Trump Trial: Week 4 Starts With A Bang!

By Red Painter — May 6, 2024

Week 3 of testimony in Donald Trump's first criminal trial of 4 started with a bang! Judge Merchan took the bench and immediately ruled that Trump had violated the gag order for a 10th time (2nd ruling on this, the first one involved 9 violations). Here is a bit of what he said from the bench:

Now—

The judge finds Trump in contempt for a 10th time.

"Going forward, this court will have to consider a jail sanction."

— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) May 6, 2024

Merchan:

"The last thing that I want to do is to put you in jail," calling it a last resort.

The judge notes that Trump is a former president and possibly a future one.

— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) May 6, 2024

Merchan:

"The magnitude of such a decision is not lost on me, but at the end of the day, I have a job to do."

Trump's defiance of the gag order threatens the integrity of the proceedings and constitute "direct attack on the rule of law," he says.

— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) May 6, 2024

Now will he *actually* send Trump to jail? Who knows. Judge Merchan does not mince words and it is possible that he could send Trump to a holding cell in the courthouse for a few hours or an afternoon as a start.

Now moving on to witnesses....

Next up was Jeffrey McConney, Trump Org's former controller and Trump's civil fraud trial co-defendant. After boring groundwork talking about his background, we get to the details that matter: bookkeeping shenanigans.

McConney agrees that his and Allen Weisselberg's notes of Cohen's reimbursements were kept "in a locked drawer" of the witness's office.

The jury sees the notes — jotted on the Essential Consultants LLC account statement for First Republic Bank.

— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) May 6, 2024

Weisselberg notes begin:

"$180,000," which McConney says include the Stormy reimbursement plus RedFinch. (Other notations confirm RedFinch expense.)

"Grossed up to $360~," which McConney says is for "tax purposes."

ADD: Add'l/Bonus 60~"

— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) May 6, 2024

The notation adds the sum total to $420,000, the figure representing Cohen's total reimbursement.

Prosecutors say that was paid in monthly increments of $35,000, masked by 34 falsified business records.

— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) May 6, 2024

McConney describes the meeting where then-CFO Allen Weisselberg chucked him a paper pad and told him to take notes to figure out how to reimburse Cohen for the hush money.

Finally, we're here.

— Jose Pagliery (@Jose_Pagliery) May 6, 2024

SMOKING GUN ENTERED THE CHAT

We're seeing the white corporate notepad that says TRUMP at the top. It shows the coverup math.

This is the most damning evidence we've seen so far.

And this is what I mean when I say McConney is a teddy bear buffoon.

"I made a boo-boo."

That is an actual quote.

— Jose Pagliery (@Jose_Pagliery) May 6, 2024

END THE PHOTO EVIDENCE OF THE CALCULATIONS OF THE HUSH MONEY PAYMENTS!!!!! (BOOM EMOJI)

Just-released exhibits:

These handwritten notations by jailed ex-Trump Org CFO Allen Weisselberg could be described as a visualization of the prosecution's theory of the case.

Let's break it down. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/abTjEv9JZV

— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) May 6, 2024

And with that, we are onto cross. Here are the prongs that Trump's team is trying to prove:

Pretty clear Trump's legal team is trying to establish:

1. Weisselberg never said Trump greenlit this
2. Cohen maybe did real legal work & made himself out to be the president's "personal lawyer" in 2017
3. Cohen claimed to run PC (professional corp) that was a Trump Org vendor

— Jose Pagliery (@Jose_Pagliery) May 6, 2024

AND...LUNCH

(side note, in attendance today are Eric Trump and Alina Habba)

Oopsie poopsie mistake by Trump's lawyer:

https://xtwitter.com/AWeissmann_/status/1787524307784024470

Next witness: Deborah Tarasoff, accounts payable supervisor at the Trump Organization. She has worked there for 24 years.

Big thing she just said: checks were STAPLED to invoices, so Trump saw everything.

That Trump received the checks attached to the invoice for their signatures goes to the former president's knowledge of both sets of documents.

Tarasoff just testified that Trump could, and had, declined to sign certain checks.

When he did, he marked them: "Void," she says.

— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) May 6, 2024

More visuals for everyone! Jurors, press in the overflow room and everyone in the courtroom!

As the witness reviews payment vouchers, the evidence flashes on screens throughout the courtroom.

Some monitors are at the defense and prosecution tables; some large ones hang on the side and rear walls of the courtroom for the gallery.

Also: Every juror has one.

— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) May 6, 2024

The falsification of the business records is SO obvious with all today's paper evidence. The notes about the checks were fake and they knew it. The invoices were fake and they knew it. Trump saw the check and the invoices and he signed them knowing that they were fraudulent. This is a classic white collar case. It is dry. Many of the witnesses are regular people who do not have familiar names to the public, but they know what was going on behind closed doors and who was approving what.

Cross was brief. Nothing of substance to share, really.

And that is the end of normal testimony. The DA's office does inform the court that they will be recalling the social media paralegal. They had cut her testimony short to accommodate Hope Hick's schedule. They have more Trump social media to enter into the record, apparently.

Also, the prosecutor informs the court (and Trump) that they expect to wrap up their case in 2 weeks or so. And with that, Monday is over.

See you all back here tomorrow!