Splashy testimony dominates first week of Trump’s hush money trial

Judge Juan Merchan adjourned court proceedings for the weekend, sending jurors off with a reminder not to speak about the case or research it.

The week was defined by splashy testimony from ex-National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, who revealed the inner workings of backroom deals the tabloid made with Trump and other celebrities.

His testimony largely bolstered the state’s theory of the case, that the tabloid assisted Trump and his campaign in quieting bad press about the then-candidate while amplifying negative stories about his opponents.

In the last few hours of the day, Trump’s longtime assistant testified to her knowledge of his calendar and contacts, and a banker who worked with Michael Cohen began his testimony.

The trial will resume on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m.

— Ella Lee

Farro walked jurors through how Cohen in the final weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign looked to set up two bank accounts for shell companies.

Cohen originally wanted to set up an account for Resolution Consultants LLC, but never funded it, Farro testified. Prosecutors have said the entity was formed amid the National Enquirer’s efforts to seek reimbursements from Cohen for burying Karen McDougal’s story. No reimbursement was ever made.

Next, Farro said, Cohen shifted and instead set up an account at First Republic for Essential Consultants LLC. The entity was ultimately utilized in the payoff to Stormy Daniels, according to the indictment.

— Zach Schonfeld

After multiple days of salacious testimony from David Pecker, the first witness and ex-publisher of the National Enquirer, the testimony from witnesses Friday afternoon has been more dull.

Rhona Graff, Trump’s ex-assistant who spent years sitting just outside his New York office, got on the stand to primarily confirm calendar records and other documents. Banker Gary Farro has similarly spent much of his time confirming documents, also explaining in detail how wealthy individuals utilize the private banking system.

The shift in storyline is representative of the broader mixing of sex, politics and paperwork that makes up the historic trial.

— Zach Schonfeld

After prosecutor Becky Mangold had Farro walk through his background and role at First Republic, Farro confirmed that Trump’s then-fixer who made the hush payment, Michael Cohen, became his client in 2015.

The banker said he was selected to manage Cohen’s account because he has an ability to handle clients “who may be a little challenging.”

Farro later added he didn’t find Cohen to be that difficult.

— Zach Schonfeld

The district attorney’s third witness in Trump’s hush money criminal case is Gary Farro, former senior managing director at First Republic Bank. He now works at a different bank.

The $130,000 hush money payment at the center of the case was allegedly wired through First Republic, and the bank reportedly flagged it as suspicious at the time.

— Zach Schonfeld and Ella Lee

Susan Necheles, Trump’s attorney, similarly concluded her cross-examination of Graff in just minutes. Prosecutors did not have any questions for redirect, and the witness was excused.

As Graff got off the stand, the former president stood to greet her, appearing to try to shake her hand and say something to her.

The court will now take a brief break.

— Zach Schonfeld and Ella Lee

Graff confirmed that Trump at one point considered putting porn actress Stormy Daniels on his TV show, “The Apprentice,” indicating Trump said Daniels “may be interesting on the show.”

That’s why Daniels was present that day at Trump Tower, Graff testified.

Daniels has long claimed Trump considered her for the show after they allegedly had sex in 2006, but he stopped talking to Daniels once she declined to have sex with him again.

Trump denies any sexual encounter with her.

— Zach Schonfeld

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger concluded direct examination of longtime Trump secretary Rhona Graff after just a matter of minutes.

After looking at the contact listings for Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels, Graff confirmed the authenticity of various calendar entries showing Trump was working out of Trump Tower in New York in the final days before he took office in 2017.

Trump attorney Susan Necheles is now questioning Graff on cross-examination.

The former president is smiling and chuckling at Graff as she spoke positively of her former boss, calling him “fair and respectful.”

— Zach Schonfeld

Graff confirmed prosecutors’ exhibits showing she had contacts for Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels, the two women paid off who alleged having sex with Trump. Trump denies any sexual encounter with either woman.

Graff also said she vaguely remembered seeing Daniels once in Trump Tower on the floor of Trump’s office.

— Zach Schonfeld

Rhona Graff is Trump’s former longtime secretary, having joined the Trump Organization in 1987. She also held the title of senior vice president in the company.

Graff was in Trump’s close orbit during his 2016 campaign when the hush money deals were arranged, and after he entered the White House, she still reportedly served as a go-between for Trump’s friends and associates.

— Zach Schonfeld

Pecker has finished his testimony as the state’s lead witness in its hush money case against Trump.

The ex-National Enquirer publisher laid bare seedy dealings between the tabloid and then-candidate Trump as he mounted his 2016 White House bid.

The state’s next witness is Rhona Graff, Trump’s longtime assistant.

— Ella Lee

Proceedings are back underway around 2:15 p.m. EDT after court took a lunch break.

The trial will continue with further testimony from Pecker, who is being questioned under redirect by the prosecution.

Pecker testified on redirect questioning by the prosecution that choosing not to publish Karen McDougal’s story was an unusual decision in his position as publisher of the National Enquirer.

“Had you published a story about a Playboy model having a yearlong sexual affair, while he was married, with a presidential candidate — would that have sold magazines, do you think?” Joshua Steinglass asked.

Pecker agreed it would, confirming the prosecutor’s assertion the story would have been “National Enquirer gold.”

“But you had zero intention of publishing that story,” Steinglass said. “You killed that story because it helped candidate Donald Trump.”

“Yes,” Pecker replied.

— Ella Lee

The district attorney’s office asked questions of Pecker during its redirect that reaffirmed his previous testimony.

“Did you suppress the stories to help a presidential candidate?” prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked bluntly.

“Yes I did,” Pecker replied.

Asked about American Media Inc.’s nonprosecution agreement with the government, Pecker said it was his understanding that when the company signed the deal, it acknowledged violating federal election law.

Emil Bove, Trump’s attorney, sought to paint Pecker’s comment that he admitted to violating the law as a misstatement of the agreement, which promised no prosecution would occur. But the DA’s office attempted to show that Pecker’s remarks aligned with the language of the agreement.

And Steinglass took aim at the defense narrative that it was “standard operating procedure” for Pecker’s company to squash stories for celebrities and other politicians.

“Is it standard for AMI to be consulting with a presidential candidate’s fixer about amendments to a source agreement?” he asked.

Pecker said it was not.

— Ella Lee

Trump’s lawyers have finished their cross-examination of Pecker.

Prosecutors will now have an opportunity to question their witness again in redirect examination.

— Zach Schonfeld

Pressed by Trump’s attorney, Pecker agreed that Michael Cohen – Trump’s ex-fixer who is expected to be a key witness later in the trial – is “prone to exaggeration.”

“You could not trust everything he said?” Emil Bove asked, drawing an objection from prosecutors that was sustained by the judge.

— Ella Lee

Questioned about the August 2015 Trump Tower meeting where prosecutors say Trump’s conspiracy with Pecker, Michael Cohen and other allies began, Pecker pushed back on the defense’s claims that the state blew the meeting’s significance out of proportion.

Emil Bove asked whether there was any discussion of “catch and kill,” and Pecker said there was not. Then he asked whether there was any discussion of a financial agreement between the men.

Pecker replied with his primary testimony: that he agreed to be the “eyes and ears” of the campaign, notifying Cohen of any women attempting to sell stories about Trump and advising whether to purchase the stories.

— Ella Lee

In questioning Pecker, Emil Bove suggested that the nonprosecution agreement American Media Inc. entered with the federal government stemmed from a pending deal with another news group to purchase several tabloids.

At the time, Pecker’s company was in talks with Hudson News Group to sell off three tabloids, including the National Enquirer.

“Are AMI’s assets worth less to Hudson News Group if AMI is subject to an investigation?” Bove asked. “If AMI is indicted, it affects its assets?”

“Correct,” Pecker replied, though he indicated that the deal did not add undue pressure to his talks with federal prosecutors.

Read the nonprosecution agreement here.

— Ella Lee

Trump’s attorney took aim at the credibility of Karen McDougal’s lawyer, Keith Davidson, as a source for the National Enquirer.

Emil Bove questioned Pecker over whether it was unusual for lawyers to serve as sources on their clients, a question that drew an objection from prosecutors that was sustained by the judge.

He also noted that Davidson knew ex-Trump fixer Michael Cohen separately, implying that they could have been involved in discussions regarding McDougal outside the magazine’s knowledge.

“You don’t know what Cohen and Davidson were doing on the side, do you?” Bove asked.

“I don’t,” Pecker said.

Bove also suggested that Davidson and National Enquirer Editor-in-Chief Dylan Howard were operating behind Pecker’s back on the matter of Stormy Daniels’s story, which the publisher indicated he had wanted to steer clear of.

“You wanted nothing to do with it,” Bove said. “And you were speaking for the company and for yourself?”

“Yes,” Pecker replied.

— Ella Lee

Emil Bove is questioning Pecker over the terms of National Enquirer parent company American Media Inc.’s deal with Karen McDougal to purchase her limited life rights.

The defense is suggesting through its questioning that McDougal was more interested in “restarting” her career than the $150,000 the company paid her for her story of an alleged affair with Trump.

Pecker previously testified that other terms of the deal with McDougal, such as ghostwritten articles and red carpet interviews for his magazines, were a “disguise” of the true intent — to keep her quiet.

“The other provisions mattered,” Bove said, calling them “real obligations” for the company, not just filler.

— Ella Lee

Pecker said on cross-examination that if Trump Tower doorman Dino Sajudin’s story about an illegitimate Trump child was true, he would have published it.

“It was still possible in your mind, when signed, that the story was true,” Emil Bove said, referring to the $30,000 payment Pecker’s company made to Sajudin to purchase his story. Pecker answered affirmatively.

“And you could not walk away from that possibility, however small it might be,” the Trump lawyer continued. Pecker again answered in the affirmative.

— Ella Lee

With Pecker now back on the stand, Trump attorney Emil Bove is attempting to show jurors that negative articles the National Enquirer ran against former President Trump’s opponents leading up to the 2016 election were published by other media outlets first.

The defense attorney pointed to several articles written about then-candidates Ben Carson, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, noting that publications such as The Guardian and Politico first published stories with the same content.

“There wasn’t much new content in those stories was there?” Bove said, noting that it was “cost efficient” and “made business sense” to aggregate.

The line of questioning by Trump’s attorney of Pecker could undermine prosecutors’ contention that the publisher’s deal with Trump to quash his bad press and elevate his opponents’ was unique and nefarious.

— Ella Lee

Judge Juan Merchan is seated at the bench, kicking off Trump’s eighth day in court and fourth since the trial started in earnest with opening statements Monday.

Ex-National Enquirer publisher David Pecker is expected to resume his cross-examination by Trump’s attorneys.

Merchan rescheduled a hearing over whether Trump again violated his gag order to Thursday at 9:30 a.m. It was originally scheduled for Wednesday at 2:15 p.m., which is usually when the judge deals with other matters.

The judge is still yet to rule on what prosecutors say are 10 other violations of the ruling barring Trump from commenting on witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and the judge’s family. It doesn’t block Trump from attacking Merchan or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D).

— Ella Lee

With a dozen lawyers, aides and Secret Service officers in tow, Trump has arrived in the courtroom where the last day of the first week of his criminal trial in New York will soon be underway.

Trump walked more quickly than usual down the center aisle, chatting with his attorneys before taking a seat at the defense table.

— Ella Lee

Trump used a portion of his remarks to reporters before entering the courtroom to bemoan the temperature of the building, claiming it was kept cold on purpose.

“We have another day of court in a freezing courthouse. It’s very cold in there. On purpose, I believe,” Trump said. “They don’t seem to be able to get the temperature up. It shouldn’t be that complicated, but we have a freezing courthouse, and that’s fine. That’s just fine.”

— Brett Samuels

Trump spoke to reporters outside the courtroom and began by wishing his wife, Melania Trump, a happy birthday.

“It would be nice to be with her, but I’m at a courthouse for a rigged trial,” Trump said

The former president said he would travel to Florida for the weekend at the conclusion of Friday’s proceedings.

— Brett Samuels

Trump had a busy day in his legal world Thursday. Not only did the New York trial resume, but at the Supreme Court, justices were hearing arguments tethered to his three other criminal cases, that of presidential immunity.

The Hil’s Niall Stanage wraps up the day with 5 takeaways.

Pecker’s testimony this week has revealed stark details of how the National Enquirer did its business.

While the supermarket tabloid is well known in media markets as having questionable coverage on everything from UFO’s to alleged secrets kept by the rich and famous, Pecker revealed a far more corrupt operation behind the scenes — and it didn’t only involve Trump.

Read more on a recap of his testimony.