A paralegal from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office testified that crucial phone records were inexplicably deleted from their archives. The records in question involve conversations between Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels’ attorney, which are pivotal to the ongoing “hush money” trialof former President Donald Trump.
During a tense courtroom scene on Friday, Trump’s lawyer, Emil Bove, pressed the paralegal, Jaden Jarmel-Schneider, about the missing evidence. Jarmel-Schneider confirmed that approximately three pages of records from 2018 were indeed missing. These weren’t just any records; they included discussions between Cohen and Stormy Daniels’ lawyer Keith Davidson, as well as conversations involving Daniels’ manager Gina Rodriguez, and then-National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard concerning Daniels’ claims of an affair with Trump.
Despite the DA’s office submitting what remains of the call records to strengthen their case, the gaps in documentation present a significant challenge to the narrative they wish to construct—that the former president falsified business records to conceal payments meant to silence Daniels. The Trump legal team has seized on the issue, suggesting that the deletions could indicate prosecutorial misconduct aimed at weakening their defense.
On Friday, testimony was provided by AT&T and Verizon analysts along with paralegals from the Manhattan district attorney’s office regarding phone records. Madeleine Westerhout, a former White House aide, also gave evidence concerning how Trump handled receiving checks. Trump faces allegations from prosecutors claiming he was involved in an illegal scheme to corrupt the 2016 election and a separate plan to hide damaging information, including a secret payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels via his attorney, Cohen. Trump has denied the allegations, pleading not guilty to 34 charges of falsifying business records.
At his massive rally in Wildwood, New Jersey on Saturday night, Trump unloaded on District Attorney Bragg. “All done by Biden, carried out by right all being done by him. Carried out by a radical Democrat, district attorney. You know who he is? Fat Alvin.”
