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.


What to know about the hush money case

READ MORE: Here's what you need to know about the historic case.


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Prosecutors say Trump violated gag order 4 more times

Prosecutors have asked Judge Juan Merchan to hold Donald Trump in contempt for four additional violations of the court's limited gag order over the last three days.

"He is doing what the order tells him not to do," prosecutor Christopher Conroy said about Trump's recent remarks about witnesses and the jury.

Conroy outlined the four alleged violations, including Trump's hallway statements about Cohen on Monday, an interview Trump did on Monday where he made comments about the political composition of the jury pool, Trump's interview with Philadelphia ABC station WPVI where he attacked Cohen, and Trump's remarks this morning at a construction site where he commented on David Pecker's testimony.

"This is a message to Pecker -- be nice. It is a message to others. I have a platform and I will talk about you," Conroy said. "It is a message to everyone involved in this proceeding and this court."

Conroy did not specify what penalty Merchan should impose. In total, prosecutors have asked to hold Trump in 14 counts of criminal contempt.


Court is in session

Court is underway this morning for Day 7 of Donald Trump's hush money trial.

Trump entered the courtroom and took his usual seat at the defense table. He then whispered something to his attorney Todd Blanche, who let out a laugh.

Judge Juan Merchan gaveled in the hearing and said, "Good Morning, Mr. Trump." Trump didn't appear to respond.


Trump complains about having to miss Supreme Court hearing

Donald Trump visited a New York City construction site early Thursday morning and was greeted by several dozen supporters before speaking to the media and complaining that his hush money trial was keeping him from attending today's pivotal Supreme Court hearing on whether he'll be granted presidential immunity in his federal election interference case.

"We have a big case today -- this judge wouldn't allow me to go, but we have a big case today at the Supreme Court on presidential immunity, a president has to have immunity. If you don't have immunity, you just have a ceremonial president," said Trump.

Trump expressed confidence in the outcome, saying that the Supreme Court has "very talented people, they're very smart, they know what they're doing."

Trump's hush money trial is set to resume this morning with ongoing testimony from former National Enquirer published David Pecker.


Michael Cohen says he'll stop commenting about Trump

Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen vowed to stop making public comments about the former president ahead of his likely testimony in Trump's New York hush money case.

On his podcast and on social media, Cohen has frequently commented about the former president's legal troubles. Trump's lawyers have argued that the former president's comments about Cohen -- which prosecutors allege were in violation of the case's limited gag order -- were in response to political attacks by Cohen.

"Despite not being the gagged defendant, out of respect for Judge Merchan and the prosecutors, I will cease posting anything about Donald on my X (formerly Twitter) account or on the Mea Culpa Podcast until after my trial testimony. See you all in a month (or more)," Cohen said on social media on Wednesday afternoon.

Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche devoted a portion of his opening statement on Monday to attacking Cohen's credibility, describing the former lawyer as a "convicted perjurer" and "admitted liar" who has an "obsession with getting Trump."

Cohen's testimony is expected to be a key part of the state's case against Trump, as prosecutors attempt to prove that Trump falsified business records as he, Cohen and former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker engaged in a conspiracy to influence the 2016 election by suppressing negative stories about Trump.


Trump had 'nothing to do' with invoices, defense says

"I have a spoiler alert," defense attorney Todd Blanche told jurors during his opening statement. "There is nothing wrong with trying to influence an election. It's called democracy."

Amid frequent objections from prosecutors, Blanche argued that the Manhattan district attorney has attempted to make the payments and non-disclosure agreements between Trump and Stormy Daniels "sinister" to the jury.

Judge Merchan had to interrupt Blanche's opening after multiple objections from prosecutors, then he met the parties at a sidebar conference, after which he struck a line from Blanche's opening.

"There is nothing illegal about entering into a non-disclosure agreement. Period," Blanche restated after the portion of his opening was struck from the record.

Blanche's opening has come off more casual and off-the-cuff than the state's opening, with Blanche improvising and posing hypotheticals to argue that accountants at the Trump Organization did not run the invoices by Trump as he was "running the country."

"'Hey, we got this invoice. I know we are trying to cover it up here,'" Blanche said sarcastically about how prosecutors described how accountants received invoices from Cohen. "Absolutely not."

According to Blanche, Trump was unaware of how the invoices were processed by his employees.

"President Trump has nothing to do -- nothing to do -- with the invoice, with the check being generated, or with the entry on the ledger," Blanche said, arguing that Trump was busy "in the White House while he was running the country."

"The reality is that President Trump is not on the hook -- criminally responsible -- for something Michael Cohen might have done years after the fact. The evidence will prove otherwise," Blanche said.