Lawyers Request Mistrial After 'Prejudicial' Daniels Testimony

Donald Trump's lawyers called for a mistrial for the first time in his hush-money case Tuesday after explosive testimony from Stormy Daniels. Trump lawyer Todd Blanche said some of Daniels' testimony about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump has "nothing to do with this case and is extremely prejudicial," the AP reports. He said Daniels has long said the encounter was consensual but some of her testimony Tuesday suggested otherwise, with the "fact that there's a bodyguard outside the room, the power dynamic." He said the jury shouldn't have heard details including her claim that Trump didn't wear a condom, reports the Hill. "There's no way to unring that bell," Blanche said.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger argued that many of the details were already public. "We were extremely mindful about not eliciting too much testimony," about the sexual act, she told Judge Juan Merchan. The judge admitted "there were some things that should have been left unsaid" but denied the request for a mistrial. Merchan said that as a witness, Daniels is "a little bit difficult to control" but there were "guardrails" in place, the New York Times reports. He added that he was surprised the defense didn't raise more objections. "The defense has to take some responsibility for that," he said. (More Trump hush-money trial stories.)