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.


What to know about the hush money case

READ MORE: Here's what you need to know about the historic case.


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No one sat closer to Trump in White House, Westerhout says

Jurors saw a map of the West Wing of the White House to demonstrate where Madeleine Westerhout's desk was in relation to the Oval Office.

"That is the area known as the outer oval office -- that is where the presidential secretaries or assistants sat," Westerhout told the jurors, highlighting the location of her desk.

Westerhout said she sat near John McEntee, Hope Hicks, and Keith Schiller, but no one sat closer to Trump's desk in the Oval Office than she did in the early days of the Trump administration.

"Who was the focus of your job?" prosecutor Becky Mangold asked.

"The president," Westerhout responded.


Westerhout testifies about 'Access Hollywood' fallout

Before she worked in the White House, witness Madeleine Westerhout worked at the Republican National Committee.

On the stand, she testified about the aftermath of the release of the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape.

"It was a tape of Mr. Trump and Billy Bush," she said. "At the time I recall it rattling RNC leadership."

Prosecutor Becky Mangold asked, "Did the RNC consider replacing Mr. Trump as a candidate?"

Westerhout told the jury, "It's my recollection there were conversations how it would be possible to replace him as the candidate if it came to that."

Westerhout testified that after Trump won the election, she helped with the presidential transition.

She said she earned the nickname "Greeter Girl" in the media after she helped coordinate meetings at Trump Tower, appearing in videos and photos accompanying potential Trump appointees in the Trump Tower lobby.


Prosecutors call White House aide Madeleine Westerhout

Prosecutors have called their next big witness: Madeleine Westerhout, who was Trump's director of Oval Office operations in the White House.

Westerhout was subpoenaed to testify.

Asked if she is nervous to testify, she responded, "I am now." This is her first time in a courtroom, she said.

Trump leaned forward in her chair, watching her intently.


Jury hears quotes from Trump on his management approach

The prosecution has next called Tracy Menzies, a senior vice president at HarperCollins.

She is testifying about Donald Trump and Bill Zanker's 2007 book, "Think Big: Make It Happen in Business and Life."

Trump, at the defense table, tilted his head up at the large screen at the front of the courtroom and then leaned toward his monitor at the defense table as his image appeared on the cover jacket for the book.

Menzies testified about passages from the book, quoting Trump's approach to business and people management.

"As a matter of fact, I value loyalty above everything else -- more than brains, more than drive, more than energy," Trump wrote in one portion of the book, read aloud by Menzies. Another portion of the book noted that loyalty has become "part of the corporate culture of the Trump Organization."

"My motto is: Always get even. When somebody screws you, screw them back in spades," read another quote.

"When you are wronged, go after those people because it is a good feeling and because other people will see you doing it."

Also: "Get the best people and don't trust them."


Jurors see chart of 34 records Trump allegedly falsified

Jurors saw a summary exhibit prepared by DA office paralegal Jaden Jarmel-Schneider that breaks down the 34 records that prosecutors allege Trump falsified in the course of repaying Michael Cohen for Stormy Daniels' hush money payment.

The exhibit shows each of the vouchers, checks, and invoices -- broken down by each criminal count -- that prosecutors say Trump falsified to disguise his reimbursement to Cohen.

The chart appears to be the jury's clearest roadmap so far to each of the documents at the center of the case.

Defense attorney Emil Bove -- once a paralegal himself -- began his cross-examination by asking Jarmel-Schneider how much time he spent on the project, suggesting it was "tedious."

"Honestly, I kind of enjoyed it," Jarmel-Schneider said, prompting jurors and several members of the gallery to break out into laughter.

"I hear you -- respect," Bove said in a rare moment of levity.