Trump trial: 1st week of testimony ends with testimony from Michael Cohen's former banker
Banker Gary Farro testified in Donald Trump's hush money 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 to hide the reimbursement of 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:
- Banker says he set up LLC, which Cohen used to pay Daniels
- 'Thank you for handling' McDougal, Pecker says Trump told him
- 'This story is true,' Pecker recounts being told of Stormy Daniels
- Pecker describes $150,000 negotiations for McDougal's story
- Secret Service has plans if Trump is confined for contempt: Sources
What to know about the hush money case
READ MORE: Here's what you need to know about the historic case.
Several prospective alternates have read 'The Art of the Deal'
After a prospective alternate said he has a minority stake in a company that produces Michael Cohen's "Mea Culpa" podcast, Trump leaned forward and turned toward the man at the mention of his former attorney's name.
The man also said he had volunteered for a Democratic get-out-the-vote effort during Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign.
Several of the prospective alternates said they had read Trump's "Art of the Deal," including a management consultant who likes to be outdoors when he's not working.
A retired teacher made the requisite pledges, saying, "I will solely make my decision solely based on the evidence in the courtroom. There is no reason why I can't be a fair and impartial juror."
"I believe that everyone should obey the law," he said.
A woman with an MBA in information systems who likes to "cook, bake, watch hockey" inquired about the court's schedule for Passover. Told the court was planning to break early this coming Monday and Tuesday, she said that would give her plenty of time to travel to her seders in New Jersey.
A contract specialist for a fintech company said she likes to take her two boys to Knicks games and Rubik's Cube speed competitions.
Another prospective alternate skipped the questionnaire and told the judge she could not be impartial.
"After thinking about this yesterday after hearing the questions, I don't think I can be impartial," the woman said before Judge Merchan excused her without objection.
'I don't think I can be impartial,' says woman who's excused
Asked to share her responses to the jury questionnaire, one prospective alternate said she wanted to "jump ahead" to Question 34, which asks whether any strong opinions of Trump would interfere with the ability to be fair.
"The last day, after some introspection, I don't think I can be impartial," the woman said. "I had every intention when I first started, but I think after the questions posed to prospective jurors and asking the questions to myself, I don't think I can be impartial."
Judge Merchan excused her without objection from the attorneys.
A prospective alternate who works for the New York City Law Department said in response to a question that she had read Trump's "Art of the Deal." Trump, who appeared to have his eyes closed, opened them right away at that response and looked at the woman.
The woman also said she had been sexually assaulted "a couple of times on the train."
Trump also appeared to have been chewing on something. He has been conferring with defense attorney Emil Bove throughout the more mundane parts of the questionnaire responses.
A chef for a "large hospitality group" said he follows the White House account on Instagram, "so when Mr. Trump was president, obviously I was receiving updates." Trump turned his head to look at the man after he had been slumped over the defense table looking down.
Prospective alternates begin tackling questionnaire
Members of the remaining pool of jurors are reading aloud their answers to the jury questionnaire in order for the parties to pick the final alternates needed for the trial -- but even before the first prospective alternate began, she said, "I have really bad anxiety" about people possibly finding out who she is.
"I might not be able to be completely fair and that concerns me," the woman said. "More and more people in my life know I'm here without me even telling them, just by putting the pieces together."
She was immediately excused by Judge Merchan without objection from the lawyers.
There are 22 prospective alternates in the jury box that will respond to the questionnaire before the lawyers question them individually. The court must seat five additional alternate jurors after one was seated on Thursday.
Court back in session for Day 4
Court is back in session for Day 4 of the trial, kicking off what is widely expected to be the last day of jury selection.
Former President Trump is in his usual seat at the defense table, along with his lawyers. His aide Steven Cheung and attorney Cliff Robert are sitting in the back row of the courtroom.
"Good morning, Mr. Trump," Judge Merchand said as he entered the courtroom, which, like yesterday, is quite chilly.
"We're still working on the temperature in the courtroom," Merchan told all those assembled.
Pecker reiterates that he didn't want Stormy Daniels' story
Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker testified on cross-examination that the publication's limited involvement in Stormy Daniels' hush money payment was unrelated to the August 2015 Trump Tower meeting where Pecker vowed to serve as the "eyes and ears" of Trump's presidential campaign.
Pecker's testimony on cross-examination about the Daniels story appeared consistent with his testimony yesterday about his strong desire not to be involved in the Stormy Daniels payment.
Pecker said yesterday that he did not want to be involved in the story due to concerns about reputational harm to the National Enquirer and a lack of reimbursement for the other payments he had made to suppress previous Trump stories.
"I said, we already paid $30,000 to the doorman, we paid $150,000 to Karen McDougal, and I am not a bank. I am not paying out any further disbursements among us," Pecker testified yesterday. Pecker said he instructed National Enquirer Chief Content Officer Dylan Howard to flag the Stormy Daniels story to Michael Cohen, who made the payment to Daniels himself.
Asked about Daniels' payment on cross-examination, Pecker said that the National Enquirer's limited involvement was unrelated to their vow to Trump.
"You did not consider the Stormy Daniels story to be part of any agreement you had in August 2015?" defense attorney Emil Bove asked.
"That is correct," Pecker said.
"You wanted nothing to do with it?" Bove said.
"That's correct," Pecker said.
Pecker added that he did not "authorize" Howard to continue communicating with Stormy Daniels' lawyer Keith Davidson about the payment.
When Howard raised concerns to Pecker that Davidson had not yet been paid by Michael Cohen, Pecker said he was angry that Howard continued to communicate with Davidson about the story. In addition to the nature of the story -- which Pecker said could endanger the National Enquirer's relationship with its distributors -- Pecker said Cohen's delay in paying Daniels' lawyer could result in reputational harm to the National Enquirer.
"Frankly, you were not happy to be hearing that?" Bove asked about Cohen's delayed payment.
"Yes," Pecker said.
"The main concern was Howard's reputation?" Bove asked.
"Yes," Pecker said.