After weeks of tabloid intrigue, sex scandals and celebrity gossip, the 12th day of Donald Trump’s hush-money criminal trial took a decidedly dry turn. The testimony may not have been as captivating as it was a few days ago, but it contained perhaps the most significant content. date.
Two longtime employees of the Trump Organization testified Monday about their roles in making a series of payments to Michael Cohen in 2017, and jurors found they were guilty of forgery related to those transactions. This is the first time I have seen the business records that are said to have been used.
President Trump is accused of falsifying business records to conceal repayment of hush money paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels by then-lawyer Michael Cohen to improve his chances of winning the 2016 presidential election. is being tried on trial. The former president has denied all wrongdoing.
Before testimony resumed on Monday, Judge Juan Marchan found President Trump in criminal contempt for his 10th gag order violation, making the most provocative move to jail the former president for future violations. made threats.
Here are some key takeaways from day 12 of the trial:
Trump arrested again on contempt charge, threatened with jail
Judge Juan Melchán found Trump in criminal contempt for once again violating a limited gag order that prohibits him from targeting witnesses, jurors or people involved in the case. The judge issued the most provocative threat of jailing the former president if things continue. Ignoring the rules of the court.
“The $1,000 fine doesn’t seem to be working as a deterrent,” Marchan said. “This court will now have to consider a prison sentence.”
“Mr. Trump, the last thing I want to do is put you in jail,” Marchand told Trump directly. “You’re a former president of the United States and probably the next president as well.”
Marchan found that Trump violated the gag order when he made comments about the jury in the case during an interview with Real America’s Voice on April 22, after the trial began.
The ruling comes after Marchand previously found Trump in contempt of court for nine previous violations of the court’s limited gag order, with Trump paying $1,000 for each violation.
Traces of Cohen’s payment documents come into focus
For the first time, jurors had the opportunity to see and hear all 34 business records that prosecutors say were falsely filed, including invoices, checks and general ledger entries that go to the heart of the district attorney’s case.
Jeffrey McConney, a former Trump Organization administrator, and Deborah Tarasoff, the company’s accounts payable chief, are accused of making 12 payments to Michael Cohen in 2017 to repay Stormy Daniels’ hush money. They gave careful testimony about their roles.
The process includes internal communications about transactions, pay stubs, checks, invoices, and account details, with each invoice marked as a “legal fee,” and said by Trump’s former fixer It included all paper records related to 12 transactions that paid attorney Cohen $35,000.
By 2017, with Donald Trump in the White House, Tarasoff testified about how he sent checks via FedEx to Washington, D.C., for the president to sign.
“Even when he was in Washington, D.C., wasn’t there anyone else who had the authority to sign the checks?” the prosecutor asked.
“That’s right,” Tarasoff said.
As part of this investigation, jurors saw checks bearing Trump’s familiar jagged signature.
Was Cohen’s payment for reimbursement or legal costs?
Prosecutors sought to show that the payment to Mr. Cohen was a reimbursement for the $130,000 he sent to Mr. Cohen’s lawyer to buy Stormy Daniels’ hush money before the 2016 election.
Jurors also heard that Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization’s longtime chief financial officer, sent what McConney called a “chicken-scratch note” to Cohen on 12 occasions. I saw a financial document with a statement of payments to be made in installments, which also included a reference to “reimbursement.”
But Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Emil Bove, briefly maintained his client’s innocence under McConney’s cross-examination, saying that Mr. Cohen was a lawyer and had been paid his legal fees.
“Was Michael Cohen a lawyer?” Bove asked.
“Okay,” McConney scoffed. “Yes, it is.”
“And the payments to the lawyers by the Trump Organization are legal costs, right?” Bove asked.
“Yes,” McConney said.
Bove also said that the use of the term “legal fees” is the result of the Trump Organization’s “outdated” internal payment system, which is similar to selecting from a “drop-down menu” of payment options. I tried to frame it.
Prosecutors say the case will take another two weeks.
Before the hearing ended on Monday afternoon, Judge Marchan asked prosecutors what their schedule was.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said the state’s case is likely to take at least two more weeks.
The defense case will then be heard, followed by the state’s rebuttal.
