Trump trial live: First week of testimony concludes as jury hears about ties to Stormy Daniels

Donald Trump returned to court for the latest instalment of his New Yorkhush money trial on Frida, where the jury heard further testimony from tabloid mogul David Pecker who detailed the “catch-and-kill” scheme to suppress stories about the defendant’s alleged affairs.

The former National Enquirer publisher doubled down on his testimony that he bought and silenced the story of Playboy model Karen McDougal’s affair with Mr Trump to influence the 2016 election.

With cross-examination complete, the court then heard from Trump executive assistant Rhona Graff and Guy Farro of First Republic Bank who set up a wire transfer to Stormy Daniels.

Justice Juan Merchan is yet to rule on whether Mr Trump should be held in contempt and fined $10,000 for allegedly violating a trial gag order by posting about witnesses and jurors on Truth Social.

The trial resumes on Tuesday.

In other legal news, Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments concerning Mr Trump’s “presidential immunity” defence against prosecution in federal cases, and the former president had his latest efforts to overturn the E Jean Carroll defamation verdict against him dismissed.

Alex Woodward is providing live updates from the courthouse in Manhattan.

Key Points

• Trump attorneys try to pick holes in David Pecker ‘catch and kill’ testimony

• David Pecker testifies to Trump plan to bury Karen McDougal story

• Supreme Court justices appear poised to offer Trump some immunity

• Trump loses latest bid for new E Jean Carroll trial

• Former president backs away from testifying over porn star payment

Longtime assistant to Trump testifies to ‘vague’ memory of seeing Stormy Daniels at Trump Tower

16:45 , Oliver O'Connell

A former longtime assistant to Donald Trump at his Trump Organization testified that she has a “vague recollection” of seeing adult film star Stormy Daniels at Trump Tower before his 2016 presidential campaign.

Rhona Graff, who worked at the Trump Organization for more than 30 years, testified on Friday in a Manhattan courtroom across from her former boss – who is currently on trial charged with falsifying 34 business records to cover up payments to Ms Daniels as part of a scheme to bury details of their alleged affair.

In her testimony, Ms Graff revealed new details about Ms Daniels’ apparent ties to the former president, including that he appeared to be considering the adult film star as a contestant on The Celebrity Apprentice.

Alex Woodward filed this report from the courthouse:

Trump’s longtime assistant recalls seeing Stormy Daniels at Trump Tower

Adam Schiff demonstrates why you shouldn’t leave valuables in parked cars in San Francisco

15:45 , Oliver O'Connell

San Francisco has earned an unwelcome national reputation for car burglaries that US Rep. Adam Schiff was reminded of the hard way: The Democratic congressman had his luggage swiped from his car while it was parked in a downtown garage.

With his formal clothing gone, Schiff ended up at a fundraising dinner Thursday for his US Senate campaign dressed like he was headed to a Los Angeles Dodgers game — in shirt sleeves and an insulated vest. Others who attended the event were mostly decked out in suit jackets and ties.

Schiff’s campaign confirmed the burglary and declined further comment, citing an ongoing investigation.

Read on...

They say don't leave valuables in parked cars in San Francisco. Rep. Adam Schiff didn't listen

Trump calls a vote for RFK JR ‘wasted protest vote’

15:20 , Ariana Baio

Donald Trump told followers not to vote for third-party presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr, saying a vote for him would be a “wasted protest vote” and falsely asserted that Mr Kennedy was a “Democratic Plant”.

In a Truth Social post on Friday night, Mr Trump said Mr Kennedy was ‘planted’ by Democrats “to help Crooked Joe Biden... get Re-Elected.”

“A Vote for Junior’ would essentially be a WASTED PROTEST VOTE, that could swing either way, but would only swing against the Democrats if Republicans knew the true story about him,” Mr Trump wrote.

Kristi Noem makes shocking admission she shot pet dog she ‘hated’

14:45 , Oliver O'Connell

One of the candidates in the running to be Donald Trump’s pick for Vice President has admitted that she once shot a pet puppy that she “hated”.

No, really.

Trump VP candidate Kristi Noem admits she shot pet dog she ‘hated’

Watch: Trump wants to debate Biden at White House

14:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Yesterday in court: Trump’s attorneys try to pick holes in David Pecker’s ‘catch and kill’ testimony

13:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward writes:

Donald Trump’s defence attorneys have tried to undermine trial testimony from one of the alleged architects of the scheme to buy up politically damaging stories about Mr Trump in order to boost his 2016 election chances.

Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, the first witness in the former president’s historic hush money trial, faced a barrage of “yes” or “no” questions during cross-examination from Mr Trump’s lawyer Emil Bove on Thursday and Friday in an attempt to poke holes in his week-long testimony.

But Mr Bove’s attempts to impeach Mr Pecker’s credibility fell flat, as the former publisher repeatedly affirmed his under-oath descriptions of his meetings with Mr Trump.

Continue reading...

Trump’s attorneys try to pick holes in David Pecker’s ‘catch and kill’ testimony

There are 18 indicted co-conspirators in the Arizona fake electors’ scheme — who are they?

12:45 , Oliver O'Connell

An Arizona grand jury indicted 18 individuals for their role in an alleged scheme to overturn the 2020 election in favour of Donald Trump by falsely certifying the state’s 2020 election results.

The state’s Attorney General Kris Mayes has so far released the names of 16 of those charged, explaining that two of the defendants’ names have been redacted but will be released “after all defendants have been served.”

Kelly Rissman reports on the who’s who of familiar names now tied to another scheme to overturn the 2020 election:

Who are the 18 indicted co-conspirators in the Arizona fake electors’ scheme?

‘Anytime, anywhere, any place’: Trump and Biden square off over debate

10:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Andrew Feinberg and Eric Garcia report:

President Joe Biden on Friday said he will participate in televised debates with his likely opponent, former president Donald Trump, before the November 5 presidential election.

Biden ended speculation about whether or not he would debate Trump during an hour-long, wide-ranging interview with Sirius-XM radio host Howard Stern.

“I am, somewhere,” he said, in response to a question about whether he was going to debate Trump, adding a second later that he did not know when such debates would take place. The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates has scheduled three sessions for September 16, October 1 and October 9 this year.

“I’m happy to debate him,” he added.

Read on...

Biden says he will debate Trump; Trump responds ‘Anytime, anywhere, any place’

Which celebrities found themselves dragged into Trump’s hush money trial?

08:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Joe Sommerlad writes:

A string of famous names have been dragged into Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial, after four days of testimony from the former publisher of the supermarket tabloid The National Enquirer.

David Pecker became the first witness to take the stand in the former president’s New York hush money trial this week, laying out a so-called “catch-and-kill” scheme at the centre of the case.

Read on to see who found themselves name-dropped at a trial the world is watching...

The celebrities dragged into Trump’s hush money trial

Will the Supreme Court offer Trump some immunity from prosecution?

06:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The Supreme Court justices appear poised to offer Donald Trump and future US presidents some form of immunity from criminal prosecution for their actions while in office – while rejecting broad absolute immunity.

The nation’s highest court heard oral arguments on Thursday in a historic case which the justices acknowledged has “huge implications” for not only the former president’s criminal cases but also for America’s future.

“This case has huge implications for the presidency, for the future of the presidency, for the future of the country,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh said.

Ariana Baio listened to the oral arguments before the court:

Supreme Court justices appear poised to offer Trump some immunity

‘I would if it’s necessary’: Has Trump got cold feet about testifying?

04:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump appears to be getting cold feet about taking the stand to testify in his criminal hush money trial, after he previously insisted that he would “absolutely” do so.

The former president called in to Newsmax on Thursday night after the conclusion of day seven of his historic trial, where he was asked by anchor Greg Kelly about his intentions to testify in his own defence based on what he had seen of the proceedings so far.

“Well I would if it’s necessary,” Mr Trump answered.

Trump seems to get cold feet about testifying in New York hush money trial

Watch: Trump reacts to SCOTUS hearing arguments on immunity

03:45 , Oliver O'Connell

David Pecker testifies Trump used White House to manage blowback from Karen McDougal allegations

02:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward writes:

Donald Trump is accused of helping to bury a story that he had a nearly one-year-long affair with a former Playboy model, in order to secure his election to the presidency in 2016.

But he continued to keep tabs on the story and Karen McDougal’s contractual agreement to keep quiet through at least his first year in office, according to testimony from former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, who claimed to buy her silence.

Read on...

Trump used White House to manage blowback from Karen McDougal allegations: Pecker

There are 18 indicted co-conspirators in the Arizona fake electors’ scheme — who are they?

01:45 , Oliver O'Connell

An Arizona grand jury indicted 18 individuals for their role in an alleged scheme to overturn the 2020 election in favour of Donald Trump by falsely certifying the state’s 2020 election results.

The state’s Attorney General Kris Mayes has so far released the names of 16 of those charged, explaining that two of the defendants’ names have been redacted but will be released “after all defendants have been served.”

Kelly Rissman reports on the who’s who of familiar names now tied to another scheme to overturn the 2020 election:

Who are the 18 indicted co-conspirators in the Arizona fake electors’ scheme?

A banker, an assistant, a tabloid boss: Key takeaways from Trump’s day in court

01:31 , Josh Marcus

The jury in Donald Trump’s hush money trial heard more testimony on Friday from American Media Inc publisher David Pecker, who dodged attempts by the defence team to try to impeach his credibility.

Mr Trump’s former assistant at the Trump Organization also took the stand, mentioning seeing adult film star Stormy Daniels in the lobby of Trump Tower one day, close to the former president’s office.

Jurors also heard from a banker, who laid the groundwork for the creation of the shell company that ultimately sent payments to Ms Daniels — a critical piece of the case.

Mr Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records related to the so-called hush money payments given to the porn star before the 2016 election in exchange for her silence over an alleged affair.

Kelly Rissman and Alex Woodward have the full story.

A banker, an assistant, a tabloid boss: Key takeaways from Trump’s day in court

Trump invites himself to the White House to debate Biden

01:15 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump on Friday challenged President Joe Biden to a debate in an unlikely venue: The White House.

Speaking from the hallway outside of his ongoing criminal trial in Manhattan, the former president sought to strike a confident tone about his chances in a head-to-head against his likely 2024 opponent.

“We’re ready, just tell me where,” Trump said. “We’ll do it at the White House. That would be very comfortable actually. You tell me where.”

The comments came after President Biden said Friday that he will participate in televised debates, ending speculation about whether or not he would debate Trump, during an hour-long, wide-ranging interview with Sirius-XM radio host Howard Stern.

More details in our full story.

Biden says he will debate Trump; Trump responds ‘Anytime, anywhere, any place’

E Jean Carroll: Trump loses latest bid for new defamation trial

00:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s request to have a new trial in his $83m defamation case with writer E Jean Carroll, who accused him of sexual assault, was denied by a federal court.

Judge Lews Kaplan of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York rejected the motion on Thursday after Mr Trump had sought a fresh trial.

In May 2023, a jury found Mr Trump liable for sexually abusing Ms Carroll. Then, earlier this year, a jury determined that Mr Trump had defamed Ms Carroll, with $65m in punitive damages and $18m in compensatory damages.

In response, Mr Trump posted a $91.6m bond to appeal the verdict against him.

Eric Garcia reports:

Trump loses latest bid for new E Jean Carroll defamation trial

In court, the ever-brash Trump looks lonelier than ever

00:31 , Josh Marcus

Despite being surrounded by a cadre of lawyers and Secret Service agents, Donald Trump cuts something of a lonely figure sitting in court listening to testimony at his first trial on criminal charges.

When he arrives, behind the pair of agents and leading a pack of attorneys and others in his entourage, he is the first to sit at the defence table. He is briefly alone, staring at nothing in particular, with his hands clasped and his shoulders tight as he leans on the wide table in front of him.

When his attorneys speak privately with the judge or the prosecution, he’s left by himself. The screens that capture the courtroom around him — which are also broadcast in an adjoining room for other assembled press — make the room appear massive.

He looks small against the empty space where his attorneys would sit and the reserved but unoccupied seats behind him. His eyes are closed for most of the proceedings, though it’s unclear whether he’s asleep, checked out completely, or trying to focus on the testimony just a few feet away from him. He will frequently tilt his head to the side as if he’s turning his ears to hear better.

Oliver O’Connell and Alex Woodward have this report on what it’s like to be in court during the former president’s historic trial.

Trump cuts a lonely figure at trial as family and supporters stay home

23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Today in court: Trump’s attorneys try to pick holes in David Pecker’s ‘catch and kill’ testimony

23:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward writes:

Donald Trump’s defence attorneys have tried to undermine trial testimony from one of the alleged architects of the scheme to buy up politically damaging stories about Mr Trump in order to boost his 2016 election chances.

Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, the first witness in the former president’s historic hush money trial, faced a barrage of “yes” or “no” questions during cross-examination from Mr Trump’s lawyer Emil Bove on Thursday and Friday in an attempt to poke holes in his week-long testimony.

But Mr Bove’s attempts to impeach Mr Pecker’s credibility fell flat, as the former publisher repeatedly affirmed his under-oath descriptions of his meetings with Mr Trump.

Continue reading...

Trump’s attorneys try to pick holes in David Pecker’s ‘catch and kill’ testimony

How do Americans feel about how fairly Trump is being treated in his trial?

22:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Kelly Rissman reports:

The first criminal trial of a former US president is underway — and most Americans believe that Donald Trump is not being treated equally to other criminal defendants.

A poll conducted last week shows the country is decisively split over whether Mr Trump is being treated more leniently or more harshly.

Some 34 per cent say they believe the former president is being treated “more leniently” than other criminal defendants in the historic trial, according to the CNN poll on Thursday. The same percentage believe that he is being treated “more harshly”.

Only 13 per cent believe he is being treated “about the same” as other defendants.

Continue reading...

Most Americans believe Trump isn’t being treated the same as other defendants

Trump posts ‘Happy Birthday Melania!’ message

22:20 , Oliver O'Connell

22:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Oh wait, he invited himself to the White House to debate the president.

Don’t hold your breath...

Who’s going to tell him?

21:57 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s invitation to an impromptu courthouse debate after trial proceedings ended today sadly went unanswered...

I’ve been waiting for Crooked Joe at the Courthouse, the Fake News Media was there also — HE DIDN’T SHOW! ANY WHERE, ANY TIME, ANY PLACE!

After telling Howard Stern he would be happy to debate Mr Trump, the president returned to Washington, DC.

Rooting for Trump to fail has made his stock shorters millions

21:45 , AP

Rooting for Donald Trump to fail has rarely been this profitable.

Just ask a hardy band of mostly amateur Wall Street investors who have collectively made tens of millions of dollars over the past month by betting that the stock price of his social media business — Truth Social — will keep dropping despite massive buying by Trump loyalists and wild swings that often mirror the candidate’s latest polls, court trials and outbursts on Trump Social itself.

Several of these investors interviewed by The Associated Press say their bearish gambles using “put” options and other trading tools are driven less by their personal feelings about the former president (most don’t like him) than their faith in the woeful underlying financials of a company that made less money last year than the average Wendy’s hamburger franchise.

Read on...

Rooting for Trump to fail has made his stock shorters millions

21:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Cohen then applied for another LLC, Essential Consultants LLC, which was intended to “collect fees for investment consulting for real estate transactions,” according to a form.

The prosecution says they're at a stopping point for today.

Judge Merchan asks them to approach before excusing the jurors.

“We'll call it a week.”

21:24 , Alex Woodward

The LLC is Resolution Consultants LLC, the shell company that Cohen used to set up the McDougal transfer that Pecker ultimately backed out of.

The type of business on the First Republic Bank form to set up the LLC is listed as “MANAGEMENT CONSULTING”.

Cohen is the only listed officer for the LLC.

Cohen signed off on it on 13 October 2016, two days after calling Farro's office to try to set it up.

A question on the form asked “is the entity associated with political fundraising/political action committees?” The corresponding box was checked “no”.

On the morning of October 26, Farro's assistant emailed Farro asking him to return Cohen's call. He did.

“He said he was changing course, no longer wanted to open Resolution Consultants, and wanted to open a new account,” Farro says.

“Every time Michael Cohen spoke to me he gave me a sense of urgency ... This was one of those times.”

The account had never actually opened, because Cohen didn't pay for it, so there wasn't anything to do necessarily.

Full story: Trump’s longtime assistant testifies to ‘vague’ memory of seeing Stormy Daniels at Trump Tower

21:10 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward reports from the courthouse:

A former longtime assistant to Donald Trump at his Trump Organization testified that she has a “vague recollection” of seeing adult film star Stormy Daniels at Trump Tower before his 2016 presidential campaign.

Rhonna Graff, who worked at the Trump Organization for more than 30 years, testified on Friday at a criminal trial in Manhattan across from her former boss, who is charged with falsifying business records to cover up payments to Ms Daniels as part of a scheme to bury details of an alleged affair.

She testified that she saw Ms Daniels in the lobby of the 26th floor of Trump Tower, where Mr Trump’s office is located.

Continue reading...

Trump’s longtime assistant has ‘vague’ memory of seeing Stormy at Trump Tower

21:09 , Alex Woodward

An email in the morning from October 13 2016.

The subject line is: FW: Message from "26-Copier-Pantry"

There's a PDF attachment.

Farro then emailed one of his coworkers about opening an account for Cohen “immediately”.

21:05 , Alex Woodward

We see an email from October 11 2016 from Farro's assistant about a missed call from Michael Cohen.

She sent another email two days later asking him to please return his call “regarding an important matter”.

When he called back, Cohen said he wanted to open an LLC account.

This was all roughly three weeks before election day.

21:01 , Alex Woodward

Farro: "Michael Cohen was assigned to me after a client left in 2015."

He said he believed he was given Cohen for “my knowledge and my ability to handle individuals who may be a little challenging”.

“Michael did a lot of his own business and frankly I didn’t find him difficult,” he said.

20:59 , Oliver O'Connell

Gary Farro is the next witness — the third of the trial — and was formerly a senior managing director at First Republic Bank. He says he's here voluntarily, but “I did receive a subpoena”.

He now works at Flagstar Bank but worked at First Republic Bank for 15 years, beginning in 2002.

It was there he allegedly set up the home equity line of credit through which Michael Cohen paid Stormy Daniels.

Kirsti Noem makes shocking admission she shot pet dog she 'hated'

20:38 , Oliver O'Connell

Mike Bedigan reports:

One of the candidates in the running to be Donald Trump’s pick for Vice President has admitted that she once shot a pet puppy that she “hated”.

Kristi Noem wrote about an incident with the dog, named Cricket, who she called “untrainable” and “less than worthless”. She also claimed to have put down an unnamed, family-owned goat because he was “nasty and mean”.

Ms Noem, the Governor of South Dakota is seen as a leading contender to be Mr Trump’s running mate for the November presidential election.

Yikes...

Trump VP candidate Kristi Noem admits she shot pet dog she ‘hated’

20:20 , Alex Woodward

We see an email from Graff to Madeleine Westerhout at the White House on April 6 2017:

Here is the Fed Ex label you requested. Hope it works ; )

Necheles asks: The only reason you’re testifying here today is because you worked at the Trump Organization?

Yes.

You don’t want to be here, do you?

"Correct."

Lawyers are expensive, aren’t they?

"I haven’t seen the bills but I assume they are."

The Trump Organization is paying bills for all employees?

Yes.

Is the payment of your legal fees conditioned on how you testify?

No.

No one from the Trump Organization has told you how to testify?

No.

No further questions and no follow-ups from the prosecution.

Trump lawyer Todd Blanche asks for a sidebar.

The celebrities dragged into Trump’s hush money trial

20:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A string of famous names have been dragged into Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial, after four days of testimony from the former publisher of the supermarket tabloid The National Enquirer.

David Pecker became the first witness to take the stand in the former president’s New York hush money trial this week, laying out a so-called “catch-and-kill” scheme at the centre of the case.

Joe Sommerlad has the story...

The celebrities dragged into Trump’s hush money trial

20:14 , Alex Woodward

Graff agrees with Necheles that Trump “was actively involved” with The Apprentice, and that part of her job duties was to work with the show's producers.

“He was very hands-on, yes. … At the time it was probably the most popular TV show,” she says.

The series elevated him to “a whole other platform from being a businessman to … rock star status.”

Graff says she has some memory of Trump saying he thought Stormy might be a “good contestant” on the show.

“I can't remember a specific incident when I heard it. It was part of the office chatter.”

20:13 , Alex Woodward

Susan Necheles is now cross-examining Graff.

What was it like working for Trump?

I never had to do the same day twice. It was a very stimulating, exciting ... place to be.

Was he a good boss?

“I think he was fair, and what’s the word I’m looking for ... Respectful to me.”

Did he respect your intelligence?

“I don’t think I would have been there 34 years if he didn’t.”

What was a typical day?

“There was no typical day. I would usually get there early in the morning … see what was on the calendar and see what was happening … Those kinds of things.”

20:11 , Alex Woodward

After establishing the Trump Organization protocols for keeping and maintaining contact information and managing email communications, Hoffinger gets down to more pertinent questions.

We see an entry for Karen McDougal's contact information (including a Yahoo email account).

And another for Stormy Daniels, which includes her phone number. The name is simply "Stormy."

Graff has a "vague recollection" of seeing Stormy Daniels in the reception area at Trump Tower.

She knew she was an adult film actress.

We see a few appointment calendar entries for Jan 17 and Jan 18 2017, a few days before Trump was inaugurated.

He had an interview with Ainsley Erhardt, a couple of teleprompter practice sessions, and a meeting with “Mike Allen - per Hope” for a photo shoot with The Washington Post in the lobby area of the 25th floor.

He also had his "Wheels Up" time at LGA on Jan 19, one day before the inauguration.

...and that’s it for the prosecution.

New witness: Rhona Graff

19:46 , Oliver O'Connell

Rhona Graff is Donald Trump’s former long-time executive assistant, dubbed his “gatekeeper”.

She's on the stand wearing a black t-shirt and black cardigan with a large turquoise amulet.

Prosecution attorney Susan Hoffinger is up to begin questioning Graff.

She spent 37 years at the Trump Organization, first as an executive assistant all the way up to senior vice president.

Mr Trump was her boss.

Trump’s attorneys try to pick holes in David Pecker’s ‘catch and kill’ testimony

19:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward reports from the courthouse:

Donald Trump’s defence attorneys have tried to undermine trial testimony from one of the alleged architects of a scheme to buy up politically damaging stories to boost Mr Trump’s 2016 election chances.

Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, the first witness in the historic trial in a Manhattan courtroom, answered a barrage of “yes” or “no” questions from Mr Trump’s lawyer Emil Bove on Thursday and Friday, hoping to poke holes in his week-long testimony that the former president and his then-attorney Michael Cohen conspired with him to influence the election.

At one point on Friday, Mr Bove tried to get Mr Pecker to admit that he either lied on the witness stand or to federal law enforcement about Mr Trump “thanking” him for his help burying stories of Mr Trump’s alleged affairs.

Continue reading...

Trump’s attorneys try to pick holes in David Pecker’s ‘catch and kill’ testimony

19:44 , Alex Woodward

Bove mentions the anthrax incident at the AMI office in Florida, and how Pecker testified that Trump was one of the first people to reach out.

“Trump was one of the first people to reach out to see if you’re OK,” Bove says.

“You know he cares about people. ... He cares about his family. ... And you know that, right?” Bove says. “The types of stories you’re talking about today and in 2016 were things that were stressful.”

Pecker agrees.

Bove has no further questions and Pecker can step down.