Former President Donald Trump approaching Rhona Graff, a former employee and witness in his hush money payment trial, on Friday, shocked some people in the court room.
The jury heard testimony from Graff, who worked for Trump for 34 years between October 1987 to April 2021, Friday afternoon. During her testimony, Graff described Trump as a “thoughtful” boss, according to Newsweek reporter Katherine Fung, who has been reporting on the trial from inside the courtroom.
After her testimony, Trump tried to shake her hand, according to Fung. Prosecutors asked for a sidebar conversation with the judge before the next witness. The interaction left people in the courtroom confused, according to Fung, who couldn’t see Graff’s reaction.
Graff provided her testimony under a subpoena and was primarily used to verify documents in the case. She said the Trump Organization was paying for her attorneys.
She testified that she and Trump spoke about business “99.9 percent of the time,” but he would, at times, ask her questions about her family.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Trump with falsifying business documents related to a hush money payment allegedly made to adult film actor Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign. Prosecutors allege the payment was intended to prevent Daniels from speaking publicly about her claims of having an affair with Trump.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges and has denied having an affair with Daniels.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Jeenah Moon-Pool/Getty Images
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.