Two new witnesses took the stand Friday, following four days of testimony from former National Enquirer editor David Pecker in the secret trial of former President Donald Trump.
Trump’s longtime assistant, Rhona Graff, told the court that her contact list included information for Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, who claimed to have had affairs with the former president in 2006. Trump denied their allegations.
Graff’s testimony was followed by Gary Farro, a bank executive who said he helped Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, create a shell company bank account that he used to pay Daniels.
Here’s what you missed on day 8 of the test:
Pecker interrogated
On his fourth day on the stand, Pecker faced a quick cross-examination from Trump’s lawyer, Emil Bove.
The defense tried to undermine Pecker’s credibility as a witness, contradicting the narrative weaved by prosecutors earlier in the week about an alleged scheme by Trump to influence the 2016 presidential election.
A rapt jury took notes and watched Pecker answer questions about his recollections of meetings with Trump and Cohen, while Bove tried to establish for the court that there was nothing unusual about the events and interactions highlighted by the prosecution, such as the purchase of McDougal’s story. with no intention of publishing it.
Bove sought to establish that the National Enquirer profited from the stories it purchased, describing the tabloid business model and the incentives that drove Pecker’s decisions as an executive. Whether Pecker published salacious stories about celebrities or bought them for future leverage, he did so to improve his company’s bottom line, Bove argued.
Pecker said the National Enquirer also relied on information that was already in the public domain, pulling reports from other publications, including stories about medical malpractice allegations against Trump’s then-rival in the 2016 Republican primary, former neurosurgeon Ben Carson.
“Releasing these stories was good for AMI,” Pecker told the court.
Pecker testified that he was not prosecuted for what he called a campaign finance violation with regard to how AMI handled the payment to McDougal. Bove said Pecker was only able to escape charges because of a deal he made with prosecutors.
“That’s why it’s called a non-prosecution agreement,” Bove joked.
Later, Bove said it is the district attorney’s office that has the final say on “whether [Pecker] was true,” implying that if prosecutors are not satisfied, he could face repercussions.
Trump saved contact information for Karen McDougal and ‘Stormy,’ documents show
Graff, who worked at the Trump Organization for 34 years, confirmed that documents showing Trump’s contacts from years ago included entries for McDougal and one that simply said “Stormy.”
Under questioning from prosecutor Susan Hoffinger, Graff said he had a “vague memory” of seeing Daniels on the 25th floor of Trump Tower, where Trump’s office was located at the time.
Graff said he knew Daniels was an adult actress and had heard Trump refer to her as someone who could be an “interesting” contestant on “The Apprentice,” the reality show he hosted for more than a decade. starting in 2004.
While taking the stand, Graff said he was testifying pursuant to a subpoena. Like other witnesses who work for Trump and have been involved in his legal cases, Graff said his lawyers were paid by Trump. She said she did not know how much they were paid, adding that she had forgotten one of their names.
“Brittany – I’m sorry, her last name escapes me,” Graff told the court, before apologizing directly to her lawyer. “I’m sorry, Brittany.”
Cohen’s former banker testifies
Prosecutors began to establish new details of the case when Farro, Cohen’s former banker, took the stand.
He explained how he was assigned to Cohen, saying it was in part due to his “ability to deal with challenging individuals.” But Farro said his interactions with Cohen never impressed him that way.
“Michael did a lot of his own business and, frankly, I didn’t find him that difficult,” Farro said.
Prosecutors are using his testimony to confirm documents related to the transaction between Cohen and Daniels.
When court resumes on Tuesday, Farro will return to the stand.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
