Donald Trump was involved in a multi-layered conspiracy of fraud, lies and cover-ups, prosecutors said as they began the first arguments in the first-ever criminal trial of a former US president.
Assistant District Attorney Matthew Colangelo said Trump forged business documents to pay $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels to buy her "silence" about a 2006 sexual encounter that could have influenced his 2016 presidential bid.
"This case is about criminal conspiracy and cover-up," Colangelo told a jury of New Yorkers in a Manhattan courtroom. "This was voter fraud, pure and simple."
Trump, dressed in a dark suit and blue tie, sat at the defense table looking straight ahead as the prosecutor delivered his remarks.
Delivering his opening statement to the 12 jurors and six alternates, Todd Blanche, one of Trump's lawyers, said, "President Trump has committed no crimes."
"There's nothing wrong with trying to influence an election," Blanche said. "It's called democracy."
"The Manhattan DA should never have brought this case," he said. "President Trump is presumed innocent."
Before the start of the hearing, Trump also insisted he had done nothing wrong and denounced the case as "election meddling" aimed at derailing his bid for the White House in 2024.
"This is a very, very sad day in America," the 77-year-old Republican presidential candidate told reporters.
"I'm here instead of being in Pennsylvania, in Georgia and many other places campaigning," he said.
"This is a witch hunt."
Trump is the first former president to face felony charges, and the case poses a significant risk for him less than seven months before his re-election rematch with President Joe Biden.
Witnesses for the prosecution are expected to include Daniels and former Trump intermediary Michael Cohen, who arranged the "hush money" payment to the adult film actress.
The identities of the jurors are being kept secret for their protection.
The alleged crime is less significant than the charges stemming from Trump's attack on the 2020 election - which the Republican lost to Democrat Biden - and the collection of classified documents.
In the current case, Trump could be sentenced to prison, though a fine or probation is more likely, analysts say.
The grim courtroom process will keep Trump off the campaign trail four days a week for six to eight weeks.
But Trump is trying to use the big media attention to fire up his support by regularly making statements outside the courtroom.
Last week, potential jurors were grilled by prosecutors and defense lawyers about their media habits, political donations and education.
Many potential jurors were excused after saying they could not be impartial before lawyers and the judge selected 12 jurors with six alternates.
It will take a unanimous decision to convict Trump, who has been ordered to attend every day of the trial. / BGNES
