Westerhout testified about how Trump handled personal expenses from the White House

Madeleine Westerhout, a former Trump executive assistant, departs Manhattan Criminal Court on May 09, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Madeleine Westerhout, who previously served as former President Donald Trump's personal secretary, told the court on Thursday that Trump's personal expenses were handled through checks.

Checks were sent from the Trump Organization to employees at the White House and Westerhout would take them to the president for him to sign.

Westerhout said the checks came in a FedEx envelope. Inside it was a manila folder with the checks. Invoices, she said, would be attached sometimes.

Westerhout couldn't recall how frequently the checks came, but said they were “consistent, maybe twice a month.”

She said she sometimes witnessed Trump sign the checks, and after they were signed she would put them in a pre-labeled FedEx envelope and send them back to the Trump Organization.

Westerhout couldn't recall a specific time Trump didn’t sign, and recalled a couple of times Trump had a question and called former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg or someone else to ask for clarification.