Former White House executive assistant Madeleine Westerhout’s testimony and a wealth of evidence concluded the fourth week of Donald Trump’s hush money trial. Michael Cohen, his former “fixer,” is anticipated to testify on Monday.
Westerhout, who had been called by the prosecution earlier in the week, returned to the stand on Friday morning. This marked the end of the fourth week of the trial.
In court on Friday, the former president’s one-time executive assistant testified that Trump was visibly distressed when the news about the alleged hush-money payments initially broke.
During cross-examination in front of New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, Trump attorney Susan Necheles asked Westerhout about his knowledge of the situation’s impact on his family. Westerhout acknowledged that he was aware of the hurt it would cause, stating that the whole situation was highly unpleasant.
Westerhout personally witnessed the unfolding of the story while being present in the White House.
During Friday’s testimony, Westerhout revealed that if Trump was at the White House, he would personally sign checks.
According to her, if he had the time at the moment you handed them to him, he would promptly sign them.
During the interview, Necheles questioned Westerhout about Trump’s habit of signing documents without reviewing them first. According to her, this would happen occasionally when he was occupied with other responsibilities.
According to her, Trump was undoubtedly a multitasker.
Westerhout also highlighted that Trump was adamant about using his genuine signature, rather than a duplicate, on any personal documents he sent to individuals.
Trump’s lawyers also had Westerhout confirm that the former president had close relationships with David Pecker, the former CEO of the parent company of the National Enquirer, and Allen Weisselberg, the former CEO of the Trump Organization. In March, Weisselberg pleaded guilty to perjury.
During the remaining part of Friday’s proceedings, the focus shifted towards the presentation of evidence. This included the submission of phone records, payment records between Cohen and Trump, and a series of messages exchanged between the manager of Stormy Daniels, a former adult film actress, and Pecker. These messages discussed the possibility of Daniels going public with her allegations regarding an affair with Trump.
In a recent ruling, Judge Merchan stated that an interview between Donald Trump and Larry King from 1999 regarding campaign finance laws cannot be considered as evidence. Trump’s lawyers argued that his views from 1999 are not relevant to his state of mind during the years 2016 and 2017. Therefore, the interview was deemed inadmissible in court.
Cohen’s cellphone has been submitted as evidence in preparation for his testimony on Monday.
During the proceedings, Todd Blanche, attorney for Trump, urged Merchan to impose a gag order on Cohen. This request came after Cohen posted a TikTok video where he can be seen wearing a white T-shirt featuring a picture of Trump behind bars.
According to Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass, witnesses have been repeatedly instructed not to discuss the case, although the prosecution has no control over their actions.
Prosecutors were instructed by Merchan to inform Cohen once more about refraining from making additional statements about the trial. It was emphasized that this directive was coming directly from the bench.
Trump allegedly falsified business records in an attempt to conceal payments made to his personal attorney, Michael Cohen, as compensation for the hush-money given to Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, the former adult film actress.
During the trial, Deborah Tarasoff, a former executive of the Trump Organization, testified in an attempt to distance herself from the allegations that she was involved in preparing 12 checks signed by Trump. Each check had a value of $35,000 and was allegedly sent to Michael Cohen in 2017 as reimbursement for payments made to Stormy Daniels. An additional $130,000 was also earmarked for Daniels, who had already testified earlier in the trial.
On Friday, Trump expressed his strong disapproval of the trial, denouncing it as a disgraceful and tremendous abuse of the New York judicial system.
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