By MICHAEL R. SISAK, JENNIFER PELTZ, ERIC TUCKER and JAKE OFFENHARTZ (Associated Press)
NEW YORK (AP) — Stormy Daniels appeared in court on Tuesday to testify in the trial related to secret payment of former President Donald Trump, ready to talk about a sexual encounter she had in 2006 which led to her being paid to keep silent during the presidential election 10 years later.
Daniels quickly walked into the courtroom and didn't look at Trump, who was staring straight ahead as she entered the room.
Daniels’ testimony is highly anticipated in a trial that has included tabloid-like elements and dry record-keeping details. Her testimony as an adult film performer who says she had an intimate encounter with a former American president adds to the long line of historic firsts in a case filled with claims of sex, payoffs and cover-ups.
Her testimony is crucial to the case since Trump’s then-lawyer and personal fixer, Michael Cohen, paid Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about what she says was a surprising sexual encounter with Trump at a celebrity golf outing in Lake Tahoe in July 2006. Trump denies having sex with Daniels and has pleaded not guilty.
In the beginning of her testimony, Daniels told jurors that she met Trump because the adult film studio she worked for at the time was sponsoring one of the holes on the golf course. They discussed the adult film industry and her directing abilities when Trump’s group passed by. Trump remarked that she must be “the smart one” if she’s making films, according to Daniels.
Later, in an area known as the “gift room,” where celebrity golfers collected gift bags and swag, Trump remembered her as “the smart one” and asked her if she wanted to go to dinner, Daniels said.
Daniels stated she accepted Trump’s invitation because she wanted to avoid a planned dinner with her adult film company co