May 14th 2024.
After spending a decade in the fold and facing pressure from his family, Michael Cohen made a life-altering decision to turn on his longtime boss, Donald Trump. This complicated break ultimately led to Cohen's 2018 guilty plea to federal charges, including a payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump. But this was just one of the many shady deals Cohen had knowledge of, making him a valuable witness for Manhattan prosecutors in their case against Trump for attempting to illegally influence the 2016 presidential election.
Under questioning this week, Cohen has revealed the inner workings of the scheme, describing how he violated his own moral compass to stay loyal to Trump and carry out his requests. This loyalty came at a high cost, as Cohen and his family suffered the consequences. Despite attempts by the defense to undermine him as a witness through his social media commentary and insults towards Trump, Cohen remained composed and focused on sharing the truth about his former boss.
One surprising moment came when House Speaker Mike Johnson, a staunch supporter of Trump, appeared at the courthouse with the former president and used his platform to discredit the trial as illegitimate. This, along with other Republican lawmakers serving as surrogates for Trump while he remains under a gag order, highlights the divisive and contentious nature of the case.
Cohen's testimony has shed light on Trump's involvement in the hush money scheme and prosecutors believe it is crucial to their case. However, relying on a witness with a checkered past, including disbarment and prison time, could backfire for the prosecution. As Trump's attorneys continue to cross-examine Cohen, they may be able to exploit his past mistakes and credibility.
During Tuesday's proceedings, the defense focused on portraying Cohen as an attention-seeking media hound who leaked information about himself to stay in the spotlight. Amid objections from prosecutors, Cohen was questioned about his social media posts and comments, as well as his podcast where he has made damning statements about Trump. However, Cohen maintained that he is motivated by more than just fame and has multiple reasons for testifying against Trump.
Cohen will be the prosecution's final witness and then the defense will have the opportunity to present their case. It is unclear if Trump's attorneys will call any witnesses or if Trump will testify in his own defense. The trial has already revealed how the leak of the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape, in which Trump boasted about grabbing women without their consent, led to the hush money payments to Daniels. Cohen has testified that Trump was aware of these efforts to bury damaging stories and even promised to reimburse him for the payments.
As the trial continues, jurors are being shown evidence and paperwork to support the prosecution's argument that the payments to Daniels were part of a lengthy deception to cover up the true purpose of the payments. Cohen, in a calm and methodical manner, has been explaining the purpose of these documents and reiterating that the payments were for hush money, not legal services or a retainer.
In New York, Michael Cohen took the stand on Tuesday to testify about his decision to turn on former president Donald Trump. After spending a decade in Trump's inner circle and facing pressure from his family, Cohen finally decided to speak out. This came after the FBI searched his office, apartment, and hotel room and he pleaded guilty to federal charges related to a payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an alleged affair with Trump.
Now, Cohen's insider knowledge of Trump's shady dealings has made him a key witness in the Manhattan prosecutors' case against Trump. They claim that the payment to Daniels was an illegal attempt to influence the 2016 presidential election. During his testimony, Cohen went into detail about how the scheme was carried out.
Cohen admitted that in order to maintain Trump's loyalty and fulfill his requests, he had to go against his own moral compass and ultimately faced consequences for it. Defense attorneys tried to undermine Cohen's credibility by pointing out his past social media posts and insults towards Trump. However, Cohen remained composed and focused, not displaying the braggadocio that he was once known for as Trump's "problem-zapper".
Throughout his testimony, Cohen emphasized that the case is not about the salacious details of the payment, but rather the illegal cover-up that Trump attempted to orchestrate. A shocking moment occurred when House Speaker Mike Johnson, a staunch Trump ally, appeared at the courthouse and declared the trial illegitimate, urging fellow Republicans to turn against the rule of law. Trump himself remains barred from speaking about the case due to a gag order.
As the trial continues, Trump's attorneys will continue to cross-examine Cohen, who has a checkered past, including disbarment, prison time, and pleading guilty to lying about a real estate project in Moscow on Trump's behalf. This could potentially damage the prosecution's case, especially as they rely heavily on Cohen's testimony.
During cross-examination, defense lawyer Todd Blanche focused on Cohen's obsession with Trump, suggesting that he leaked self-serving information and was motivated by fame. Cohen admitted that he wouldn't put it past himself to say negative things about Trump, but denied being motivated solely by fame.
Cohen will be the prosecution's final witness, after which Trump's defense team will have the opportunity to present their case. It is unclear whether they will call any witnesses or if Trump will take the stand himself. Jurors have already heard about the panic within Trump's inner circle after the release of the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape just weeks before the 2016 election, which led to the hush money payments to Daniels.
As the trial continues, jurors were shown business records and other paperwork related to the reimbursement process for the hush money. Cohen explained the purpose of these payments and reiterated that they were not for legal services or a retainer, but rather to cover up Trump's affair with Daniels. The prosecution aims to prove that this was a calculated deception by Trump to conceal the true purpose of the payments.
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