Former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial continued with ex-attorney Michael Cohen taking the stand for the third day, facing tough cross-examination from Trump’s lawyers. The charges against Trump stem from falsification of business records related to reimbursements Cohen received after paying adult film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to cover up allegations of an affair. The defense sought to discredit Cohen by accusing him of lying under oath and alleging dealings with a 14-year-old prankster.
During the cross-examination, Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche, accused Cohen of lying about a phone call he made to Trump in 2016, claiming it was actually about the 14-year-old harassing Cohen with prank calls. Cohen denied these accusations, maintaining that he mentioned both the prankster and the Daniels payment during the call. Blanche also questioned Cohen’s comments celebrating Trump’s indictment and brought up his past crimes of lying under oath to impeach his credibility.
Prosecutors have alleged that Trump’s reimbursement payments to Cohen were falsely labeled as legal services, even though Cohen did not have a retainer agreement with Trump at the time. Cohen clarified that New York law did not require a retainer agreement for him to perform legal work for Trump and noted that he never had one at any point during his work for Trump. The defense is using Cohen’s past guilty plea to tax fraud charges to question his credibility in this trial.
Blanche’s cross-examination is not yet complete, and Cohen is expected to continue testifying when court resumes. Prosecutors have indicated that Cohen will be their final witness before resting their case, potentially leading to the case going to the jury as soon as next week. It remains uncertain whether Trump will testify in his own defense. Cohen also testified about exploring the possibility of Trump pardoning him, indicating that a pardon was being discussed and that he inquired about it with his lawyers.
Cohen, once Trump’s personal attorney and “fixer,” turned on the ex-president in 2018 and pleaded guilty to multiple crimes, including campaign finance violations related to the Daniels payment. He has become one of Trump’s fiercest critics since then. The trial hinges on whether Trump was personally involved in the reimbursement payments to Cohen and whether they were falsely labeled. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied allegations of an affair with Daniels. Cohen’s testimony has highlighted Trump’s direct involvement in the payments and planning with then-Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, contradicting the defense’s attempts to distance Trump from the reimbursements.
