Trump’s Hush Money Trial Resumes with Banker Testimony

As the trial for former President Donald Trump’s alleged involvement in a hush money scheme continues, Gary Farro, a banker who assisted Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen in opening accounts, is set to testify on Tuesday. One of these accounts was used by Cohen to pay off Stormy Daniels after she claimed to have had an affair with Trump during his presidential campaign in 2016. The trial has so far been focused on establishing the illegality of this scheme and how it allegedly influenced the election, as prosecutors detail the inner workings of “catch-and-kill” practices at tabloid publications like the National Enquirer. Trump’s former executive assistant also testified that she remembered seeing Daniels in the reception area of Trump Tower but couldn’t recall when this occurred. The indictment against Trump accuses him and his allies of making payments to two women, including McDougal, who made claims about past affairs with the then-candidate, and concealing these actions through false entries in company records. A jury has been seated for the trial, which is expected to last six to eight weeks, during which time Trump will attend court each day despite being involved in four criminal cases altogether.