Stormy Daniels trial witnesses may give Donald Trump some sleepless nights: here's who is likely to testify in the hush money case... and what they could say

Donald Trump will be the first former president to ever stand trial on criminal charges when the case involving hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels gets underway in Manhattan.

Jury selection in the highly anticipated case begins on Monday after an appeals court denied the ex-president’s multiple efforts to have the trial delayed and moved out of the city.

The trial of the former president, 77, could be the first of four criminal prosecutions against Trump to go to trial this year as he runs for a second term in the White House.

Trump is facing 34 felony counts stemming from allegations that he falsified business records in an attempt to cover up an alleged sexual encounter with the  porn star which took place a decade before he ran for president in 2016.

The case focuses around $130,000 paid to Daniels ahead of the presidential election to keep her quiet about their affair.

President Trump being arraigned on charges stemming from his indictment by a grand jury following an investigation into hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels on April 4, 2023. Trump pleaded not guilty 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg discussing his indictment of former President Trump outside a Manhattan court on April 4, 2023. The hush money trial gets underway on Monday when jury selection is set to begin

In the indictment first brought against Trump in April 2023, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg accused the ex-president of falsifying New York business records in order to conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from voters.

Bragg claims Trump and others participated in a ‘catch and kill’ scheme to bury negative information about him and went to great lengths to hide his conduct including making dozens of false entries in business records to hide criminal activity.

Trump pleaded not guilty last spring to all 34 counts. 

 While prosecutors have not released an official list of potential witnesses to take the stand, here are some of the people in Trump's former orbit expected to testify in the trial: 

Adult film actress Stormy Daniels speaking outside a federal court in New York on April 16, 2018. She alleges an affair with Trump in 2006 and then received a payment of $130,000 in 2016 ahead of the presidential election to keep quiet about their sexual encounter. Trump denies the affair

Stormy Daniels

Adult film star Stormy Daniels, aka Stephanie Clifford, is expected to testify in the trial as the woman at the center of the hush money payment case.

Daniels, 45, alleges in 2006 she had a sexual encounter with Trump who at the time was already married to Melania Trump.

Daniels in 2018 told 60 Minutes, she met Trump at an event in Nevada in 2006 and he invited her to dinner. She said she met him at his hotel suite where they had sex. Daniels said Trump later invited her to other events in New York and California.

Prosecutors claim that in October 2016 just before the election, Trump’s fixer Michael Cohen wired Daniels’ lawyer the $130,000 to keep her quiet about their encounters amid concern it could hurt his chances of winning the presidential election.

Trump denies having an affair with Daniels. 

Michael Cohen paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 ahead of the 2016 election. Prosecutors claim Trump falsified business records when reimbursing Cohen for hush money payments 

Cohen with Trump on the campaign trail in 2016. He was Trump's longtime personal lawyer and 'fixer' turned harsh critic. Trump's legal team has attempted to prevent him from taking the witness stand

Michael Cohen

Michael Cohen, Trump’s longtime personal lawyer and fixer turned harsh critic, is expected to take the stand as his activities are at the center of the hush money case.

Donald Trump claimed he was paying Cohen for legal services performed in 2017 with payments for nine months, but the Manhattan district attorney’s office alleges the ex-president was reimbursing Cohen for the $130,000 payments he directed Cohen to make to Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.

Prosecutors argue Cohen also coordinated with the National Enquirer’s publisher to give the former Playboy model Karen McDougal $150,000, to thwart her accounts of sexual encounters with Trump in a practice known as 'catch-and-kill.'

Trump’s namesake company then repaid Cohen $420,000 in a handful of installments, prosecutors said.

Last month, Trump’s legal team attempted to block Cohen from testifying. Trump's lawyer, according to the court filing, argued Cohen had a history of lying and would lie again at trial.

In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws in regards to the payments of Daniels and lying before Congress. 

He was sentenced to prison in December and served thirteen and a half months behind bars and a year and a half in home confinement.

Ahead of the hush money trial, Cohen told the Playbook Deep Dive podcast he thinks people will be surprised by the corroborating evidence that's brought in the case. 

Hope Hicks was a top aide to Trump during his time at the White House having previously worked on his 2016 campaign and at the Trump Organization before he ran for office

Hicks with Trump at the White House in 2018. She met with prosecutors investigating hush money payments in March 2023 and is expected to be a witness during the trial

Hope Hicks 

Trump's former top aide Hope Hicks is expected to take the stand during the trial.

Hicks, 35, testified before the grand jury for the case in March 2023 and is set to again, according to MSNBC.

She was a top aide to Trump during his 2016 campaign when the alleged hush money payment to Daniels was made, having previously worked for the Trump Organization before he ran for president.

After Trump won the 2016 election, Hicks joined the Trump administration where she served in several senior communications roles before leaving the White House in 2018.

Former U.S. Attorney Harry Litman predicted Hicks would be a 'devastating witness' ahead of the trial. Litman told MSNBC Hicks would be 'so credible' on the stand. 

David Pecker, pictured in 2014, was the chairman and CEO of American Media which owned the National Enquirer

Pecker with Trump in 2004. The National Enquirer was known for a practice of 'catch and kill' to bury potentially damaging stories about Trump while he ran for president in 2016

David Pecker

Another potential witness in the trial could be publishing executive David Pecker.

He is the former publisher of The National Enquirer and testified before the grand jury in the case more than a year ago.

The National Enquirer was known for a practice of ‘catch and kill’ to bury potentially damaging stories about Trump during his presidential campaign.

Pecker played a key role in the alleged hush money scheme, having helped broker the deal between Cohen and Daniels at the time.

Rhona Graff, pictured in 2005, was Trump's longtime executive assistant at the Trump Organization 

Rhona Graff

Another witness who could potentially take the witness stand is Trump’s longtime executive assistant Rhona Graff.

Graff worked for the Trump Organization for nearly 30 years before Trump was elected president. She has been described as Trump’s ‘right hand’ at the Trump Organization and the ‘gatekeeper.’

Madeleine Westerhout with then-President Trump at the White House in 2018. Westerhout served as personal secretary to the president and later as Director of Oval Office Operations

Westerhout pictured with Trump. She worked for the Trump administration in the White House from January 2017 until February 2019 and was known as the 'gatekeeper' to Trump there

Madeleine Westerhout

President Biden’s executive assistant for the first two-and-a-half years of his presidency Madeleine Westerhout could also be a potential witness.

Westerhout served as Personal Secretary to the President from January 2017 through February 2019 and then as Direct of Oval Office Operations.

During her time in the west wing, she managed the president’s call and schedule as well as overall run of the Oval Office, giving her unique access to the president and any who came into contact with him.

Jeffrey McConney served as an accountant in the Trump Organization before retiring last year

Jeffrey McConney

Jeff McConney served as controller of the Trump Organization and was also a co-defendant in Trump’s New York civil fraud case

McConney worked for the Trump Organization for more than 35 years and as an accountant oversaw internal finances and approved checks made out by Trump himself. 

McConney retired last year as the New York fraud investigation mounted.