For the second time during the trial, the jury was shown the paperwork for Resolution Consultants LLC, the shell company Michael Cohen formed initially to pay AMI for the Karen McDougal payment.

Cohen conceded he did not give First Republic Bank the "true reason" for the account.

"I'm not sure they would have opened it," Cohen said, if the bank knew the true reason "was to pay off an adult film star for a nondisclosure agreement"

"Need an account opened for Mike Cohen immediately. He wants no address on the checks," Cohen's banker wrote to a colleague on Oct. 13, 2016, when he earlier testified earlier about Cohen's frantic effort to open the two bank accounts in October 2016.

Prosecutors suggested that Cohen misled bankers when he opened the bank account by stating the account was for legitimate business purposes.

Cohen told jurors that he opted to rename the shell company to Essential Consultants after realizing that Resolution Consultants LLC was a real company owned by a friend. The $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels was made from a new account for Essential Consultants.

Donald Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen testified that as Stormy Daniels' layer Keith Davidson pushed him to make good on the $130,000 hush payment to Stormy Daniels, he sought to "continue to delay, delay the execution of the documents, delay execution of funding."

The jury saw an email exchange in which "I used the holiday, Yom Kipur, as a way of once again of trying to delay it until after the election," Cohen said.

"And the reason for that?" asked prosecutor Susan Hoffinger.

"Because after the election it wouldn't matter," Cohen said.

"According to who?" Hoffinger asked.

"According to Mr. Trump," Cohen said.

Trump’s eyes appeared to be closed again as the questioning continued.

With the lunch break over, Michael Cohen has returned to the witness stand to resume his direct examination.

He did not look at Trump when he returned to the courtroom following the break.

Michael Cohen said that he asked Trump about how Trump's wife Melania might respond to the Stormy Daniels story.

"How's things going to go upstairs?" Cohen said he asked Trump.

According to Cohen, Trump responded, "How long do you think I'll be on the market for? Not long."

According to Cohen, Trump's main concern was the campaign.

"This was all about the campaign," Cohen said.

"I want you to push it out as long as you can," Cohen said Trump told him about the Daniels story. "Push it out past the election, because if I win, it has no relevance, and if I lose I don't really care."

It was "about delaying the deal and trying to push it past the election, which was coming," Cohen testified.

Trump, during this testimony, was leaning back in his chair angled slightly toward Cohen.

Court was subsequently dismissed for the lunch break.

Cohen stepped off the witness stand and looked away from the defense counsel table as he passed Trump.

Trump then exited the courtroom for the break.

After the jury was dismissed for the day, Judge Merchan heard arguments from the two sides on whether the defense should be allowed to call an expert witness to explain to the jury how to interpret nuances in election law, particularly the phrase "for the purpose of influencing an election."

"We don't think this jury here should be evaluating a FICA violation," defense attorney Emil Bove argued.

Prosecutors objected, saying only the judge should inform the jury what the law is.

There is a "general and widely followed prohibition" against having testimony from witnesses about the law, prosecutor Matthew Colangelo argued, adding that Bove's request "flies directly in the face" of an earlier order issued by Merchan.

"The jury has to be provided instructions one way or another ... about how to apply these principles," Bove argued back.

Merchan said he would think about it over the weekend, but told the defense, "Until you hear differently from me, my ruling has not changed" that their requested testimony would not be permitted.