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
'This story is true,' Pecker recounts being told of Stormy Daniels
"Do you know someone by the same of Stephanie Clifford?"
The question, by assistant district attorney Josh Steinglass, was the jury's introduction during the evidentiary phase of the trial to the woman whose long-denied claim of a sexual tryst with Donald Trump set in motion the alleged falsification of business records.
"Stormy Daniels is, or was, a porn star," former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker replied, using Clifford's stage name.
Pecker was having dinner with his wife on a Saturday night in early October 2016 when he said he received an urgent call from National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard.
"He said that she, she being Stormy Daniels, is trying to sell a story that she had a sexual relationship with Donald Trump, and Dylan can acquire the story for $120,000 from Keith Davidson if we made a decision right now," Pecker recalled.
In a series of text messages the jury saw, Howard told Pecker, "I know denials were made in the past but this story is true."
Pecker replied to Howard, "We can't pay 120k." The company had already paid $30,000 for the Dino Sajudin story and $150,000 for the Karen McDougal story, and Pecker recalled thinking, "I am not a bank."
In the text exchange, Howard responded, "Perhaps I call Michael and advise him and he can take it from there, and handle."
Pecker texted back, "Yes a good idea."
Pecker recalled having "a number of conversations" with Michael Cohen about Stormy Daniels. Cohen wanted Pecker to catch and kill the story.
"I said, 'I am not purchasing this story, I am not going to get involved with a porn star,'" Pecker testified he told Cohen. "He was upset and said the boss would be furious with me."