon” he was discussing. He empathized with Cohen’s frustrations for being the only one to face consequences for a shared offense.

He emphasized that while Cohen had lied in the past, he did so for Trump. If Cohen had been lying during his testimony, as the defense suggested, then Cohen might as well have gone even further and claimed that Trump had confessed to the affair with Daniels, Steinglass retorted.

As Blanche attentively listened, Trump maintained a blank face. Trump's family members—Don Jr., Eric, and Tiffany—who were present, occupied themselves with their phones. As the evening wore on, Tiffany Trump left the courtroom during a break and was seen greeting Andrew Giuliani, son of Rudy Giuliani, who had been regularly seen at the trial.

Given the surge of information that has emerged through the unfolding of the issue involving Trump, Daniels and Cohen, Steinglass made an effort to refocus the case and stress on his point by juxtaposing the term "porn star’" with "president." He underscored to the jury that after more than a month of sifting through documents in the courtroom, they could trace it all back to one night in Lake Tahoe 18 years ago, thereby subtly reminding them of the gravity of their impending verdict, which could begin as early as Wednesday.