Bank executive testifies as Trump Hush money trial resumes
The continuation of the landmark criminal trial involving former President Donald Trump resumes this Tuesday, featuring the testimony of a former bank executive involved in facilitating hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
Trump, the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges, finds his campaign activities curtailed by the demands of his court appearance, occurring less than seven months before a likely electoral rematch with President Joe Biden.
The charges against Trump allege the falsification of business records to reimburse his then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, for the $130,000 routed to Daniels mere days before the 2016 presidential election against Hillary Clinton. Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, had threatened to disclose an alleged 2006 sexual encounter with Trump, potentially impacting his electoral prospects.
Trump vehemently denies the allegations of a sexual encounter with Daniels, frequently denouncing his indictment as a politically motivated “witch hunt” orchestrated by Democrats to derail his ambitions of reclaiming the White House in November. Gary Farro, a former senior managing director of the now-defunct First Republic Bank, took the stand before the trial recessed last Friday, shedding light on the financial transactions linked to the case.
Michael Cohen, often referred to as Trump’s “fixer,” orchestrated the transfer of funds to Daniels through an account at First Republic Bank under the guise of a company named Essential Consultants. Both Cohen and Daniels are expected to be pivotal witnesses for the prosecution during the trial, with Trump himself expressing his intention to testify, although whether his legal team will proceed with this plan remains uncertain.
Additionally, Presiding Judge Juan Merchan is set to convene a hearing on Thursday to address allegations that Trump violated the terms of a gag order by publicly impugning witnesses, jurors, and court personnel. Prosecutors seek penalties for what they contend are multiple breaches of the gag order by Trump, proposing a fine of $1,000 per violation.
The trial’s initial phase featured testimony from David Pecker, a former tabloid publisher, who detailed a practice known as “catch and kill,” wherein unflattering stories about Trump were purchased and then suppressed to safeguard his public image during his presidential campaign. Although Pecker was not directly involved in the payment to Daniels, his testimony underscored the prevalence of such tactics orchestrated by Trump and Cohen.
The proceedings, overseen by a jury of twelve individuals with six alternates, are anticipated to span between six to eight weeks. In addition to the New York trial, Trump faces separate indictments in Washington, Georgia, and Florida on charges ranging from attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results to mishandling classified information post-presidency.
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