Thursday recap: Trump defense attorney Susan Necheles vs. Stormy Daniels

Former U.S. President Donald Trump watches as Stormy Daniels is questioned by defense attorney Susan Necheles during his criminal trial on charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, in Manhattan state court in New York City, U.S., May 9, 2024 in this courtroom sketch. (REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg)

Donald Trump's defense attorney Susan Necheles, after cross-examination, said Stormy Daniels’ story about an alleged sexual encounter with the former president keeps changing because the affair never happened. 

Necheles pointed to a statement Daniels signed in 2018 denying an encounter with Trump ever took place. Daniels said she did not write the statement but signed it. 

Necheles pointed to another statement in which Daniels denied having a sexual relationship with Trump. In part, the statement said, "I’m denying this affair because it never happened."

Daniels maintained that she signed the statements, entered a non-disclosure agreement and took a $130,000 payment, which prosecutors allege was illegally marked as legal expenses, for protection. But Trump's team aimed to show that Daniels was after a payday and changed her story when it would lead to profit. 

Daniels denied ever requesting money from Trump. Facing pressure from Necheles, Daniels added, "I never asked for money from anyone in particular. I asked for money for telling my story. … I was asking for money from publications to sell my story, to get the truth out."

Daniels admitted to selling the story for nearly $1 million, when she agreed to write her book, "Full Disclosure," for $800,000. But she claimed she did not receive all that money.

When asked for specific details about the alleged sexual encounter in 2006 on the sidelines of a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, Daniels appeared to tell a different story in court than when she first spoke about the incident, or in her book. 

"You told In Touch a completely different story," Necheles said, which Daniels denied, adding there were just "parts in the middle I didn’t remember." 

"You made it up," Necheles said. 

"No," Daniels replied.

Necheles asked Daniels if she knew or understood why Trump was indicted in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case. She said she did not, adding he was "indicted for a lot of things."