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.
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Prosecutors call back paralegal from DA's office
Prosecutors have called back to the stand Georgia Longstreet, a paralegal for the Manhattan district attorney's office.
Longstreet testified last week to introduce some of Trump's social media posts into evidence.
Trump, sitting at the defense table, has been working diligently -- scribbling notes and thumbing through a stack of papers, marking some of them, and then placing them in another pile.
Judge won't admit Larry King interview as evidence
When court resumed after the mid-morning break, Judge Juan Merchan handed the defense a victory -- ruling to block the state's effort to include an excerpt of an interview Trump did with Larry King in 1999 as evidence.
"You are asking the jurors to draw an in inference that because Mr. Trump knew the laws in 1999, he knew them in 2016," Merchan said in denying the request. "That's a lot of speculation."
Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg entered the courtroom with prosecutors following the break. Trump turned around to look at the gallery before he sat down, appearing to spot Bragg.
Merchan signaled that the proceedings will likely end early today, after the prosecution calls its final two witnesses of the day.
Verizon employee testifies about Weisselberg's phone records
Prosecutors next called custodial witness Jenny Tomalin, who works for Verizon, to testify about call records for former Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg's Verizon mobile phone.
Prosecutors may refer to calls between Weisselberg and Michael Cohen when Cohen testifies next week.
Jurors saw toll records from Weisselberg which appeared to stretch to hundreds of pages, showing each of the calls placed and received by Weisselberg. The records detail the length of each call in minutes, as well as the date, time, origination, destination, and the other phone number.
After Tomalin's direct examination concluded she stepped off the stand and court broke for the mid-morning recess.
AT&T analyst testifies about Cohen's phone records
Prosecutors called Daniel Dixon, who works as a lead compliance analyst at AT&T, to testify as a custodian of records about cell phone data.
Prosecutors used his testimony to enter into evidence phone records for Michael Cohen's company phone that jurors will likely see later when Cohen testifies.
As Dixon testified, Trump leaned forward in his chair with a yellow highlighter in hand, flipping through and marking up a stack of papers.
Defense attorney Emil Bove then did a detailed cross-examination of Dixon, as part of an effort to cast any possible doubt on records related to Cohen.
Dixon then stepped off the stand, with he and Trump exchanging tight smiles as he passed the defense table.
Judge suggests Weisselberg could testify
With the jury out of the courtroom, defense lawyer Emil Bove argued that Judge Merchan should not allow former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg's severance agreement with the company to get into evidence.
Weisselberg, who is currently serving a five-month sentence on New York's Rikers Island for committing perjury during Trump's civil fraud trial, he received a $2 million severance agreement from the Trump Organization.
Prosecutor Christopher Conroy argued the separation agreement "offers a real explanation for why he is not going to be here in this trial."
"We just respectfully disagree with that," Bove responded, saying Weisselberg is not testifying because the district attorney's office pursued a perjury case against him.
Judge Merchan did not issue a ruling on the matter but suggested the parties might have "jumped the gun" by suggesting Weisselberg can't testify "without making an effort to get him here."
As an alternative, Merchan suggested that Weisselberg could testify outside the presence of the jury before determining the appropriate next step.