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.
Trump files emergency appeal to move trial
Former President Trump has filed a new emergency appeal to change the venue of his criminal trial.
Oral arguments are scheduled for this afternoon to determine whether the trial should be temporarily paused.
The motion is expected to cite some of the responses prospective jurors gave during the jury selection process.
Trump's prior attempts to move the trial out of Manhattan have failed.
Man apparently sets himself on fire outside courthouse
A man apparently set himself on fire outside the courthouse while Trump was inside during the trial.
The person was badly burned and taken away from the scene on a stretcher.
It was not immediately clear if the incident was related to the criminal proceedings.
Hearing on potential Trump testimony set for afternoon
The hearing on the scope of former President Trump's potential testimony is scheduled to take place today at 3:15 p.m. ET
Known as a Sandoval hearing, it will determine the extent of the prosecution's cross-examination.
Prosecutors have indicated they would like to question Trump about matters beyond the criminal case, including his recent $454 million civil fraud judgment, the two verdicts in the E. Jean Carroll cases and a lawsuit he filed against Hillary Clinton that resulted in legal sanctions.
Alternate jurors sworn in
The six alternate jurors have been sworn in, raising their hands.
"We have now completed jury selection for this case," Judge Merchan said.
The alternate jurors are five women and one man.
Alternate Juror No. 6 lives on the Upper East Side and is a project manager for a construction company and a mother of three children who "does whatever my kids want me to do in my spare time."
Her father was convicted of a federal crime when she was in high school. She said she was "shielded" from the details at the time.
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.