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.
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.
Pecker says arrangement supporting Trump wasn't unusual
Trump attorney Emil Bove, continuing his cross-examination of former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, returned to a theme he emphasized yesterday: that the National Enquirer's supportive arrangement with Trump was not unique, but rather "standard operating procedure."
Bove is seeking to establish that negative stories about Donald Trump's political opponents in the National Enquirer largely involved "information that was already in the public domain" -- recycled narratives and reporting found in other outlets.
"There wasn't much new content in those stories, was there?" Bove asked Pecker.
"Yes," Pecker said.
"It was a business decision that it was good for the National Enquirer to run those stories," Bove said, adding that, as a business model, it was "quick, efficient, and cost-effective" -- to which Pecker agreed.
Bove cited stories about Bill and Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Ben Carson as examples.
Defense resumes cross-examination of David Pecker
"Good morning, everyone," Judge Juan Merchan said at the start of the proceedings. "Good morning, Mr. Trump."
Trump did not audibly respond. The former president is sitting slightly slouched at the defense table between defense lawyers Emil Bove and Todd Blanche.
Merchan announced that the contempt hearing originally scheduled for next Wednesday -- related to the four new violations of the limited gag order alleged by prosecutors -- has been moved to Thursday at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Defense attorney Emil Bove has resumed his cross-examination of former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker.
Trump bemoans cold conditions in courtroom
Before entering the courtroom for today's proceedings, former President Donald Trump spoke to reporters, repeating his claims that Judge Juan Merchan is a "highly conflicted judge" overseeing a "rigged trial."
Trump also expressed his annoyance about the ongoing cold conditions in the courtroom, on a day where it's a brisk 50 degrees in lower Manhattan.
"So we have another day of court in a freezing courthouse, it's very cold in there," he said. "On purpose, I believe. They don't seem to be able to get the temperature up. It shouldn't be that complicated. But we have a freezing courthouse, and that's fine."
-ABC News' Kelsey Walsh and Mike Pappano
'Thank you for handling' McDougal, Pecker says Trump told him
Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker testified that he was twice summoned to Trump Tower in the period following the 2016 election: the first time for a meeting with Michael Cohen, and the second with Donald Trump.
The first meeting began in Cohen's office, where Cohen divulged for the first time to Pecker that he personally covered the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels, and that he was concerned that he would not receive a bonus from the Trump Organization, Pecker testified.
"He (Cohen) asked me to talk to the boss on his behalf to try to help him get his bonus," Pecker said, referring to Trump.
When Trump himself came into the room, Pecker asked to walk him back to his office -- and at that time, Pecker told Trump that "Michael Cohen is very concerned about his bonus for this year, and I want you to know that he's very loyal."
Trump replied that Cohen had several apartments and taxi medallions, and added, "Don't worry about it, I'll take care of it," Pecker said.
On Jan. 6, 2017, Pecker arrived at Trump Tower for a meeting with Trump and was escorted to his residence by Jared Kushner, he testified.
Pecker said he was ushered into the room, where Trump was surrounded by administration officials James Comey, Sean Spicer, Reince Priebus, and Mike Pompeo -- they were "updating Mr. Trump on the Ft. Lauderdale shooting" that had occurred at the airport there.
Pecker testified that when Trump introduced him to Trump's inner circle of advisers, Trump said of the National Enquirer publisher, "He knows more than anyone else in this room."
"It was a joke. Unfortunately, they didn't laugh," Pecker testified, which brought some laughs from reporters in the gallery. A few jurors smiled at the moment.
Pecker testified that after Trump's advisers left the room, Trump turned to him.
"He (Trump) asked me how Karen [McDougal] was doing -- how's 'our girl' doing. I said, she's writing her articles, she's quiet, things are going fine."
Trump then said, "I want to thank you for handling the McDougal situation." And then he said, "I want to thank you for the doorman situation," Pecker testified.
Pecker testified that he took this to mean that Trump was thanking him "for not publishing any of the stories and helping the way I did."