Trump trial: Judge rebukes Michael Cohen ahead of expected testimony Monday
Former President Trump was in court on Day 15 of his criminal trial in New York.
Former President Donald Trump is on trial in New York City, where he is facing felony charges related to a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. It marks the first time in history that a former U.S. president has been tried on criminal charges.
Trump last April pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.
Top headlines:
What to know about the hush money case
READ MORE: Here's what you need to know about the historic case.
Bookkeeper testifies she mailed checks for Trump to sign
For their next witness, prosectors have called Rebecca Manochio, a Trump Organization employee.
Manochio, on the stand, said she has worked for the Trump Organization for 11 years, including working as former CFO Allen Weissleberg's assistant for eight years. She now works as a junior bookkeeper at the company.
She said that she is testifying pursuant to a subpoena. "I was compelled to testify," she said.
Manochio testified she was the one who personally mailed the checks for Michael Cohen to Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., while he was president, for him to sign.
"How frequently did you have to FedEx checks to Mr. Trump?" she was asked.
"About once a week," she responded.
"Deb would give me the checks in a manilla folder, and I would put them in a FedEx envelope with a return," she testified.
Manochio said she would send Trump a bundle of checks weekly via Federal Express.
Asked about how many checks she sent at one time, she said, "Maybe between 10 and 20. I am not sure though."
Manochio said she would normally receive the signed checks back within a few days.
"Did you always check to make sure they were signed once you got them back?," she was asked.
"Yes," she affirmed.
"Who's signature was on them?" she was asked.
"Mr. Trump's," she said.
Stormy Daniels concludes testimony
During her redirect examination, Stormy Daniels suggested Trump targeted her in a Truth Social post.
"IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I'M COMING AFTER YOU," Trump wrote in August 2023.
Daniels said that Trump made the post shortly after he sued her for legal fees in Florida.
"I wasn't sure, but I thought it was me," Daniels said about the subject of the post.
Prosecutors previously told Judge Merchan that they planned to introduce social media posts to demonstrate a pressure campaign by Trump against known witnesses in the case.
On recross examination, defense attorney Susan Necheles suggested that the post likely referenced Trump's attitude toward a Republican political action committee, not Daniels' conduct.
With her testimony complete, Daniels stepped off the witness stand and departed the courthouse.
Daniels says she's been telling 'the truth' about Trump
"Have you been telling lies about Mr. Trump or the truth about Mr. Trump?" prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asked Stormy Daniels.
Daniels answered, "The truth," and she said it has cost her.
"I've had to hire security, take extra precautions for my daughter, move my daughter to a safe place to live, move a couple times," she said.
Hoffinger concluded her redirect examination with this question: "On balance, has your publicly telling the truth about your experiences with Mr. Trump been net positive, or net negative?"
"Negative," Daniels answered.
Prosecutors display social posts disparaging Daniels
Prosecutors showed the jury disparaging tweets posted about Daniels, including one that said, "Good luck walking down the street after this."
"Are these two tweets examples of some of the tweets that you have received ... in relation to things you have said publicly about Mr. Trump?," Hoffinger asked.
"Yes. These are tame actually," Daniels responded.
Judge rebukes Cohen ahead of Monday's expected testimony
Judge Merchan communicated a bit of a warning to Michael Cohen ahead of his planned testimony next week, telling prosecutors to ask him to stop talking about the case after Trump's team brought up his continued out-of-court statements.
"I would direct the people to communicate to Mr. Cohen that the judge is asking him to refrain from making any more statements about this case," Merchan said.
"That comes from the bench and you are communicating that on behalf of the bench," said the judge.
Merchan's rebuke came after defense attorney Todd Blanche brought up recent statements by Cohen, including his appearing on TikTok this week wearing a shirt with a photo of Trump behind bars.
"It's becoming a problem every single day that President Trump is not allowed to respond to this witness," Blanche urged. "He has stated on social media that he is going to stop talking, and he doesn't," Blanche said of Cohen.
Prosecutors said they had already "repeatedly" asked Cohen and others not to post about the case, but claimed they had no control over the witnesses.
Trump, at the defense table, grinned broadly during the exchange regarding Cohen and his behavior on social media. But he shook his head and looked at Blanche, seemingly in disbelief, when Merchan -- instead of ordering Cohen to stop -- merely asked prosecutors to speak to him.
Court was subsequently adjourned for the week.