Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) has publicly expressed his belief in the guilt of former President Donald Trump, even before the commencement of Trump’s trial. In response to CNN’s Manu Raju questioning him about the allegations of Trump falsifying business records to conceal payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels, Romney unequivocally delivered a guilty verdict.
“I think everybody has made their own assessment of President Trump’s character, and so far as I know you don’t pay someone $130,000 not to have sex with you,” Romney said.
Asked Mitt Romney about the hush money allegations against Trump.
“I think everybody has made their own assessment of President Trump's character, and so far as I know you don't pay someone $130,000 not to have sex with you." pic.twitter.com/ofBL15MJw1
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) April 23, 2024
The trial revolves around accusations that Trump purportedly falsified company business records to conceal reimbursement payments made to his former attorney, Michael Cohen. Allegedly, Cohen received reimbursement payments after orchestrating payments to individuals like Daniels, with the intention of concealing negative stories about Trump during his presidential campaign.
The first witness to testify against Trump was David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer. During his tenure as publisher, Pecker and his tabloid reportedly employed “catch and kill” tactics to suppress unfavorable stories about Trump.
Pecker allegedly managed to silence a former doorman who claimed to have fathered a child out of wedlock with Trump, as well as acquire the rights to former Playboy model Karen McDougal’s story. According to reports, the National Enquirer informed Cohen about Daniels’ potentially damaging story about Trump, leading to an arrangement where she was paid $130,000 for her silence.
Cohen has pleaded guilty to facilitating payments to Daniels and McDougal in exchange for their silence, asserting that he acted under Trump’s instruction.