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
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- '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.
Trump arrives at courthouse
Former President Trump has arrived at the courthouse in lower Manhattan.
He stepped out of his motorcade, waved, and walked into the side entrance.
A small group of supporters and protesters both cheered and booed his arrival.
Trump en route to courthouse
Former President Trump is en route to the courthouse in lower Manhattan for this morning's proceedings.
The former president left for the the courthouse from Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan.
Court may start with hearing on Trump testifying
Court this morning may start with a hearing over what prosecutors can ask Trump during cross-examination should he take the stand later in the trial.
The judge would hear arguments from both the people and the defense. The proceedings would then move into jury selection later in the morning.
Prosecutors have indicated they would want to cross-examine Trump on approximately "thirteen different court determinations," including the recent civil finding that he sexually abused columnist E. Jean Carroll, the criminal conviction of the Trump Organization last year, the finding that he committed a decade of business fraud, and the dissolution of his charity, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The hearing -- known as a Sandoval hearing -- is standard practice before jury selection and typically occurs when a defendant signals a willingness to testify.
In a filing last month, Trump's lawyers requested a Sandoval hearing to limit the scope of Trump's potential cross examination, if he opted to testify.
ABC News' Katherine Faulders contributed to this report.
Jury selection set to begin
Former President Trump will leave his Trump Tower apartment in Midtown Manhattan this morning and travel down to lower Manhattan for the first day of jury selection in his criminal hush money trial.
The proceedings come after Trump unsuccessfully tried three times last week to delay the start of the trial through the filing of appeals.
As a defendant in a criminal case, the former president will be required to be in court for the entire trial, which is expected to take six to eight weeks.
Pecker says 'catch and kill' wasn't discussed at meeting
Defense attorney Emil Bove sought to distance former President Trump from the National Enquirer's purchase of negative stories about him and instead suggested David Pecker and Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen may have been freelancing.
Bove asked Pecker about a meeting at Trump Tower in August 2015 where Pecker previously testified he agreed to be the "eyes and ears" of the Trump campaign.
"At that meeting, the concept of catch and kill was not discussed, correct?" Bove asked.
"That's correct," Pecker answered.
The defense also sought to reframe the Enquirer's $30,000 purchase of Trump World Tower doorman Dino Sajudin's false claim that Trump fathered a love child.
Bove suggested Enquirer parent AMI purchased the story not to help the Trump campaign, but because it was an irresistible tabloid scoop.
"Sajudin threatened to go somewhere else?" Bove asked. "Yes," Pecker responded.
"That is why you paid him $30,000?" Bove asked. "It would be too great a loss to AMI to lose the story, if true?"
"Yes," Pecker answered.
"You could not walk away from that possibility?" asked Bove.
"Yes," replied Pecker.