In a surprising twist during his ongoing hush money trial, former president Donald Trump has been accused of falling asleep in the New York court. Norm Eisen, a legal expert who served as a special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee during Trump's first impeachment, claimed that Trump was caught napping during key moments of the proceedings.

Eisen, speaking to CNN, revealed that Trump was seen asleep on Friday while his former White House aide, Hope Hicks, was testifying under oath. Hicks emotionally discussed Trump's reaction when news of his alleged affairs with adult film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal broke. She also mentioned Trump's team being "concerned" about the damaging impact of the infamous Access Hollywood tape, in which Trump boasted about his behavior towards women.

Reports from inside the courtroom have repeatedly alleged that Trump often has his eyes closed, giving rise to speculation that he is sleeping during the trial. Trump denied these claims recently, stating on his new social media platform, Truth Social, that he only closes his eyes to "listen intensely and take it ALL in!!!"

Eisen, however, asserted that Trump fell asleep once more during the hush money trial, particularly during Hicks' testimony. "I watched him closely. He was immobile, and then the judge broke for lunch and his eyes popped open and he woke up. It's pretty clear that he was sleeping," Eisen stated.

There has been no comment from Trump's office regarding the accusation of him falling asleep during the trial.

During her testimony, Hicks revealed that Trump was worried about how his wife, former first lady Melania Trump, would react to the details of his alleged affairs with Daniels and McDougal, which were published in the Wall Street Journal shortly before the 2016 election. Hicks testified that Trump wanted to ensure that newspapers were not delivered to their residence that morning.

Trump is currently facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 payment arranged by his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to keep Daniels' alleged affair with Trump secret during the 2016 election. Prosecutors argue that the payment was an unlawful attempt to influence the election outcome, rather than solely an effort to save Trump's marriage.

In addition, Hicks expressed her concerns about the Access Hollywood tape, where Trump made offensive remarks. Despite her concerns, she admitted advising fellow members of Trump's 2016 campaign team to "deny, deny, deny" Trump's involvement. Legal analyst Joey Jackson suggested that Hicks' testimony strengthens the prosecution's argument that Trump's team was aware of the potential damage caused by the tape and actively worked to cover it up.

As the hush money trial continues, the accusation of Trump falling asleep adds a further layer of controversy to an already high-profile case.