Adult film star Stormy Daniels said she would “absolutely” testify against former President Donald Trump if the criminal charges against him related to his alleged role in hush money payments toward the end of his 2016 presidential campaign go to trial.
In a preview of an interview with “Piers Morgan Uncensored” set to air Thursday afternoon, Daniels said that she would “look forward” to testifying if the case goes to trial.
“I mean, anytime you’re up in the public eye, it’s scary. I used to get scared giving an oral book report in school. So I mean, it’s daunting, but I look forward to it,” she said.
“You know what I mean? Because I have nothing to hide. I’m the only one that has been telling the truth,” she added. “And, you know, you can’t shame me anymore. So I feel like if they don’t, it paints the picture that they know something about me that makes me, you know, untrustworthy or not reliable.
Daniels said she “absolutely” would testify, arguing that if she’s not called in to do so, it would feel like prosecutors are “hiding” her story.
“I think having them call me in and put me on the stand legitimizes my story and who I am,” she said. “And if they don’t, it almost feels like they’re hiding me. And people automatically assume — I would — that, oh, that she must not be a good witness, she’s not credible.”
Trump pleaded not guilty during his arraignment before a judge in Manhattan on Tuesday to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to Daniels and another woman toward the end of his 2016 presidential campaign to prevent them from speaking about their allegations of affairs with him. Trump’s indictment marked the first time a former president has been charged with a crime. Trump has denied the alleged affairs.
Trump’s arraignment before Judge Juan Merchan on Tuesday came as a results from an investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The legal process following Trump’s arraignment could take months, or longer, to unfold. It is unclear whether the case will reach a trial. Former prosecutors familiar with trying criminal cases in New York told NBC News that they predict that the case could take much longer than the six months typically given for prosecutors in New York to try a felony case, per the “speedy trial” rule in the state.
Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina said he doesn’t believe the case would make it to a jury.
“This case is going to fall on its merits, on legal challenges, well before we get to a jury, if we get to a jury,” he said during an interview Wednesday on “TODAY.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
