Ex-Aide Says Melania Trump Will Be Watching 'Every Ounce' of Hush Money Trial — and Looking for 1 Thing
Stephanie Grisham, who served as chief of staff and press secretary to Melania, offered a window into her former boss's thinking as Donald's alleged affairs take center stage in the Manhattan trial
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Donald and Melania TrumpMelania Trump is likely keeping a close eye on Donald Trump's criminal trial, according to her former aide.
Stephanie Grisham, who served as Melania's chief of staff and press secretary in the East Wing, said the former first lady, 53, will be “watching every ounce” of her husband's hush money trial as she looks for one thing to be revealed: the proof.
Grisham's comments come as the first trial witness, ex-National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, testifies against Donald in court. Pecker previously admitted to using his media company to help the Trump campaign bury damning stories against the candidate, including two affair allegations from former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal and adult film actress Stormy Daniels. (Donald denies the affairs.)
In the first 20 minutes of his testimony on Monday, April 22, Pecker disclosed that he had a private email for things "I didn't want my assistant to see," potentially including information about his "catch and kill" schemes.
Commenting on Pecker's revelation, Grisham told CNN anchor Erin Burnett, “I can guarantee [Melania] is watching every ounce of coverage and when that [information about Pecker’s private email] came out, it piqued her interest."
“Melania is very much about proof, show proof,” Grisham continued. “And so if some more damaging stuff should come out that she didn’t know about because of course her husband continues to deny all of the details here, about Stormy especially.”
Speaking on how Melania might react as new developments surface in the coming days, Grisham said, “If some other stuff comes out, I think that’ll be really interesting to watch because you can’t really dispute things that are in writing and that’s something she always paid quite a bit of attention to, was proof.”
Related: Melania Trump Returns to Politics, Hosting Her First 2024 Fundraiser — for a Conservative Gay Group
President Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, after he allegedly attempted to conceal hush money paid to Daniels. In his criminal trial, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is focusing on the presidential candidate’s legally challenged methods of concealing information from the public days before they went to the polls.
The former president faces up to four years in prison should the jury find him guilty on any of the counts.
Related: Why a Popular Queer Nightclub in Brooklyn Was Mentioned in Donald Trump's Court Filings
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Melania is focusing on the proof presented in Trump's criminal case, says her former aideMelania returned to political duties on Saturday, April 20, following a break during the election rollout as she hosted a fundraiser for the Log Cabin Republicans at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
The former first lady’s appearance came after she hinted at rejoining the campaign trail when she and her husband visited a Florida polling place in March.
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