HUSH MONEY TRIAL UPDATES: FORMER TABLOID PUBLISHER IS FIRST WITNESS TO TESTIFY

NEW DELHI: In the ongoing trial of a former US president, prosecutors have begun presenting their case to a New York jury and called their first witness- tabloid publisher David Pecker on Monday.

Prosecutors claim he was part of a trio working to suppress damaging stories, such as a porn actor's revelations about a sexual encounter, during Trump's campaign. Pecker briefly testified about the practice of paying for stories, referring to it as "checkbook journalism." The trial is set to resume with Pecker's further testimony on Tuesday.

Opening statements in Donald Trump's highly anticipated hush money trial began with prosecutors alleging that the former president had "organized a criminal scheme to unlawfully influence" the 2016 presidential election.

In response, defense attorneys argued that Trump is "innocent" and criticized the Manhattan district attorney's office for bringing the case in the first place, as per AP report.

Donald Trump arrived at New York courthouse where both prosecution and defense teams are set to deliver opening arguments in the former US president's landmark hush-money criminal trial.

The 77-year-old Trump has been mandated by the judge to be present throughout the proceedings in the Manhattan court, effectively sidelining him from the campaign trail for weeks. This comes as he continues to vie with President Joe Biden for the White House in the upcoming November election.

"It's a very, very sad day in America," the Republican presidential candidate told reporters before entering the Manhattan courtroom as quoted by AFP.

Last week, a jury of 12 people was selected as the court quickly turned to selecting alternate jurors. The identities of the jury's five women and seven men are being kept secret for their own protection.

What is hush money case?

Trump is accused of covering up his then-lawyer Michael Cohen's $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels for her silence before the 2016 election about a sexual encounter she says she had with Trump a decade earlier.

Trump has pleaded not guilty. He has denied any such encounter with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.

This case marks the first instance of a former president facing a criminal trial and the inaugural trial among the four indictments against Trump.