Trump prosecution makes multiple references to infamous 'Access Hollywood' tape despite judge's restriction

Attorneys for former President Donald Trump have accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's team of prosecutors of running afoul of restrictions on the use of prejudicial material.

During Friday's proceedings, prosecutors repeatedly made references to Trump's infamous Access Hollywood tape. The issue is that Judge Juan Merchan considers the tape "prejudicial" and previously determined that the jury could not be shown the footage

Bragg's team appeared to openly flout that rule in order to further engender anti-Trump bias among members of an already likely leftist jury.

Bragg's team has referenced the tape in court and in legal filings, attempting to make the case that the damage from the leaked tape was a key factor for the $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

More importantly, the Access Hollywood tape is something that generated an incredible amount of controversy, and Democrats have yet to stop talking about it even though it has been the better part of a decade since it emerged.

Bragg's Team Breaking the Rules

The conduct of Bragg's team forced Judge Merchan to issue a reminder stating that the tape could not be introduced as evidence or played aloud in the courtroom.

However, the damage is already done considering that the jury, pulled from notoriously liberal Manhattan, is likely already familiar with the tape and any references made will immediately incite outrage.

Furthermore, Bragg's team are now demanding that Judge Merchan allow them to play the tape.

In a court filing, they argued that the tape "bears directly on defendant’s intent and motive, both at the time that he and his confederates made the Stormy Daniels payoff and later when they sought to conceal that payment."

They further claimed that "The release of the Access Hollywood Tape caused a panic within the campaign about the defendant’s electoral prospects and ultimately served as the catalyst for consummating the Stormy Daniels payoff."

All of this matters because Bragg is trying to prove that Trump's falsified business transactions were made in order to cover up a supposedly serious crime.

Trump's Actions Dictated by Family

Bragg's team argues that the hush-money payments were made to sway the election when in reality it seems that Trump's focus was on protecting his family, which isn't the serious crime that Bragg needs trying to prove.

During Friday's hearing former Trump campaign press secretary and White House communications director Hope Hicks testified that after the Access Hollywood tape leaked, "He was worried about how this would be viewed at home. Mr. Trump really values Mrs. Trump’s opinion. She doesn’t weigh in all the time, but when she does…it’s valuable."

This testimony suggests that Trump would do anything to protect his family and that includes making hush-money payments to a woman who could damage his family. More importantly, this completely collapses Bragg's assertion that Trump was covering up a crime with his payments.