Trump trial: Stormy Daniels tells (almost) all about alleged encounter with Trump

Prosecutors appear to be trying to used Trump Organization accounts payable supervisor Deborah Tarasoff to portray Donald Trump as more than a passive player in the alleged scheme to hide Michael Cohen's repayments from authorities.

The defense has suggested Trump is a multi-tasker who would blindly sign stacks of checks while doing untold numbers of other things. But Tarasoff said Trump would sometimes reject checks.

"If he didn't want to sign it he didn't sign it," Tarasoff said.

"Did you ever see a time when he didn't sign a check?" prosecutor Chris Conroy asked.

"He would write void on it and send it back," Tarasoff responded, noting Trump's distinctive signature using a black Sharpie. "That's what he uses," she said, drawing on her 24 years of experience at the Trump Organization.

As the accounts payable supervisor at the Trump Organization, Deborah Tarasoff described her responsibilities in this way: "I get approved bills, I enter them in the system, and I cut the checks."

That type of response -- using as few words as she can -- seems in line with her other commentary from the stand. Tarasoff has a terse sensibility.

"Do you have any sense of how many entities make up the Trump Organization?" prosecutor Christopher Conroy asked her.

"There's a bunch," she said.

Asked to describe the general ledger, she said: "That's where everything goes into and they keep track of things."

Conroy established early in his questioning that she did not necessarily have regular exposure to Donald Trump, but was an important cog in the machine of the Trump Organization -- particularly as it pertains to the allegations in this trial.

"Did you just follow instructions?" Conroy asked.

"Yes," she said.

Tarasoff told jurors that any expenses over $10,000 would need to get direct approval from either Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr. or Eric. Trump.

Tarasoff added that at the time of the events in question, Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg generally ran decisions by Trump directly.

As Deborah Tarasoff took the witness stand, Donald Trump watched expressionless as another one of his longtime employees began her testimony.

Unlike controller Jeffrey McConney, who testified this morning, Tarasoff remains an employee of the Trump Organization, where she has worked for 24 years.

Tarasoff, whose legal bills are being footed by the Trump Organization, is being questioned by prosecutor Christopher Conroy.

All parties are back in the courtroom for the day's afternoon session, where prosecutors are preparing to call longtime Trump Organization employee Deborah Tarasoff as their next witness.

Tarasoff worked as an accounts payable supervisor at the Trump Organization when Michael Cohen submitted invoices in 2017 to be reimbursed for the hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels. A direct report to controller Jeffrey McConney, Tarasoff processed and labeled the invoices as "legal expenses."

In his opening statement, defense attorney Todd Blanche argued that Tarasoff was just following orders when she labeled the invoices.

Before Tarasoff takes the stand, defense lawyers are first objecting to the evidence prosecutors plan to introduce during her testimony.