By CNN's Kara Scannell, Lauren Del Valle and Jeremy Herb in the courthouse
Farro, after testifying about different types of banks and banking transactions, brings up his connection to this case.
"Michael Cohen was assigned to me after a colleague left in 2015," Farro testified. He was given Cohen based on his "ability to handle individuals that may be a little challenging."
"Frankly, I didn't find him that difficult," Farro says of Cohen.
Farro says he worked with Cohen from 2015 through 2018 or 2019.
From CNN's Kaanita Iyer
Prosecutors have called a third witness to the stand: Gary Farro, a former senior managing director at First Republic Bank.
Farro worked at First Republic Bank when Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney, used his own home equity line from the bank to pay the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels.
Cohen's then lawyer Michael Avenatti provided an email to CNN in 2018 that showed a First Republic Bank employee confirming the deposit to Cohen, who used his personal and trumporg.com email accounts.
The bank employee who confirmed the deposit was an assistant to Farro, according to NBC.
From CNN's Kara Scannell, Lauren Del Valle and Jeremy Herb in the courthouse
Trump attorney Susan Necheles started her cross examination of Rhona Graff, who was Trump’s executive assistant for decades, shortly after 3 p.m. ET Friday.
Here's what you should know about her short testimony:
Graff describes working for Donald Trump: The former president smiled as he watched Graff speak when his attorney started to ask questions of his former longtime assistant.
"I never had the same day twice in all that time," Graff said, as she described her time at the Trump organization. "It was a very stimulating, exciting, fascinating place to be."
Graff says she assumed Stormy Daniels' visit to Trump Tower was regarding "Apprentice" casting: Necheles brought up Graff's earlier mention of seeing Stormy Daniels at Trump Tower. Trump's attorney went into a line of questioning about how Trump was very involved in finding contestants for the "Celebrity Apprentice," confirming with Graff that Trump looked for "colorful" or "interesting" candidates to cast.
Trump often had to sign checks at the White House, Necheles confirms with Graff: Necheles showed Graff an April 2017 email in which Madeleine Westerhout had requested a FedEx label. Necheles asked if this was for sending checks down to the White House. "I don’t know why she requested it," Graff said. Necheles confirmed with Graff that Trump often had to sign checks and it wasn't unusual for him to sign checks while he was on the phone or had people in his office.
Prosecutor Rebecca Mangold is questioning Gary Farro, a finance executive who is on the stand.
Farro is currently going over banking regulations under the Bank Secrecy Act.
He says there are certain types of transactions that require more review by the bank, including transactions involving wires. Farro also says that transactions involving political candidates also require more review.
Gary Farro is the prosecution's next witness.
Farro is currently a private client adviser at Flagstar Bank and was previously a senior managing director at First Republic Bank, where he worked when Michael Cohen was trying to set up the payment to Stormy Daniels.
He is the third witness to testify in this case.
Trump is back in the courtroom. He no longer has the stack of documents he held in his hands as he walked out.
The jury is also returning to courtroom.
Prosecutors have re-entered the courtroom after a short break.
Trump stood and moved toward Graff as she walked out of the courtroom. It wasn't clear if they exchanged words as she left the stand.
Trump is walking out with a stern expression, clutching his stack of documents, as he continues to scan both sides of the courtroom.
From CNN's Elise Hammond
In its cross-examination of Donald Trump’s long-time assistant, the defense is looking for another opportunity to humanize the former president, according to CNN anchor and chief legal analyst Laura Coates.
Rhona Graff testified that she worked for Trump for 34 years at the Trump Organization, sitting outside his office on the 26th floor of Trump Tower.
“This is not a time to, as a cross-examiner, to attack her as if she is out to get Donald Trump. You’re going to see a softer touch for this particular witness,” Coates said.
That’s compared to the cross-examination of the last witness, former tabloid publisher David Pecker, who testified about the National Enquirer’s efforts to suppress negative stories that could have harmed Trump's 2016 campaign.
Still, the defense ended the questioning of Pecker with a question also aimed at humanizing the former president. Defense attorney Emil Bove asked Pecker if he believed Trump cares about his family. He replied, “Of course I do.”
Graff is another opportunity for the defense to continue to tell that story about Trump to the jury, Coates said.
“You hear a lot about the myth of Donald Trump and of course, all the bravado, what you think might happen in Trump Tower. Her role is to demystify all of that and portray him as somebody who is approachable,” Coates said.
