{"id":2238924,"date":"2024-05-07T07:04:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-07T11:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-trial-witness-testifies-weisselberg-was-mastermind-behind-cohen-payments\/"},"modified":"2024-05-07T07:07:09","modified_gmt":"2024-05-07T11:07:09","slug":"trump-trial-witness-testifies-weisselberg-was-mastermind-behind-cohen-payments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-trial-witness-testifies-weisselberg-was-mastermind-behind-cohen-payments\/","title":{"rendered":"Testimony in Trump trial points to Weisselberg as architect of Cohen payments"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-trial-witness-testifies-weisselberg-was-mastermind-behind-cohen-payments%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2238924&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A former Trump Organization executive testified in New York about payments to Michael Cohen in 2017. The ex-CFO, \u200dAllen Weisselberg, was implicated in orchestrating the payment scheme.\u200c The trial focused on documenting the reimbursement process for Cohen&#8217;s payment to Stormy Daniels, connecting it to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-three-indictments-trump-is-facing\/\" title=\"Trump is facing three indictments. Here's what you need to know.\">alleged election\u200c interference<\/a>. Prosecutors outlined\u200c the payment structure\u200c involving Trump, Cohen, and\u2063 Weisselberg. Defense \u2062emphasized legalities of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/if-big-tech-isnt-regulated-before-2024-the-election-will-be-rigged-again\/\" title=\"If Big Tech Isn\u2019t Regulated Before 2024, The Election Will Be Rigged Again\">suppressing negative stories<\/a> during elections.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A former Trump Organization executive testified on Monday in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/new-york\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"New York\">New York<\/a> about a series of payments he approved to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/michael-cohen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Michael Cohen<\/a> in 2017, saying the Trump Organization\u2019s former CFO was responsible for setting up the payment arrangement.<\/p>\n<p>Jeffrey McConney, the Trump Organization\u2019s former controller, said on the witness stand that then-CFO Allen Weisselberg approached him in January 2017 about a plan to reimburse Cohen after Cohen paid porn star Stormy Daniels\u2019s lawyer $130,000 to silence her days ahead of the 2016 election.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAllen Weisselberg said we had to get some money to Michael. We had to reimburse Michael. He tossed a pad toward me, and I started taking notes on what he said,\u201d McConney said of a Jan. 27, 2017, meeting, according to CNN\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/politics\/live-news\/trump-hush-money-trial-05-06-24\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reports<\/a> from the courtroom.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors submitted evidence of an account statement of Cohen\u2019s payment to Daniels, which he made by taking out a loan under false pretenses. The statement contained handwritten notes by Weisselberg explaining how Trump would reimburse Cohen the $130,000 amount, plus pay him a bonus and technology services. The amount would also be \u201cgrossed up\u201d to account for taxes.<\/p>\n<p>The trial day centered on accounting topics and lacked the drama of past days in court that featured higher-profile witnesses, but it was crucial for prosecutors in terms of documentation. The monotonous paper trail they presented allowed them to introduce to jurors the payments that are at the heart of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg\u2019s claims.<\/p>\n<p>Bragg, an elected Democrat, has alleged that Trump falsified business records to hide Cohen\u2019s payment to Daniels as part of a conspiracy to influence the 2016 election. Bragg has tied the alleged bookkeeping falsifications, which would normally be misdemeanors, to an alleged election interference conspiracy to elevate the charges against Trump to felonies. He has argued that the money was used to silence Daniels, who would have otherwise publicly alleged right before the election that she once had a sexual encounter with Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Defense attorneys have noted that suppressing unflattering stories, even during an election, is not illegal. <\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors laid out on Monday how Trump paid Cohen a reimbursement through 12 $35,000 payments, though they struggled to demonstrate that Trump had detailed knowledge about the structure of the payment plan, which Weisselberg crafted.<\/p>\n<p>The first two payments were combined into one check and originated from Trump\u2019s revocable trust. McConney said that at the instruction of Weisselberg, McConney ordered an accountant to label the payment as a \u201cretainer\u201d for Cohen. Prosecutors have said no documentation of such a retainer exists.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Donald Trump defense attorney Emil Bove cross-examines former Trump organization employee Jeffrey McConney while Trump, far left, watches in Manhattan criminal court, Monday, May 6, 2024, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The subsequent 10 payments were made monthly to Cohen in the form of checks that came from Trump\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dark-money-free-speech-addressed-by-h-r-1\/\" title=\"Dark money, free speech addressed by H.R.1?\">personal bank account<\/a> and were signed by Trump.<\/p>\n<p>McConney directed an accountant to categorize the payments as \u201clegal expenses\u201d on a ledger \u201cbecause we were paying a lawyer,\u201d he testified.<\/p>\n<p>Another witness, the Trump Organization\u2019s longtime accounts payable supervisor Deborah Tarasoff, testified that Trump was in tune with his company\u2019s finances, a claim that could help prosecutors attempt to incriminate Trump for the payments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe had his hands in everything,\u201d Tarasoff said, noting that Trump also talked regularly with Weisselberg.<\/p>\n<p>Defense attorneys questioned Tarasoff about Trump\u2019s schedule and were able to highlight that the former president was so busy at the start of his presidency that minutia surrounding the payment arrangement to Cohen might not have been on Trump\u2019s radar.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n<p>Weisselberg, for his part, is currently serving out a five-month prison sentence at Rikers Island for committing perjury while testifying during Trump\u2019s civil fraud trial. Weisselberg previously pleaded guilty to tax fraud and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/are-the-charges-brought-against-the-trump-organizations-cfo-part-of-a-witch-hunt-experts-weigh-in\/\" title=\"Are The Charges Brought Against The Trump Organization\u2019s CFO Part Of A Witch Hunt? Experts Weigh In\">falsifying business records<\/a> as part of a plea deal with Bragg last year.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors indicated Monday that they needed roughly two more weeks to make their case before the trial turns to Trump\u2019s attorneys to present their defense.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In New York, a former Trump Organization executive testified on Monday about payments to Michael Cohen in 2017, attributing the arrangement to ex-CFO Allen Weisselberg. Jeffrey McConney, the former controller, revealed Weisselberg&#8217;s involvement during his witness testimony<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":2238925,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP24032778554026-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2238924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP24032778554026-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2238924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2238924"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2238924\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2238925"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2238924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2238924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2238924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}