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 'did not commit any crimes,' defense tells jury
"President Trump is innocent. President Trump did not commit any crimes," defense attorney Todd Blanche said to begin the defense's opening statements.
"The Manhattan district attorney's office should never have brought this case," Blanche said.
"You will hear me and others refer to him as President Trump. That is a title he has earned because he was our 45th President," Blanche added.
Prosecutor says jury can believe Cohen despite mistakes
Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo told the jury, during his opening statement, "During this trial you're going to hear a lot about Michael Cohen.”
Trump's former personal attorney, Cohen is a key witness -- perhaps the only one that will testify to Donald Trump’s intent when he agreed to pay Stormy Daniels hush money.
The defense “will go to great lengths” to convince the jury Cohen is not credible, Colangelo said.
He acknowledged that Cohen had earlier lied regarding the matter. “He lied about it to protect his boss,” Colangelo said. “You will also learn that Michael Cohen has a criminal record.”
Colangelo told jurors they can believe Cohen despite his past mistakes.
“Cohen's testimony will be backed up by testimony from other witnesses you will hear from, including David Pecker, Keith Davidson. It will be backed up by an extensive paper trail. And it will be backed up by Donald Trump’s own words,” the prosecutor said.
Colangelo concluded by saying, “This case is about a criminal conspiracy and a cover-up, an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of a presidential election and then the steps that Donald Trump took to conceal that election fraud. At the end of the case we are confident you will have no reasonable doubt that Donald Trump is guilty of falsifying business records.”
'They agreed to cook the books,' prosecutor says
Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo asked jurors to ponder why Donald Trump did not negotiate the $420,000 repayment scheme allegedly proposed by Michael Cohen and then-Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg.
"Donald Trump was a very frugal businessman. He believed in pinching pennies. He believed in counting every dollar. He believed in negotiating every bill," Colangelo said. "It's all over all the books he's written. He ran the Trump Organization with total control."
But when it came time to set Cohen's repayment, Trump did not question the proposal from Cohen and Weisselberg, Colangelo said.
"This might be the only time that ever happened," said the prosecutor.
According to Colangelo, Trump consented to the arrangement because he knew the scheme was to cover up the hush money payment to Daniels and other expenses.
"It was instead what they thought was a clever way to pay Cohen back without being too obvious about it," Colangelo said.
Colangelo said that the jurors will see handwritten notes from Weisselberg laying out the entire scheme.
"They agreed to cook the books," said Colangelo.
'It was election fraud, pure and simple,' prosecutor says
"It was election fraud, pure and simple," prosecutor Matthew Colangelo told the jury during opening statements as he outlined the hush payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and how it was logged by the Trump Organization
Dylan Howard, then editor of the National Enquirer, had called Trump attorney Michael Cohen to inform him about Daniels and the story that she had of a sexual liaison with Trump, which the former president has long denied.
"Cohen then discussed the situation with Trump who is adamant that he did not want the story to come out," Colangelo said. "it could have been devastating to his campaign."
At the time, Trump and the campaign were "deeply concerned" about the "Access Hollywood" video, the prosecutor said. Cohen wired the $130,000 to Daniels' lawyer to keep her quiet.
"Cohen made that payment at Donald Trump's direction and for his benefit and he did it with the special goal of influencing the election
This was not spin or communications strategy. This was a planned, coordinated long-running conspiracy to influence the 2016 election to help DT get elected through illegal expenditures to silence people who had something bad about his behavior. It was election fraud, pure and simple," Colangelo said.
'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."