As reported by former federal prosecutor and legal analyst Andrew Weissmann, who is a frequent face on MSNBC, New York City Judge Juan Merchan rejected a request on Monday from the Trump defense team to put some of the latest witness testimony on hold amid Trump’s criminal trial. The trial — Trump’s first — covers charges against the ex-president of falsifying business records in connection to hush money from before the 2016 elections.
“File under truly lame excuse: Trump counsel says they are not prepared for Jeff McConney- he is the Trump Org longtime controller and testified at the Trump Org trial- and discovery was provided about him long ago,” Weissmann wrote on X, the platform formerly called Twitter. “Judge Merchan denies request to adjourn taking his testimony.”
The trial is hosting testimony before jurors from a substantial list of individuals connected — sometimes quite closely — to the ex-president-turned-criminal defendant, like a brief appearance from longtime personal assistant Rhona Graff and a high-profile round of testimony from Hope Hicks, known as close to Trump after holding a series of formal roles in his orbit during Donald’s time in politics and government.
The case against Trump relates specifically to the handling of records of repayments to Michael Cohen, a former ally of the ex-president’s who was the source for the hush money, which went to a woman named Stormy Daniels who allegedly had an affair with Trump. McConney was in a position to speak to the business side of things.
Trump, meanwhile, was also held in contempt — again — on Monday in the context of an earlier gag order from the judge protecting witnesses, jurors, and others. The judge threatened the ex-president with a possibility of jail-time for future violations. The judge made a similar threat with earlier findings of contempt, but a court hearing on the latest round of allegations that produced Monday’s finding was already set in motion by the time of that decision.
