Serena Williams mentioned in Trump's trial as part of list of frequent contacts(AFP/AP)
Serena Williams is listed among individuals Donald Trump frequently spoke to, according to testimony in the hush money trial.
Tennis Moghul Serena Williams found herself dragged in Donald Trump’s ongoing hush money trial, as it surfaced that she “frequently spoke to” the former president’s aide in early 2017.
Testifying in Manhattan criminal court, Madeleine Westerhout, Trump’s former executive assistant at the White House, shed light on communications between herself and Rhona Graff, a longstanding employee of the Trump Organization who had previously testified in the trial.
On January 24, 2017, just four days following Trump’s presidential inauguration, Westerhout emailed Graff, inquiring, “Could you have the girls put together a list for me of people he frequently spoke to? I don’t want to have to bug you all the time – even though I will still call often :)”
Graff responded, “I’m working on it. Hope to have it to you in a little while.”
She followed up with another email containing an Excel spreadsheet outlining individuals with whom Trump “frequently spoke.”
“How this for a start?”
Among the notable names listed alongside members of the Trump family, former attorney and “fixer” Michael Cohen, and CFO Allen Weisselberg, was Serena Williams.
Trump and Williams had previously crossed paths
In 2015, Trump engaged in a friendly match with Williams to commemorate the opening of a tennis centre at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.
Williams reportedly allowed Trump to win a point during their game.
Westerhout’s testimony, revealing the list of Trump’s frequent contacts, surfaced during the fourth week of the former president’s trial in Manhattan.
The former POTUS faces 34 counts of falsifying business records related to the $130,000 paid to pornstar Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, aimed at silencing her about an alleged 2006 affair.
Daniels herself took the stand during the trial, and revealing her affair with Trump. “The sex in the films is very much real, just like what happened to me in that room,” Daniels expressed during the cross-examination.
