What’s happening Wednesday in Commissioner Michael O’Donnell’s trial
Here's the latest from Wednesday's proceedings. For live coverage, go to www.twitter.com/amyreneeleiker.
Although the law prohibits using donor dollars to pay for personal expenses, Williams said candidates have a lot of discretion to decide how to spend it in connection with their campaigns. That includes how, when and in what amount to pay staffers and what sort of fundraisers to hold.
Under questioning by defense attorney
She also said she doesn't recall a single instance in her 40-year KGEC career where federal authorities questioned a state or local candidates' use of campaign funds.
The defense will start calling witnesses.
"I don't recall doing any work,"
When Assistant
He got checks -- from
Masterson described O'Donnell as "a very generous and supportive friend" who understood that he needed to focus on school.
"My dad had passed and he offered to give me some money in exchange for working on his campaign," he testified. But, he says, he didn't do any work.
Defense attorneys have previously told jurors that Masterson fetched breakfast for an event, went to the Garth Brooks concert as a staffer and had attended a rally for then-candidate
But Masterson testified that he didn't recall the breakfast and had gone to the Trump rally to volunteer for the
He denies ever being in a fog, saying that actually his school grade point average increased after his dad's death.
Mentally, "I was there," he told jurors.
Defense attorneys will cross examine Masterson after the court's 15-minute afternoon recess. Prosecutors are expected to rest their case this afternoon. The defense will start calling witnesses and presenting evidence after that.
Before the recess, a man described as one of
He told jurors that he did do some work for O'Donnell's campaigns for senate and county commission, including creating donor spreadsheets, walking in a parade and making signs. But O'Donnell continued to send him checks drawn on campaign accounts in months when he was living and studying in
The total amount he was paid over two years was
Asked by Assistant
Defense attorney
Jorgensen met and befriended O'Donnell in 2014 while working on another lawmaker's campaign. He told jurors that he wasn't under the impression that he was working for O'Donnell's campaigns when he attended sports games, social events and two country music concerts in 2015 --
"Michael asked me to go as a friend," Jorgensen testified.
In fact, Dennill said, he only took pictures for O'Donnell one time for a fundraiser. Another time he worked for pay during a community document shredding event but not as a photographer, he testified. Prosecutors showed jurors two entries that documented his payments for those events on a campaign finance report of O'Donnell's. The payments recorded on the report in
Dennill said when a friend,
Dennill says there was never any discussion in
They stayed in a condo owned by a member of the Weigand family that was on loan to O'Donnell, real estate developer
Dennill said about a week after the trip ended, he met O'Donnell at O'Donnell's home, assuming he would be asked to settle up for his portion of the trip. Instead, he said, O'Donnell gave him a
He says he was confused about the transaction but didn't question it. Asked why he gave O'Donnell a
Asked by prosecutors whether he thought he got the
Later, under defense questioning, Dennill said he later thought of the payment as a likely bonus for his campaign work. But he said there was never any actual discussion with O'Donnell about the payment being a bonus.
He also said he was never reimbursed any money that he spent on the trip nor did he get to choose how he spent the purported bonus.
Furst also questions the defenses filing of additional exhibits last night including photos and charts, as well as newspaper articles that appear on the defense's exhibit list. One of the exhibits is a chart called "Summary of campaign bonus statements." Two purported bonuses O'Donnell paid to friends who worked on his campaign are the subject of his money laundering charges.
The newspaper articles talk about issues like O'Donnell refusing pay raises.
Daily trial coverage
Background: A summary of the issues and what to expect during the trial
Day 1: Lawyers offer jurors differing views on O'Donnell's reason for writing checks to friends
Day 2, updates: Friend says
Day 2, wrap up: Trial gives glimpse of how much O'Donnell paid friends to work on campaigns
___
(c)2019 The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.)
Visit The Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kan.) at www.kansas.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Top of the list — for car insurance prices
AHF Endorses Medicare for All Act (H.R. 1384)
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News