Highlights from day 10 of the Trump hush money trial

Leaving court for the day, Trump said he's "very happy about the way things are going." But he declined to opine on the testimony that took much of the day from Stormy Daniels' former attorney Keith Davidson.

Asked by a reporter about Davidson's testimony, Trump said he'd love to answer, but cited a gag order that bars him from speaking about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to the trial.

He complained that the judge "has me under an unconstitutional gag order," which Trump is appealing.

"Other people are allowed to do whatever they want to us, and I'm not allowed, as a presidential candidate," Trump said.

An early-ish weekend for jurors

Before adjourning for the day Thursday, Judge Merchan announced that court will end at 3:45 p.m. Friday — about 45 minutes earlier than normal — because a juror has an important appointment in the late afternoon.

Jurors hear recording of Michael Cohen briefing Trump on plan to buy Karen McDougal's story

The panel members just got their first chance to hear the recording that Cohen secretly made in September 2016.

Jurors appeared riveted as they listened to the recording, which was made public in July 2018. Some stared down at monitors in front of them in the jury box, following along with a transcript shown on them.

A visibly irritated Trump leaned forward at the defense table, gazing at a transcript on a monitor in front him as he listened to the recording. Occasionally he turned to his left and said something to his lawyer Todd Blanche.

On the recording, made by Cohen using his iPhone's Voice Memo app, the ex-lawyer is heard telling Trump: "I need to open up a company for the transfer of all of that info regarding our friend, David," a reference to then-National Enquirer publisher David Pecker. "I'm going to do that right away."

Cohen then says he's spoken to then-Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg about "how to set the whole thing up with funding." Trump then says: "What do we got to pay for this? One-fifty?"

A few moments later, Trump asks "what financing?" Cohen responds, "We'll have to pay him something." Trump says: "We'll pay with cash." Cohen objects, saying: "No, no, no, no, no." Trump then says, "Check," before the recording cuts off.

Prosecutors played the recording while questioning a DA's office forensic analyst, Douglas Daus, who extracted and studied data from two iPhones Cohen provided to investigators.

Cohen had nearly 40,000 contacts on his phone, analyst says

Daus testified there were an eye-popping 39,745 contacts stored in Cohen's phone.

"That is unusual. I have not seen that many contacts on a phone," Daus told jurors, adding that he typically sees hundreds "maybe thousands" when analyzing cellphones.

Among the examples shown in court: Multiple pages worth of entries for Trump, ex-National Enquirer publisher David Pecker and the Trump Organization's former longtime finance chief, Allen Weisselberg.

Daus also looked at photographs stored on Cohen's cellphones, including one shown in court of the ex-Trump lawyer posing at the lectern in the White House press briefing room in February 2017.

The analyst said he's never met Cohen. But asked by prosecutor Christopher Conroy how he knows that's him, Daus deadpanned: "I watch a lot of news."

The next witness: A forensic analyst

After Davidson's testimony concluded, prosecutors called Douglas Daus to the witness stand.

Daus is a forensic analyst from the Manhattan district attorney's office who performed analyses on two iPhones former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen turned over to authorities during the investigation.

Davidson's testimony has concluded

Davidson finished testifying after a few more questions from Bove during a portion of his testimony known as re-cross.

The defense lawyer focused again on portions of audio recordings of conversations Davidson had with Cohen in 2018, playing them aloud for the jury. The same clips had previously been played only for Davidson and the parties, but not the jury.

Bove used the recordings to amplify his contention that, contrary to Davidson's testimony, Daniels had attempted to leverage Trump's election to maximize her payday. In one of the clips, Davidson could be heard saying he recalled hearing Daniels screaming at him during the 2016 negotiations and telling him to settle as soon as possible because she feared she'd lose leverage if Trump lost.

An audio recording of Cohen and Davidson is played aloud in court

In the recording, Cohen could be heard telling Davidson about a conversation he'd had — with a person the witness said he believed to be Trump.

"I can't even tell you how many times he said to me, 'You know, I hate the fact that we did it.' And my comment to him was, 'But every person that you've spoken to told you it was the right move,'" Cohen said in the recording.

Davidson testified that he understood the comments were referring to Trump's regret about the settlement with Daniels.

Elsewhere in the audio, Cohen can be heard fretting about his position within the Trump's orbit, telling Davidson: "Nobody's thinking about Michael."

"I mean, would you write a book? Would you break away from the entire, we'll call it, Trump doctrine?" Cohen asked. "Would you go completely rogue?"

The scene during the break

Trump stood behind the defense table and chatted with adviser Boris Epshteyn during a brief afternoon break following the end of Davidson's cross-examination.

Epshteyn stood at the rail separating the gallery from the area where the parties and lawyers sit. As they were talking, District Attorney Alvin Bragg entered the courtroom, passing behind Epshteyn and catching a look from Trump, before making his way to a seat on the other side of the gallery.

Prosecutor returns for re-direct

After a short break, Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass started a new round of questions for Davidson during a phase of his testimony known as re-direct. That's common in trials. Bove will have a chance to then ask more questions.

Cross-examination of Davidson concludes

Bove concluded his cross-examination by focusing Davidson's attention on what's not known about the Stormy Daniels agreement — namely what happened with it once it was sent to Cohen and whether Trump ever signed it.

The document referred to Trump by a pseudonym, David Dennison, and had a spot on the signature page for "DD." But the version Davidson had, which was used as evidence at the trial, doesn't show any signature in that space.

Bove also focused on what he said was the common use of pseudonyms in such deals. Aside from referring to Trump as David Dennison, the document listed Daniels as Peggy Peterson.

"It's common. You even used it with Hulk Hogan. Correct?" Bove asked Davidson. After a pause and some prodding, Davidson responded: "I believe so."

Davidson listens back to 2018 call taped by Michael Cohen

After Davidson was unable to recall the details of certain conversations from years ago, Bove tried a new tactic: confronting him with audio recordings of things he's said in the past.

As he sat on the witness stand, Davidson listened, through headphones, to a 2018 conversation he'd had with Cohen, in which he said Daniels was experiencing "settler's remorse" over her deal with Cohen.

Bove said the remarks suggested Daniels was seeking to "create leverage over Donald Trump," which Davidson disputed. He noted the conversation happened years after the settlement, as Daniels was weighing an offer of $1 million to get out of the agreement.

Though the recording was made surreptitiously by Cohen, Davidson said he had previously suspected Cohen was taping their calls.

Davidson quizzed on his role in getting a blog post on Stormy Daniels and Trump taken down

With Davidson back on the stand for more cross-examination, Trump lawyer Emil Bove zeroed in on Davidson's role in negotiating for the gossip blog "The Dirty" to delete a story in 2011 that alleged Daniels had a sexual encounter with Trump.

Bove quizzed Davidson about possible connections between Daniels' agent and the people who made the post, and whether she had sought to have the post taken down so she could negotiate a more lucrative deal elsewhere. Davidson ended up sending a cease and desist letter to the blog to have the post taken down.

During his questioning, Bove accidentally dropped the binder full of material he'd been referencing. "That drop was catastrophic to my binder," the defense lawyer quipped as he tried to regain his bearings.

Judge declines to approve Trump's Truth Social posts in advance

Before Davidson's testimony resumed, Judge Merchan rebuffed a defense request to rule in advance on whether Trump would be in violation of his gag order by posting certain articles to his Truth Social account.

Trump lawyer Susan Necheles had asked Merchan to review the articles, written by legal scholars such as Jonathan Turley who are critical of his prosecution, and decide whether they would run afoul of a ban on commenting about people involved in the case. She argued that the gag order, issued March 26, was somewhat ambiguous and that while she thought the articles were fine to post, she wasn't sure.

But Merchan said there "is no ambiguity, I believe, in the order," citing an appeals court ruling upholding the commentary ban. The judge said he wouldn't give advanced rulings on what posts would and wouldn't violate the gag order, advising Necheles: "when in doubt, steer clear."

Trump returns to court after lunch break

After returning to the courtroom, he sat at the defense table, chatting with lawyer Todd Blanche and reviewing a stack of photographs of what appeared to be a crowd at a political rally.

Court breaks for lunch

Former President Donald Trump exits the courtroom during a break from his trial at Manhattan criminal court in New York, Thursday, May 2, 2024. (Jeenah Moon/Pool Photo via AP)

Trump waved but did not speak to reporters as he walked through the hallway after leaving the courtroom.

Cross-examination of Davidson gets tense

Bove was visibly frustrated at times while questioning Davidson, raising his voice as the hush money negotiator refused to answer certain questions about his previous work securing settlements for clients to suppress embarrassing information about other celebrities.

Bove twice sought Judge Juan M. Merchan's help to compel answers from Davidson, who said he either didn't remember the deals or isn't authorized to speak about them. The judge refused.

After Davidson invoked attorney-client privilege in response to questions about past deals, one of several times he did so, Bove shot back: "We're both lawyers. I'm not here to play lawyer games with you." Bove later suggested Davidson's memory was intentionally "fuzzy" around some of the more controversial settlements he worked on.

Bove's style stands in contrast to Trump's lead lawyer Todd Blanche, who has been more soft-spoken in his questioning and interactions with the judge.

Davidson questioned on prior attempts to broker hush money deals

Bove pressed Davidson on his understanding of extortion law, grilling him about previous instances in which he solicited money to suppress embarrassing stories, including one involving wrestler Hulk Hogan.

By the time Davidson negotiated hush-money payments for McDougal and Daniels, Bove suggested to the witness, "you were pretty well versed in coming right up to the line without committing extortion, right?"

"I had familiarized myself with the law," Davidson replied.

Davidson was previously investigated by the FBI, but not charged, after he asked Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, to pay his client $300,000 to head off the release of the wrestling star's sex tape, portions of which ended up published by Gawker.

Bove noted Davidson helped a client get paid $10,000 off the release of Lindsay Lohan's private medical files. He also had a role in brokering a sex tape involving early 2000s MTV personality Tila Tequila.

Cross-examination of Davidson begins

As he launched into the cross-examination, Trump lawyer Emil Bove elicited testimony from Davidson that he'd never had any interactions with Trump — only Cohen.

The lawyer testified that he never met Trump, nor had he ever been in the same room as him until he began testifying in court Tuesday.

Davidson said he was unfamiliar with the Trump Organization's record keeping practices — a key issue in the trial — though he did receive some emails from Cohen's company email address.

Any impressions he had of the former president came through others, the lawyer testified.

Bove appeared to be underscoring the defense's points that Trump was removed from the negotiations — that Cohen was handling the hush-money matters on his own — and that his testimony isn't relevant to the charges at hand, which allege Trump falsified business records by logging reimbursement payments to Cohen as legal fees.

Davidson says Cohen told him to stop Stormy Daniels from speaking to the media

Before the break, Steinglass wrapped his questioning of Davidson by asking about texts Cohen sent, instructing him to prevent Daniels from doing interviews.

Cohen texted at one point that the "wise men think the story is dying" so she shouldn't do any interviews, and any statements from her should come from Davidson.

Shortly after that exchange, which was shown on courtroom monitors, Daniels declined to appear on Sean Hannity's Fox News show.

In another instance, Davison issued a statement for Daniels again denying she'd had a sexual encounter with Trump, drafting it in a Hollywood hotel suite as she was getting ready to appear on TV host Jimmy Kimmel's late night show.

But Daniels then disavowed the statement on the show, noting that the signature on it didn't match her own.

This enraged Cohen, who threatened to sue Daniels "to hell" and sent other threatening messages, Davidson testified.

"He can be a very aggressive guy," he said.

Prosecution finishes questioning Keith Davidson

Trump's lawyers will get their turn on cross-examination after a short break.

Davidson defends his previous denial of hush money deal as 'technically' true

He went to great lengths on the stand to defend a January 2018 statement he penned on behalf of Stormy Daniels denying a news report that Cohen had paid $130,000 to silence her claims of a sexual encounter with Trump.

For example, the statement's claim that Daniels never had a "sexual and/or romantic affair with Donald Trump" could technically be true, Davidson contended, if you were to "hone in on the definition of romantic, sexual and affair."

"I don't think anyone has ever alleged that any interaction between she and Mr. Trump was romantic," the lawyer testified, drawing a laugh from Steinglass, the prosecutor.

Likewise, Davidson said, the denial about hush money payments could be considered factual, since the payments made to Daniels were, legally speaking, "consideration in a civil settlement."

Trump denies having a sexual encounter with Daniels.

Davidson says Cohen griped about Trump not reimbursing him for the payment to Stormy Daniels

He testified that Cohen ranted to him about Trump in a phone conversation about a month after the 2016 election, complaining the president-elect wasn't taking him to Washington D.C. and hadn't paid him back for the $130,000 payment.

"Jesus Christ, can you believe I'm not going to Washington?" Davidson recalled Cohen saying during the Dec. 9, 2016, call.

Davidson was doing some Christmas shopping at a California store that he said was bizarrely and memorably decorated in an "Alice in Wonderland"-type theme with representations of huge rabbits and a "Cat in the Hat" on the ceiling, amid other holiday decor.

"I've saved that guy's ass so many times, you don't even know," Cohen continued, according to Davidson. Using an expletive, he said Trump "isn't even paying me the $130,000 back."

McDougal's lawyer texted Enquirer editor on election night: 'What have we done?'

When it became clear on election night that Trump would be elected, Davidson texted then-National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard: "What have we done?" Howard responded: "oh my god."

Explaining the message on the witness stand Thursday, Davidson said: "This is sort of gallows humor. It was on election night as the results were coming in. There was sort of surprise among the broadcasters and others that Mr. Trump was leading in the polls and there was a growing sense that folks were about ready to call the election."

"There was an understanding that our efforts may have in some way - strike that - our activities may have in some way assisted the presidential campaign of Donald Trump," Davidson added.

Davidson talks about article that revealed McDougal's hush money deal right before election

The lawyer, who represented McDougal in the deal, testified that Cohen told him he and Trump were "very upset" when The Wall Street Journal published an article that exposed the arrangement just days before the 2016 presidential election.

"He was very upset that the article had been published," Davidson said of Cohen. "He wanted to know who the source of the article was, why someone would be the source of this type of article, he was upset by the timing. He stated his boss was very upset and he threatened to sue Karen McDougal."

The article was published on Nov. 4. Election Day was Nov. 8.

'ATTORNEY'S EYES ONLY': Jurors see Stormy Daniels agreement

As Davidson returned to the witness stand Thursday, jurors got a look at the confidential settlement agreement he negotiated on behalf of Stormy Daniels.

Under the deal dated Oct. 28, 2016, Michael Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about her claims that she had a sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier.

The document referred to Daniels and Trump by pseudonyms Peggy Peterson and David Dennison, but it also contained a side letter that identified them by name.

"It is understood and agreed that the true name and identity of the person referred to as "DAVID DENNISON" in the Settlement Agreement is Donald Trump," the document stated, with Trump's name written in by hand.

The side letter said only Davidson and Cohen were to keep copies of the document, deeming it "ATTORNEY'S EYES ONLY."

Davidson testified that was done because of the sensitive nature of the deal.

No immediate ruling on gag order violation allegations, testimony resumes

There was no immediate decision from the judge on the four alleged gag order violations.

Keith Davidson, the lawyer who negotiated hush money deals for Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, has returned to the witness stand. He started testifying on Tuesday.

Judge and defense spar over Trump's claim that the jury is '95% Democrats'

Former President Donald Trump appears at Manhattan criminal court before his trial in New York, Thursday, May 2, 2024. (Doug Mills/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

Judge Merchan grew impatient as Blanche tried to justify Trump's April 22 comments to the Real America's Voice TV network that the jury was "95% Democrats," "the area's mostly all Democrat," and, "It's a very unfair situation that I can tell you."

The judge interrupted the defense lawyer as he argued the comments were permissible because Trump believes the trial is a "political persecution" and that the location, in heavily Democratic Manhattan, put him at a distinct disadvantage.

"Did he violate the gag order?" Merchan asked, cutting to the chase.

"Absolutely, positively not," Blanche responded.

"He spoke about the jury, right?" an incredulous Merchan asked. "He said the jury was 95% Democrats and the jury had been rushed through and the implication being that this is not a fair jury."

Blanche reasoned that the comment — a few seconds from a 21-minute interview — was said as a passing reference to "the overall proceedings being unfair and political" and wasn't directed at any specific jurors.

Trump's lawyer argues Michael Cohen should not be protected by the gag order

The gag order prevents Trump from making public statements about potential witnesses in the trial, which includes his former fixer.

Blanche argued that shouldn't be the case. He cited examples of social media posts from Cohen critical of Trump, including one that appeared to include a fabricated image of Trump in an orange superhero costume.

He said Cohen's TikTok and other social media accounts "repeatedly" criticize and mock the former president and the gag order.

"This is not a man that needs protection from the gag order," Blanche said.

Trump's lawyer says he can't avoid speaking to the news media about the trial

Former President Donald Trump, seen through a camera viewfinder, speaks to members of the media at Manhattan criminal court in New York, on Thursday, May 2, 2024. (Jeenah Moon/Pool Photo via AP)

Defending Trump against allegations of violating the gag order, Blanche argued that the saturation of media coverage has made it impossible for Trump to conduct interviews without being bombarded with questions about the trial.

"He can't just say 'no comment' repeatedly. He's running for president," the defense attorney said, adding the gag order should be seen in the context of "what's happening behind us," a reference to the high volume of journalists in the courthouse. "Every time we whisper to our client, it's livestreamed over all sorts of social media outlets," he said.

But Judge Merchan quickly batted down that argument, saying members of the news media are "not defendants in this case, they're not subject to the gag order, that's a very significant issue you're overlooking."

Merchan noted that he had no authority over the media.

"The former president of the United States is on trial," the judge continued. "He's the leading candidate for the Republican party right now. It's not surprising that we have press here, we have press in the overflow room, we have people throughout the world that are interested."

The judge says he's not 'terribly concerned' about one of the four alleged violations

Judge Merchan indicated he would not sanction Trump for his comment last week during a visit to a Manhattan construction site where, in response to a question about David Pecker's testimony, he said the ex-tabloid publisher has "a nice guy."

"Just to save you time, I'm not terribly concerned about that one," Merchan told Blanche. The judge, however, did express concern about the three other comments at issue in the hearing.

Trump's attorney cites Biden's words in defending Trump

Attorney Todd Blanche began his defense of his client's statements by invoking a recent comment by President Joe Biden forecasting "stormy weather" for Trump — an "obvious" reference to Stormy Daniels, according to Blanche.

"President Trump can't respond to that in the way he wants to because of this gag order," Blanche said.

Judge Merchan said Trump was not barred from responding to his Democratic rival, but "is not allowed to refer to foreseeable witnesses" in the trial.

Prosecutors seek more fines, not jail, for alleged gag order violations

Among the alleged gag order violations are comments Trump made in the hallway outside the courtroom, where he has often spoken to reporters at the start and end of each day in court.

In one of those monologues, Trump again attacked his former attorney, Michael Cohen, as a "liar."

"The defendant is talking about witnesses and the jury in this case, one right here outside this door," said Conroy, the prosecutor. "This is the most critical time, the time the proceeding has to be protected."

Conroy urged Judge Merchan to impose a $1,000 fine for each of the four alleged violations.

He said prosecutors weren't yet seeking to have Trump jailed as punishment because the alleged violations at issue happened prior to Merchan ordering Trump on Tuesday to pay a $9,000 fine for nine previous gag order violations.

"Because we'd prefer to minimize disruption to this proceeding, we are not yet seeking jail, but the court's decision this past Tuesday will inform the approach we take to future violations," Conroy told the judge.

Hearing on alleged gag order violations begins

Judge Juan M. Merchan has commenced a contempt hearing on prosecutors' allegations that Trump violated his gag order four more times.

These are in addition to the nine violations Trump was fined for earlier in the week.

The jury isn't present for this proceeding.

The judge said prosecutors have submitted four exhibits, a video clip of each violation, which won't be played in court. Trump's lawyers have submitted nearly 500 pages of evidence in a bid to refute the alleged violations.

In a court filing, Trump's lawyers argued that the gag order was designed to silence him while his enemies — including witnesses Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels — are allowed to repeatedly attack him. Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy said in court Thursday that's not true, arguing that the gag order was imposed as a result of Trump's "persistent and escalating rhetoric aimed and participants in this proceeding."

Trump talks timing before heading into the court

Former President Donald Trump talks to the media outside Manhattan Criminal Court, Thursday, May 2 2024. (Mark Peterson/Pool Photo via AP)

Before heading into the courtroom, Trump spoke to reporters in the hallway, where he griped that the case should have been brought "eight years ago," which would have been before prosecutors allege a crime was committed.

Karen McDougal sold her story to the National Enquirer in August 2016 and Stormy Daniels made her deal with Michel Cohen in October 2016. Trump didn't start making reimbursement payments to Cohen, which prosecutors say were mislogged as legal fees, until 2017.

Trump enters the courtroom

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Manhattan criminal court before his trial in New York, Thursday, May 2, 2024. (Charly Triballeau/Pool Photo via AP)

Trump, wearing a gold tie and blue suit, strode into the courtroom trailed by his lawyers and aides including Boris Epshteyn.

Former president has arrived at the courthouse

Trump's motorcade has reached the courthouse in lower Manhattan.

Trump leaves Trump Tower

The former president got in his motorcade shortly after 8:40 a.m. ET, heading to the courthouse.

How long could this trial last?

Press waiting to go into court for the trial of former President Donald Trump talking to pool outside Manhattan Criminal Court, Thursday, May 2 2024. (Mark Peterson/Pool Photo via AP)

The trial is expected to last another month or more, with jurors hearing testimony four days a week. Trump — who has cast the prosecution as an effort to hurt his 2024 campaign — is required to be there, much to his stated dismay.

"They don't want me on the campaign trail," he said Tuesday.

The judge said Tuesday that there will be no court on May 17 so Trump can attend his son Barron's high school graduation.

Court also won't be in session on Friday, May 24 to accommodate a juror who has a flight that morning, the judge said. That means the trial will be off for four straight days for the Memorial Day weekend, resuming on Tuesday, May 28.

WATCH: Trump's remarks as he left the courthouse Tuesday

Donald Trump spoke briefly to reporters after leaving court following another day of his hush money trial Tuesday. The day started with the judge finding the former president in contempt for violating a gag order and fining him $9,000.

Need to get caught up on day 9 of Trump's hush money trial? Start here

Former President Donald Trump appears at Manhattan criminal court before his trial in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (Justin Lane/Pool Photo via AP)

Trump was held in contempt of court Tuesday and fined $9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order that barred him from making public statements about witnesses, jurors and some others connected to his New York hush money case. If he does it again, the judge warned, he could be jailed.

Prosecutors had alleged 10 violations, but New York Judge Juan M. Merchan found there were nine. Trump stared down at the table in front of him as the judge read the ruling, frowning slightly.

It was a stinging rebuke of the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's insistence that he was exercising his free speech rights and a reminder that he's a criminal defendant subject to the harsh realities of trial procedure. And the judge's remarkable threat to jail a former president signaled that Trump's already precarious legal standing could further spiral depending on his behavior during the remainder of the trial.

▶ Catch up on highlights from day 9 of Trump's hush money trial.

Trump calls judge 'crooked' after facing a warning of jail time if he violates a trial gag order

Donald Trump returned briefly to the campaign trail and called the judge presiding over his hush money trial "crooked" a day after he was held in contempt of court and threatened with jail time for violating a gag order. Trump also urged college presidents to remove encampments and 'vanquish the radicals.'

Trump returned briefly to the campaign trail Wednesday and called the judge presiding over his hush money trial "crooked" a day after he was held in contempt of court and threatened with jail time for violating a gag order.

Trump's remarks at events in the battleground states of Wisconsin and Michigan were being closely watched after he received a $9,000 fine for making public statements about people connected to the criminal case. In imposing the fine for posts on Trump's Truth Social account and campaign website, Judge Juan M. Merchan said that if Trump continued to violate his orders, he would "impose an incarceratory punishment."

"There is no crime. I have a crooked judge. He's a totally conflicted judge," Trump said speaking to supporters at an event in Waukesha, Wisconsin, claiming again that this and other cases against him are led by the White House to undermine his campaign.

Keith Davidson, lawyer for Daniels and McDougal, expected back on the witness stand today

Returning to the stand Thursday will be Keith Davidson, a lawyer who represented both Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal in their negotiations with the National Enquirer and Michael Cohen.

He testified that he arranged a meeting at his Los Angeles office during the summer of 2016 to see whether the tabloid's parent company American Media, Inc. was interested in McDougal's story. At first, they demurred, saying she "lacked documentary evidence of the interaction," Davidson testified.

But the tabloid at Pecker's behest eventually bought the rights, and Davidson testified that he understood — and McDougal preferred — it would never be published.

One reason for that, he said, is that there was an "unspoken affiliation" between Pecker and Trump and a desire by the company that owned the Enquirer to not publish stories that would hurt Trump.

Witness testimony so far has shed a light on the underbelly of tabloid journalism

The trial, now in its second week of testimony, has exposed the underbelly of tabloid journalism practices and the protections, for a price, afforded to Trump during his successful run for president in 2016.

The case concerns hush money paid to squelch embarrassing stories, including from a porn actor and a former Playboy model, and reimbursements by Trump that prosecutors say were intentionally fraudulent and designed to conceal the true purpose of the payments and to interfere in the election.

The former publisher of the National Enquirer, David Pecker, testified last week that he offered to be the "eyes and ears" of the Trump campaign and described in detail his role in purchasing a sordid tale from a New York City doorman that was later determined to not be true as well as accusations of an extramarital affair with former Playboy model Karen McDougal.

Defense attorney Emil Bove, left, cross examines David Pecker on the witness stand with Judge Juan Merchan presiding, Friday, April 26, 2024, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)

The goal was to prevent the stories from getting out, a concern that was especially pointed in the aftermath of the disclosure of a 2005 "Access Hollywood" recording in which he was heard describing grabbing women without their permission.

A separate $130,000 payment was made by Cohen, Trump's former lawyer and personal fixer, to porn actor Stormy Daniels, to prevent her claims of a 2006 sexual encounter with Trump from surfacing.

Trump's company then reimbursed Cohen and logged the payments to him as legal expenses, prosecutors have said in charging the former president with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records — a charge punishable by up to four years in prison.

Trump faces prospect of additional sanctions in hush money trial as key witness resumes testimony

Former President Donald Trump speaks with the media as he leaves the courtroom following the day's proceedings in his trial at Manhattan criminal court in New York, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (Justin Lane/Pool Photo via AP)

Donald Trump faces the prospect of additional sanctions in his hush money trial as he returns to court Thursday for another contempt hearing followed by testimony from a lawyer who represented two women who have said they had sexual encounters with the former president.

The testimony from attorney Keith Davidson is seen as a vital building block for the prosecution's case that Trump and his allies schemed to bury unflattering stories in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. He is one of multiple key players expected to be called to the stand in advance of prosecutors' star witness, Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer and personal fixer.

Prosecutors are seeking $1,000 fines for each of four comments by Trump that they say violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses, jurors and others closely connected to the case. Such a penalty would be on top of a $9,000 fine that Judge Juan M. Merchan imposed on Tuesday related to nine separate gag order violations that he found.