Trump hush money trial: Third witness puts Trump's financial web in spotlight

Summary

Donald Trump's hush-money trial in New York has heard from three witnesses in rapid-succession
The testimony of Gary Farro, a banker, has allowed the court to take a deeper dive into the $130,000 transaction paid to porn star Stormy Daniels
Rhona Graff, who worked with Donald Trump for 34 years and was his assistant, was called as the second witness in his hush-money trial in New York
Graff told the court she was in charge of all Trump's appointments and he smiled at her as she fondly described working for him for decades
Earlier, David Pecker, the ex-publisher of the National Enquirer, returned for his fourth day of testimony
Pecker told the court that potentially damaging stories about Trump were bought and buried as an "agreement between friends"
Trump is accused of trying to cover up a $130,000 (£104,500) payment to Daniels before he won the presidency in 2016
He has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and also denies having any sexual encounter with Daniels

Live Reporting

Edited by Tiffany Wertheimer and Phil McCausland

Thanks for joining uspublished at 21:57 British Summer Time 26 April
We're closing our live coverage now.
You can read all about Trump's four criminal trials here.
Court is not sitting on Monday (or Wednesday next week), so we will resume our live coverage of this trial on Tuesday.
Today's page was edited by Brandon Livesay, Phil McCausland and Tiffany Wertheimer. We had Madeline Halpert, Kayla Epstein and Nada Tawfik at the court in New York.
See you next week!
What happened in court today?published at 21:52 British Summer Time 26 April
We're at the end of the second week of Trump's criminal trial. Here's what happened today in case you missed the hours of testimony and three witnesses who took the stand:
- Prosecutors and the defence team wrapped up their questioning of David Pecker, the former tabloid publisher, who was involved in two hush-money schemes on Trump's behalf
- Trump's lawyer Emil Bove led the cross-examination of Pecker, whose reliability and memory as a witness he tried to call into question
- Pecker responded heatedly at one line of questioning regarding his deal with prosecutors: "I've been truthful to the best of my recollection," he said
- Trump's former assistant, Rhona Graff, was the second person called to the stand - though only briefly
- She testified that she saw Stormy Daniels, the adult film star at the centre of the hush-money scheme, outside Trump's office
- She then told the defence team under cross-examination that Daniels could have been there due to casting for The Apprentice
- Gary Farro, a former banking associate of First Republic Bank, was the third person to take the stand today
- His testimony centred on Michael Cohen's efforts to procure $130,000 from a line of credit, which he allegedly intended to use to pay off Daniels
The first criminal trial of a former president will resume again on Tuesday, after a long weekend.
Court sketches show a smiling Rhonda Graffpublished at 21:47 British Summer Time 26 April
Here are some of the court sketches that Jane Rosenberg crafted today, featuring Rhonda Graff carrying a fond expression for her former boss, a tense exchange between Trump and his lawyer, and a security officer ready for anything.
Image source, Reuters/ Jane Rosenberg
Image source, Reuters/ Jane Rosenberg
Image caption,
Donald Trumps speaks with his lawyer, Emil Bove
Image source, Reuters/ Jane Rosenberg
Image caption,
A court security officer takes centre stage in this sketch, which also features David Pecker on the stand, being questioned by prosecutor Joshua Steinglass while Donald Trump looks on
Court ending for the daypublished at 21:31 British Summer Time 26 April
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
Court is about to end for the day.
Justice Merchan is excusing jurors, who are not allowed to discuss this case with anyone else.
"Have a good weekend," Merchan says.
Donald Trump appears to wink at somebody in the room as he walks out.
Cohen 'gave a sense of urgency'published at 21:29 British Summer Time 26 April
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
When Cohen's first limited liability account fell through, he made another. He wanted to open a new account for real estate, quickly, Farro explains.
“Every time Michael Cohen spoke to me he gave a sense or urgency,” he says.
This account was called Essential Consultants LLC.
More about the limited liability companypublished at 21:16 British Summer Time 26 April
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
We’re talking about the limited liability company that Cohen set up - called Resolution Consultants.
Pecker told us earlier in his testimony that Cohen had initially planned to reimburse him for Karen McDougal's hush-money payment through this company, Resolution Consultants.
Pecker ended up rejecting the plan after he sought legal advice, and the account was never funded, Farro says. A deposit was never made in it so it never went live.
Postpublished at 21:11 British Summer Time 26 April
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
So far, we’re looking at a series of fairly tedious documents, including two emails about Farro missing two calls from Michael Cohen.
Farro called Cohen back and spoke to him about opening a new limited liability company account, he says.
So that's the kind of detail they're digging into right now, and there's only about 30 minutes left of today's court session.
Farro says he was skilled at handling 'challenging' peoplepublished at 20:56 British Summer Time 26 April
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
We’re finally getting to the topic of Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer.
Cohen was assigned to Farro as a client after a colleague left, Farro tells the court.
Farro says he was selected to take over because of his ability to handle individuals who “may be a little challenging”.
Farro says he worked with Cohen from 2015 to 2018.
Witness pushed on how bank workedpublished at 20:54 British Summer Time 26 April
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
Prosecutors are quizzing Farro broadly about how the bank worked.
They're asking if there were certain transactions the bank wouldn't be involved in.
Farro says adult entertainment.
Asked to clarify, he says "strip clubs".
A wire transfer may be delayed if it raises red flags, he confirms to the court.
Who is Gary Farro?published at 20:44 British Summer Time 26 April
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
Farro was the assistant to the senior managing director at First Republic Bank when Michael Cohen was trying to make the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels.
Cohen once received an email from Farro when he was corresponding with First Republic Bank, where he had a home equity line, to try to arrange the hush-money payment.
We can likely expect him to testify about that transaction.
The next witness is called to the stand - Gary Farropublished at 20:38 British Summer Time 26 April
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
We have our next witness: Gary Farro, a private client advisor at Flagstar Bank.
He is here voluntarily, he says.
Court takes a short breakpublished at 20:25 British Summer Time 26 April
We're having a recess now for about 15 minutes.
Graff's lawyers were paid for by Trumppublished at 20:23 British Summer Time 26 April
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
Before she finished, Donald Trump's lawyer Susan Necheles tried to reassure jurors that Rhona Graff wasn't being coerced in her testimony.
Graff told the court earlier that the Trump Organization was paying for her lawyers.
Necheles pressed her on whether they told her what to say, and Graff replies no.
"You don’t want to be here, do you?" Necheles asks.
"Correct," Graff says.
That's a wrap for the second witnesspublished at 20:21 British Summer Time 26 April
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
And with that, we're done with testimony from Graff.
As she left the room, Donald Trump stood up to approach her and appeared to give her a brief hello.
Trump appeared to be watching her testimony closely and he smiled when she fondly described her decades of work at the Trump Organization.
The Apprentice TV show is back on the agendapublished at 20:17 British Summer Time 26 April
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
We're now talking about Trump's reality TV show, The Apprentice.
Rhona Graff says Trump would often talk with her and others in the office about casting celebrities in the show.
"He wanted people who were sort of controversial sometimes, right?" Trump's lawyer Susan Necheles asks.
"Sometimes," Graff replies.
Necheles is now asking whether Stormy Daniels was discussed as a possible contestant for the show.
Graff says she believes so.
Necheles might be implying that The Apprentice casting was the purpose of Daniels' visit to Trump Tower that was mentioned earlier.
Trump's defence starts cross-examination of Graffpublished at 20:06 British Summer Time 26 April
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Susan Necheles (centre) walking towards the courtroom on Friday
After a short line of questioning to confirm that Donald Trump was in Trump Tower in January 2017, prosecutors have yielded the floor for cross-examination.
Trump's lawyer Susan Necheles is now questioning Rhona Graff.
She's asking about her relationship with Trump and whether he respected her.
"I don't think I'd be there 34 years if he didn't," Graff says.
Graff recalls seeing Stormy Daniels at Trump Towerpublished at 20:00 British Summer Time 26 April
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
We're seeing evidence that Graff once entered Playboy model Karen McDougal and adult film star Stormy Daniels' contact information - including her mobile phone number - into the Trump's company computer system for her former boss.
Graff says she has a "vague recollection" of seeing Daniels waiting in the reception area on the 26th floor Trump Tower before the 2016 election.
Latest witness has rare insight into the past 30 years of Trump's lifepublished at 19:53 British Summer Time 26 April
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
Prosecutors are setting up Graff as a witness who knew Trump and his organisation well over the past three decades.
As his most senior assistant, she tells the court that she had an office right next to Donald Trump’s in Trump Tower.
Graff was in charge of putting all of Trump’s appointments into an online calendar, she confirms.
Graff worked with Trump for 34 yearspublished at 19:49 British Summer Time 26 April
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
A file photo of Rhona Graff from 2005
Trump looks to Rhona Graff as she walks to the witness stand and is sworn in.
Graff tells the court that she's not currently employed, but worked for the Trump Organization for 34 years.
She started in 1987 as an executive assistant before becoming senior vice president at the family organisation.
She stopped working in April of 2021, she says.
Pecker's testimony wraps up, it's time for the next witnesspublished at 19:43 British Summer Time 26 April
Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court
We're done with questions for the first witness, David Pecker.
Rhona Graff, Trump's former assistant, is the next witness for the prosecution.