Rachel Maddow apologized to journalists sitting near her at Donald Trump’s trial Monday in Manhattan after she “snorted out loud” when prosecutors revealed that one of the former president’s advisors had physically written down the very hush-money reimbursement plan that the jury is considering for criminal charges.
Maddow was in the cramped, dingy courtroom on Monday for opening statements and the first day of witness testimony. Though the day was mostly routine and fireworks-free, Maddow said one moment in the prosecution’s presentation caused her involuntary response.
“I’m sorry to the journalists who were sitting immediately next to me,” Maddow said, “because I unintentionally snorted out loud.”
The moment came when prosecutor Matthew Colengelo revealed that Trump ally Allen Weisselberg “wrote everything down” when he met with attorney Michael Cohen to negotiate a reimbursement plan for a hush-money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
“Weisselberg, you’ll remember, was the Trump Organization chief financial officer and he was one of the defendant’s longest-serving and most trusted employees,” Maddow said. “Neither Trump nor the Trump Organization can just write a check to Michael Cohen for $130,000 with a memo line that said ‘reimbursement for porn star payoff’ … they had to disguise the nature (as employment compensation) so they agreed to cook the books.”
Maddow said her outburst came when the prosecutor said Weisselberg took detailed notes of how the allegedly ginned-up repayment plan was broken down.
“I annoyed the people sitting near me because I snorted out loud – he said he wrote it all down! If you’re a fan of ‘The Wire,’ this is the scene where Stringer Bell turns to the young man and says, ‘Are you taking notes on a criminal conspiracy?’ … yes, he was taking notes on a criminal conspiracy.”
And according to prosecutors, they have receipts:
“You will see in this trial Allen Weisselberg’s handwriting down the side of that bank statement laying out every one of the steps that I just described showing how they converted the $130,000 payoff,” Maddow said.
Maddow added some other colorful details from inside the infamously low-rent courtroom.
“I can report firsthand that the courtroom smells like old soup and stale breath,” Maddow said. “I can report that the police officers who police the courtroom are working very hard and they appear to be very stressed.”
Maddow also said “Judge Merchan is soft-spoken and has what I think would be universally considered to be a pleasant voice,” and “prosecutor Matthew Colangelo speaks exactly like Seth Meyers when Seth Meyers is not telling jokes.”
Watch the entire report in the video clip above.
The post Rachel Maddow Apologizes for Trump Trial Outburst: I ‘Snorted Out Loud’ at This Shocking Revelation | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
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