Key Insights from Day 8 of the Donald Trump Hush Money Trial

Jurors have a three-day weekend to reflect on the testimony they heard during the first full week of the Donald Trump hush money trial. David Pecker, the former American Media Inc. chief, concluded more than 10 hours of testimony across four days. He detailed how he assisted Trump in silencing negative stories and attacking his opponents in the National Enquirer during the 2016 campaign.

The debate about Pecker's account paved the way for future disputes when key witnesses like adult film star Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen, Trump's ex-lawyer, testify.

Later on Friday, prosecutors summoned Rhona Graff, who served as Trump's assistant at the Trump Organization for over 30 years.

After she quickly stepped down from the stand, the next witness was a banker for Cohen. This indicated that the trial was shifting towards focusing on the documents central to the charges against Trump.

Here are the main points from Friday:

The jury is presented with a paper trail that tells a compelling story. The case against Trump involves a tabloid publisher covering up scandalous affairs for a businessman-turned-politician and a hush money scheme arranged by a lawyer who has since been disbarred.

But Trump is facing 34 counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors have cautioned that this trial will be primarily focused on documents and may be quite routine.

On Friday afternoon, prosecutors brought in a banker from First Republic Bank to testify as their third witness.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

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Jurors were shown evidence of a shell company and bank account set up by Michael Cohen in Delaware. This account was intended to pay AMI for the rights to Karen McDougal's story, but the transaction never happened. The banker testified that the account was never funded.

Banker Gary Farro revealed that Cohen initially planned to open an account for one company in October 2016, but later changed his mind and opened one for Essential Consultants. This company was used to pay Daniels in a hush money scheme to keep quiet about her alleged affair with Trump (which Trump denies).

The court will not be in session on Monday, but Farro will continue his testimony next Tuesday when the trial resumes. He is expected to guide the jury through the paperwork related to a home equity line of credit that Cohen used on his personal property to make the payment to Daniels.

During Pecker's four days of testimony, two different stories were presented to the jury. Prosecutors questioned the AMI chief about a 2015 deal with Trump, highlighting how it made Pecker a key informant for the campaign and involved purchasing negative stories about Trump for large amounts of money.

On Pecker's last day on the stand, Trump's lawyers tried to challenge his testimony by pointing out alleged inconsistencies. They questioned him about differences in his previous interviews with prosecutors and disputed his claim that AMI confessed to breaking campaign finance laws.

During the cross-examination, Trump's attorney Emil Bove repeatedly asked Pecker if he had made any mistakes in his testimony.

Bove consistently pointed out discrepancies in Pecker's statements regarding the $150,000 payment made by AMI to McDougal. In one instance, FBI notes from a 2018 interview showed that Pecker claimed Trump did not thank him or AMI during a meeting at Trump Tower on January 6, 2017. However, Pecker had testified earlier that week that Trump had thanked him for handling the McDougal and doorman stories during the campaign.

Pecker disputed the FBI notes but did acknowledge there was inconstancy between his current testimony and the FBI notes.

Prosecutors try to re-establish Pecker’s credibility

Prosecutors responded during redirect to reaffirm Pecker's credibility, highlighting the consistency in his answers and the acknowledgment by AMI of campaign finance violations.

During the redirect by assistant district attorney Joshua Steinglass, the prosecutor referred to another FBI interview from 2018, conducted a week after the one mentioned by Bove. In this interview, Pecker confirmed that Trump had expressed gratitude to him during the 2017 Trump Tower meeting. Pecker stated that this aligned with his previous testimony.

Bove disagreed with Pecker’s claim that AMI confessed to breaking campaign finance laws. He urged Pecker to clarify that AMI did not admit to any violations. However, Steinglass countered by getting Pecker to confirm that AMI did acknowledge breaking federal campaign election laws in connection with the Karen McDougal payment.

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The point was a small one in the grand scheme of Pecker’s testimony related to the case, but the fight was really about Pecker’s credibility as a witness.

This is crucial for the prosecution's case as he plays a significant role in connecting the dots of the hush money scheme and will support Cohen's testimony.

Trump flashes a grin at his loyal assistant.

Rhona Graff, Trump's longtime assistant, testified for less than an hour. She spent 34 years managing Trump's contacts and calendar at Trump Tower. Graff showed the jury contact entries in the Trump Org. system for Daniels and McDougal, mentioning that she input them for Trump.

In the Trump Org contact file, Daniels' contact was saved as "Stormy" with just a cell phone number. McDougal's entry had a phone number, email address, and two addresses.

Graff mentioned seeing Daniels at Trump Tower during her testimony. Trump's attorney, Susan Necheles, later clarified that Daniels may have been there to discuss "Celebrity Apprentice."

Graff mentioned that she vaguely remembered him mentioning that she thought she could be a good contestant on the show.

On Friday, Trump smiled in response to Graff's testimony about her previous boss.

“I never had the same day twice in all that time,” she said. “It was a very stimulating, exciting, fascinating place to be.”

Defense tries to humanize Trump

Pecker and Trump have been friends since the 1980s, according to the former AMI chief's testimony. Pecker had only positive things to say about Trump, calling him a mentor and expressing no hard feelings, despite not having spoken to him in years.

When asked by Bove if he believed Trump cares about his family, Pecker responded, "Of course I do."

Graff no longer works for Trump, but she had a positive experience at the Trump Organization and enjoyed having him as a boss. When asked if Trump respected her intelligence, Graff replied, "I wouldn't have stayed for 34 years if he didn't." Trump laughed and smiled in response.

CNN’s Alayna Treene reports on the political impact Trump’s trials are having on his campaign.

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The prosecution's first two witnesses in the case served as a reminder to Trump that the trial will involve a series of witnesses from his past before becoming president in 2016. This includes former employees of the Trump Organization and former White House aides like Hope Hicks.

Some people, such as Graff and Pecker, still have positive things to say about Trump.

On the other hand, upcoming witnesses like Cohen and Daniels will have a more negative view of the defendant, especially Cohen who has been publicly criticizing Trump on social media before and during the trial.

Editor's P/S:

The hush money trial of Donald Trump has entered its second week, with former American Media Inc. chief David Pecker completing his testimony after four days on the stand. Pecker detailed how he assisted Trump in silencing negative stories and attacking his opponents during the 2016 campaign, providing a glimpse into the