In the ongoing Manhattan trial of former President Donald Trump, Jeffrey McConney, a former employee of the Trump Organization, testified on the twelfth day about a $130,000 hush money payment made to Stormy Daniels.
What Happened: McConney, who was a financial controller in the Trump Organization, detailed his interactions with Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer, and Michael Cohen, Trump's ex-fixer. McConney revealed that in 2017, Trump informed him that Cohen was owed money, which included a bonus and "other money," reported Salon
The "other money," according to McConney's testimony, was specifically for the hush payment to Daniels. Prosecutors argue that this payment was falsely recorded as "legal expenses" in business records. The payment was intended to cover the taxes that Cohen would incur by claiming the money as income.
McConney also disclosed that Trump had advised him early in his employment to negotiate for lower payments before settling Trump's bills. This revelation could potentially help prosecutors establish Trump's involvement in any scheme to misclassify payments to Cohen.
Jurors were shown an email from Weisselberg to McConney discussing the payments to Cohen, "as per agreement with Don and Eric." McConney confirmed that the money to Cohen came from Trump's personal bank account.
Why It Matters: This trial follows a series of events involving Trump and his associates. Earlier in May, it was revealed in the trial that Cohen was deeply upset for not being offered a top role in the Trump administration following the 2016 election victory.
Cohen, a central figure in the case, had been using TikTok livestreams to discuss the trial, attracting thousands of viewers and raising concerns among legal experts about his credibility as a witness.
Meanwhile, Trump was fined again on Monday by the judge in the case. Despite being fined for violating a gag order in his criminal trial, Trump appeared unphased by the ruling, stating, "Our Constitution is far more important than jail."