Breaking news welcome to the lead on jake tapper, right now, right this minute. I knew witness in Donald TrumpsHush Money Cover Up Trial. The prosecution just called its third witness. His name is gary pharaoh. Gary pharaoh is a banker who worked with Michael Cohen at the time that the payments were made to former playboy model, Karen Mcdougal and porn actress and director Stormy Daniels, both of whom alleged romantic entanglements of sorts with mr. Donald trump. This comes after rona graph was called as the second witness in the trial. Rona graph, shes on the screen right there. Shes a longtime trump assistance. She worked for trump since he hired her in 1987 after she cold calls to Trump Organization were on a graph, testified id two contacts you maintained at the Trump Organization were for Karen McdougalStormy Daniels run a graph was on the stand for less than half an hour earlier today, trumps attorneys crossexamined david pecker, the former Tabloid Magnate and longtime friend of donald trump. Lets dive into all of this with my panel. So jamie put rona graph into context for us a lot of people who know trump world were excited about this testimony. She was a Vice President for the firm. She was a very important player in his world she testified today very testified very briefly. Right. So loyal trustee, gatekeeper for those of us going back, who wanted to interview donald trump. Thats who you call she was she knew everything was going on back when he was like a real estate tycoon and thats it back in the ice age. That was hey, you know, you want but she also her her desk was right outside his office. She was within earshot and she she is the inner circle of the inner circle. She placed the calls. She made the schedules, she knew is traveling arrangements. Politico had a headline on a profile of her and it was neat to reach trump call rona. So she knew everything that was going on into someone who was brought in to worked for norma, actually, his other negative assistant who trump has this saying with his executive assistant, his dad was the same way and theyre deeply attached and someone who really knows everything does everything for him rona was that person. And even when he went into the white house, jake, she was someone who still had that direct line. His old context would still reach out to rona to get her to get a message to him. She even trained the former white the white house lets employee who went on to sit outside the oval office and then occupied that role. Madeline western out and obviously, she was only on the stand briefly, but she was there to get some records into the record and basically to say Stormy Daniels was seen outside of Trumps Office on the 26th floor of trump tower, and that Karen Mcdougal and Stormy Daniels is Contact Numbers were in his contacts. Interesting. So lets talk talk about the guy on the Witness Stand right now. His name is gary pharaoh hes a former Senior Managing Director at First Republic bank. He was just asked about the issue of what does kyc stand for . He says it means know your customer, be sure they are who they say they are. An emails right now being shown to the jury what is the significance of gary pharaoh . Why is he testifying . I mean, obviously its still underway, but appears hes essentially cohens banker. If i sort of understand what so what would that mean that hes going to testify as to the payments . The payments the shell company, the mechanics of the payments, right . Obviously, weve all been focused on largely are many of us have been focused its done sort of the more salacious elements of this upper arm or interesting, they are more interesting, but the crime actually has to do with all of this somewhat banal Record Keeping stuff so this is a case where i think were going to actually see quite a few somewhat dull witnesses producing things like documents, ledgers invoices, things like that, just have to come im into evidence to complete this case, which is which is not meant as a bust on gary pharaoh. He might be a very fascinating di, but its testimony itself is just about Record Keeping. An interesting name again to carry, fair. I got the greatest names of witnesses, Pharaoh Packer graph. Anyway im walking away from yes but one thing to just point out, theres a couple of tactics at play here. One is if youre a prosecutor, i used to do some multiweek cases where youd have good witnesses and bad witnesses mixed in. You liked the idea of leaving them with something solid, unchallenged, good at the end of the week. So it may be that these are basically glorified records, custodian so basically introducing some paperwork for the jury to look at at for 30 before they go home and go oh, there were checks. Or there were meetings where there were contexts. Its also smart for the defense at this point to keep it dull, to basically not spend any time crossexamining people where you have no real reason to gain anything because theyre not establishing Criminal Nauta or theyre not establishing controversial points. So let them go continue to focus on cohen and wait for that moment well, let me just say so. The email that was just shown that now theyre discussing its from Gary Pharaohs assistant and him that Michael Cohen, his clients at the time called on october 11, when 2016 . Yeah. Im sure well find out why that matters im sure there are no cameras in the courtrooms. No, no, i can do interesting, but i just want to like yes, their records, folks, but i dont think we should lose sight of the significance of what graph actually put in to evidence will come back to graph in a second. But gary fair received another female two days later. Please return Michael Cohens call when you are available today regarding an important matters. This is why this matters is because he is trying to arrange the payment to Stormy Daniels, which is what all of this is about. Michael cohen. From Michael Cohen, maybe its not as salacious, but this is actually what the trial and the crime itself. It is Michael Cohen was contacting this bank because he theyd been having this discussion about ami and david pecker is the firewood owned the National Enquirer . Yes. Theyve been having the discussion on them making the payment to Stormy Daniels and essentially david pecker or didnt want anything to do it. He did not want to be in cahoots with a porn star making this payment to her. And it came to this point where Michael Cohen was trying to reach trump. He was under pressure to do this and finally said, im just going to do it myself and drew down a Home Equity Line thats why this exchange happening right now pharaoh received another email two days later, please return Michael Cohens call when you are available today regarding an important merit, a Matter Pharaoh calls cohen who told him he wanted to open a new llc account. Cohen said the account was for capital real estate. Pharaoh says, let me bring in some other attorneys we have with us today to discuss criminal Defense Attorney bill brennan, Trial Attorney misty marris, and manhattan criminal Defense Attorney stacey schneider. Stacey was also a former contestant on the apprentice and knows the judge, as well as a district attorney, alvin bragg, as well as mr. Trump. Obviously, from her time on the apprentice. Lets start with you. Bill brennan because right now this testimony from gary pharaoh who worked for Michael Cohen is looks like its leading up towards evidence of this llc corporation, which some might call a Shell Corporation to hide the payment that he made to Stormy Daniels on trumps behest that is the allegation anyway, mr. Brennan hello, jake and i agree with the former prosecutors said, you know, you may want to end the week on especially i think theyre not in session monday, if im correct about that, thats right. Threeday weekend. And on innocuous testimony, especially following up the 34 yearold had a 34 year employee. The administrative assistants, who apparently spoken glowing terms of the defendant, said he was respectful, he was wonderful to work for. I dont think you want the jury, if youre the prosecutor Von Prosecuting his case . Left with that the mall over for three days, plus you need this type of kind of boilerplate innocuous testimony to corroborate the later allegations of cohen and the paper will go in, so its not going to always be as salacious is pecker was and you have to fill in with these fill in the blanks witnesses stacy, tell us about rona graph. Do you know her at all . Have you encountered her at all . What is your experience with her . She obviously it was trumps longtime assistant who testified for about half an hour earlier today yes. Rona is the loveliest woman on the planet. When i was on the show. If the we wanted to stay in touch with donald trump after the show, the person we were told to contact is rona she was indeed his gatekeeper she had an amazing relationship with donald trump. I always wondered how she worked for such a difficult boss. She was always pleasant and i think this was very helpful after david peckers testimony, which was really damaging for donald trump about all this alleged nefarious conduct to have somebody soften him, like rona hu still whose cared about him. All these years. I understood i wasnt in the courtroom, but after she got up and left to leave the testimony, i think donald trump stood up and touched her hand, and thats a big difference from what his behavior during Jury Selection when the jurors were entering the room, he didnt even stand up for them, but he stood up for rona today. So mr. Do you marris, let me tell you some of the stuff going on in the courtroom right now. In an october 13, 2016 email. And again, the significance of october 2016, a right before the president ial election. B, this is during the hotbed of activity about making sure that Stormy Daniels story or allegation does not get out there october 13th email Michael CohenNeed Out Open for Michael Cohen. This is from gary pharaoh, need account open from Michael Cohen. Immediately he wants no address on the checks. He also notes that an llc not having an address is not unusual. Pharaoh says that cohen call to set up an count for Resolution Consultants llc i loved the fact that in any anytime theres any story about allegations of misdeeds, the llc always has the most boring, innocuous name and thats one for the history books Resolution Consultants, llc. Im all are already falling asleep, but ive been obviously it was anything but boring. What was going on misty, right. Certainly seeking a resolution. Right. So theres a couple of really important points here. Number one, jake, you nailed it. The timing. Remember this is all part of the prosecutions narrative that this is right around the time the access Hollywood Tape has become public, trump team is in panic mode to get rid of his Stormy Daniels story. So thats all going to speak to some of the elements that tie this payment directly to the election. Now the other pieces, every single document and communication transaction relating to this payment is obviously a key and critical part of the case. And to have these Shell Companies, this is all speaking to that idea of a conspiracy trying to mask these payments as something that theyre not. And remember, that is a fundamental part of the prosecutions case as far as this all being unlawful conduct because the payments themselves arent unlawful. Its that were they properly reported . Are they related to the campaign where they related to the election . So all of this testimony, while foundational authenticating documents, really, really important to the merits of the prosecutions case. Let me call on my favorite my fellow rather philadelphian, mr. Brennan and permit me a moment of geographical snobbery because delaware is being raised, the jury is seeing pages of documents that show Resolution Consultants, llc was created by Michael Cohen, has a delaware entity wed like to make fine of new jersey in philadelphia bill, maybe you can explain why delaware is always where the shady corporations are headquartered i can jake because delaware many years ago crafted laws of incorporation. Were very favorable for those who wish to incorporate. So thats why we see, i think per capita, its the out of the 50 states. Its the number one but id just like to respond to a couple of the comments that i heard. Its probably just the dna that i have being a Defense Lawyer you have to remember that the defense here is likely to be and i think weve seen a preview. Is that payments if they were made and if they were made to these individuals, ms clifford and ms mcdougal, they were paid to avoid a very embarrassing and shameful scenario that the defendant will encounter with his wife and family and that that sells to people and i think that when you look at i wasnt in court today. I just know what ive read and what ive heard from you guys, but when you think about this prosecution, they have to get it to the other crime to make the felony stick, they have to show that if these things were done, they werent to avoid personal problems. We were to affect either Campaign Finance laws or the election. And i thought i read or heard that mr. Pecker stumbled into some type of meeting in the white house. Were Director Comey and secretary pompeii or were there and the prosecution seems to be saying, well, youre in the meeting with two big officials. I mean, that doesnt make him a coconspirator that makes some forrest gump i mean, the guy stumbling around and walks into a meeting thats proof of nothing. So i dont know that peckers testimony was that damaging so far, i suspect theyll fill in the gaps or attempt to fill them in with cohen. And i suspect that well see a much more aggressive line of crossexamination with them so jurors are being shown emails right now between cohen and Pharaoh Setting up a bank account for Resolution Consultants, llc everyone stick with me. Were close to wrapping for the week in the manhattan hush money cover up for ill keep it here as we watch prosecutors try to finish out as the Court Adjourns for the weekend, threeday weekend for the jury. Were back in a moment the white house Correspondents Dinner live tomorrow at seven eastern on cnn today. Americas Beverage Companies are models might still look the same, but they can be remade in a whole new way thanks to you. 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