It was a curious approach, given the client. On Thursday, defense attorney Susan Necheles, during more than two hours of cross-examination, sought to paint adult film star Stormy Daniels as a merch-hawking grifter.
In particular, Necheles highlighted a social media post that Daniels penned the day that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted Donald Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records. In the March 2023 post, Daniels thanks fans for offering their support, saying she doesn't "want to spill my champagne" and noting that "merch/autograph orders are pouring in."
Among items for sale on Daniels' website is a faux-votive candle, dubbed "Stormy, Saint of Indictments," and a comic book that celebrates her story.
"You’re celebrating the indictment by selling things from your store?" Necheles asked Thursday.
"Not unlike Mr. Trump," Daniels responded.
CNN's Kaitlin Collins noted that Trump has indeed fundraised off his legal troubles, selling merchandise, for example, that features his Georgia mug shot.
"They brag about how much money he has made and raised when he has been indicted, each time he has been indicted," Collins said, "and so it is notable that now the defense is going after Stormy Daniels because she was also trying to make money."
MSNBC legal analyst Katie Phang likewise noted the projection from a lawyer whose client sells his own version of the Bible.
"What's nuts about this strategy is the fact that Trump is the King of Grift (see Trump Steaks, Trump University, Trump Vodka, Trump Wine, Trump Water, Trump Airlines, etc.)," Phang wrote on social media, "and that hasn't been lost on anyone."
