Testimony started w/a bang last week as David #Pecker, the fmr publisher of The #NationalEnquirer, said that he had entered into a secret plot w/ #Trump & #MichaelCohen to #CatchAndKill negative stories about Trump as he ran for president in 2016. #GaryFarro, the 3rd to testify, started off w/dry details about banking transactions. But #Farro is leading us to the #HushMoney payment
#GaryFarro is testifying about LLCs & know-your-client forms. The prosecutor questioning him has asked him to spell out what LLCs are. Know-your-client forms are used by banks to verify who a client is.
“Everything was urgent w/ #MichaelCohen,” Gary Farro testifies about Cohen’s interest in opening his acct quickly. Cohen used the account to make the hush-money payment to #StormyDaniels.
He says Cohen did not make it clear that it would be used to pay a porn star.
#Blanche is trying to cast some doubt on #GaryFarro’s testimony & use him to criticize #MichaelCohen. He asks Farro to say again that Cohen was a “difficult client.” Farro agrees that he was.
Blanche is also trying to separate Cohen's actions from #Trump's, arguing that the account was never established as related to Trump. Basically it’s defense's entire argument: that Cohen was acting on his own.
After briefly consulting w/ his defense team & leaning down to whisper to #Trump, Todd #Blanche asked #GaryFarro directly if he ever had any communications w/ #MichaelCohen about Trump & if he ever spoke w/Trump himself. Farro said no.
Blanche has finished his cross-examination of Gary Farro, & Rebecca Mangold, a prosecutor, has returned for re-direct questioning.
Rebecca #Mangold will question Farro for prosecution. She’s been on the team several yrs, & typically sits w/Chris #Conroy, another prosecutor, behind the main table.
#GaryFarro says that he was thought of as someone who was good at working w/ “individuals who may be a little challenging,” though he says he didn’t find #MichaelCohen “difficult.” He also comments on Cohen’s apparent excitement to be working for #Trump.
Cohen set up the account in Oct 2016 & funded it from his home equity line of credit. About 2 wks before the 2016 election, he wired the payment to #KeithDavidson, a lawyer for #StormyDaniels.
Acc/to NBC, the email, from Oct 26, 2016, had the subj line, “First Republic Bank Transfer” & confirmed that “the funds have been deposited into your checking account.”
#Mangold questions #GaryFarro slowly & deliberately. Farro says #MichaelCohen was eager to connect & wanted to open a LLC immediately. Farro opened an account for him & specified that Cohen didn't want addresses on the checks.
The #Trump team already told the #jurors that Cohen is a liar who is out to get revenge. But the witnesses depict him as an anxious man, who would do anything for the boss.
“Every time Michael Cohen spoke to me, he gave me a sense of urgency," Farro testifies.