Day 8 of Trump New York hush money trial
From CNN's Kaanita Iyer and Ramishah Maruf
Prosecutors have called Rhona Graff, Donald Trump's former longtime assistant, to the witness stand.
Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker in his testimony Tuesday described sitting in Trump's office Graff walked in and gave him invoices and checks to sign.
CNN previously reported in 2022 that Graff was subpoenaed as part of the separate New York attorney general's investigation into the Trump Organization’s finances.
CNN analyst Gloria Borger said that Graff was very close to Trump.
"She could be quite a valuable witness in terms of talking about how much attention he paid to detail, whom he was talking with, what his relationship with Michael Cohen was," Borger said.
Graff can also reveal how the Trump organization worked, Borger said, and even provide a glimpse into Trump's life and speak on the relationships between Trump and his children.
Assistants also make powerful witnesses because they can see who is coming in out of the office.
Prosecutors asked Graff to verify several exhibits that are emails she exchanged with Madeleine Westerhout, who worked in the Trump White House.
As we get into the minutiae of emails sent between Trump's White House and Trump Organization assistants, Trump has sat back in his chair and closed his eyes again.
Some background: Graff trained Westerhout for her role. She sat outside the Oval Office and observed almost every coming and going over more than two and a half years.
Under direct examination, Graff said that Trump never used email to communicate as far as she can remember.
A court security officer also handed Graff a thumb drive.
Rhona Graff, Trump's former longtime assistant, is testifying pursuant to a subpoena.
The assistant district attorney started her questions for Graff by asking her about her time with the Trump organization.
Graff said she worked for Trump for 34 years at the Trump Organization, sitting outside his office on the 26th floor of Trump Tower. She was largely in control of his calendar and in charge of maintaining Trump's contacts at the organization, she testifies.
Assistant District Attorney Susan Hoffinger is handling the direct examination of Rhona Graff.
9 hr 15 min agoProsecutors call witness Rhona Graff, Trump's longtime assistant, to the standProsecutors have called witness Rhona Graff to the stand.
Graff is Trump's former longtime assistant. She was also a senior vice president at the Trump organization.
As she entered the courtroom, Trump looked over at her. She did not appear to glance at his table on her walk to the witness stand.
From CNN's Elizabeth Hartfield
The first witness for the prosecution, David Pecker, is off the stand.
Pecker testified for a little over 10 hours across four days.
Bove concludes by asking Pecker whether he believes Donald Trump cares about people? "I do," Pecker says.
Pecker testified previously that Trump cares about his family.
Asked by Steinglass if he believes that, Pecker said, "Of course I do."
Bove asks Pecker whether McDougal met the definition of a celebrity. "Did she meet the celebrity category at the time? No," Pecker responds.
Bove asks Pecker whether there was a "real value" to her brand, as a former Playboy playmate and the first woman on the cover of a men's fitness magazine.
