NEW YORK (AP) — donald trump's Fixer-turned-foe Michael Cohen awaits intense questioning from former president's lawyers on Tuesday Testimony reveals celebrity clients involved in every aspect of hush money scheme Prosecutors say the comments were aimed at suppressing reporting that threatened the 2016 campaign.
Trump, the first former U.S. president to go on trial, appeared in a Manhattan courtroom with aides including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who insisted the case was politically motivated by Democrats. This is an attempt by the second-in-command to use the powerful pulpit of the presidency to attack the U.S. judicial system and turn his own party against the rule of law by declaring the trial unfair. It was therefore a remarkable moment in American politics.
Trump was joined by North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Reps. Byron Donald and Cory Mills, and former Republican rival Vivek Ramaswamy. Burgum and Donald are considered potential vice presidential candidates.
What you need to know about Trump's hush money trial:
“I have a lot of surrogate mothers, and they speak very beautifully,” Trump told a surrogate mother standing in the background outside the courtroom.
Their presence Tuesday when Mr. Cohen, the prosecution's star witness, returns to the stand will be a blessing not only to Mr. Trump, but also to voters watching from home and the jurors who will decide Mr. Trump's fate. It was a subtle show of support.
On Monday, Cohen delivered factual testimony that got to the heart of the matter. former president's trial.
“Everything required Trump's approval,” Cohen said.
Michael Cohen, left, testifies on the witness stand in Manhattan Criminal Court on Monday, May 13, 2024 in New York. (Elizabeth Williams, via AP)
He has put Trump at the center of a hush-money scheme, vowing to recoup money his lawyers advanced to pay him off, and a behind-the-scenes effort to cover up stories that could hurt his campaign. He said he always knew.
“We need to stop this thing from getting out,” Cohen quoted Trump as saying to Trump. Porn actor Stormy Daniels' testimony about sexual encounters With President Trump 10 years ago. Candidates at the time were particularly concerned about how the story would affect their standing among female voters.
A similar episode occurred when Cohen warned Trump that a Playboy model had claimed that she and Trump were having an extramarital affair. “Please keep it private,” was Mr. Cohen's message to Mr. Trump, the lawyer said. That woman, Karen McDougall The $150,000 payment was made after President Trump received “complete and complete updates on everything that happened.”
“What I was doing was doing it at Mr. Trump's direction and for Mr. Trump's benefit,” Cohen testified.
Trump has maintained his innocence and denied sexual contact in both cases.
cohen Mr. Daniels was the prosecution's most important witness, and while his testimony was not convincing enough to sway Mr. Daniels' turn on the stand, it still linked Mr. Trump directly to the payments, which jurors testified to. He helped unravel some of the more damning evidence, including text messages and phone records. I had already seen it.
Testimony from a witness so knowledgeable about Trump's activities could increase the potential Republican presidential nominee's legal exposure if jurors find him sufficiently trustworthy. But prosecutors trust a witness with such a checkered past… Cohen pleaded guilty to federal charges related to the payments. The case carries great risks for juries and could be a political boon as Mr. Trump raises money from his legal woes and paints the case as the product of a tainted criminal justice system.
The two were once so close that Cohen boasted that he would “take a bullet” for Trump, but there was no visible interaction in the courtroom. The subdued atmosphere was in sharp contrast to the previous courtroom showdown in October. When Trump came out of the courtroom after his lawyers finished questioning Cohen during his civil fraud trial.
As Mr. Cohen recounts his 10-year career as an executive at the Trump Organization, Mr. Trump sat in the defense seat and gave lengthy testimony, including, by his own admission, lying to his superiors. I had a job that sometimes involved bullying others. on behalf of.
Mr. Trump's lawyers will have the opportunity to begin questioning Mr. Cohen as early as Tuesday, where they are expected to attack Mr. Cohen's credibility – he will be disbarred and sent to prison. is, Separately, he pleaded guilty to lying about a Moscow real estate project on behalf of President Trump. and cast him as a vindictive, agenda-driven witness. Defense attorneys told jurors in opening statements that he was a “confessed liar” with an “obsessive desire to get his hands on President Trump.”
Prosecutors are trying to blunt those attacks by acknowledging Mr. Cohen's past crimes to jurors and relying on other witnesses whose testimony they hope will corroborate.
Jurors had previously heard from others about the tabloid industry's “catch and kill” practices. This practice involves buying the rights to an article and being able to cancel it later. But Mr. Cohen's testimony is crucial to prosecutors. Because Mr. Cohen communicated directly with his then-candidate about an embarrassing story that he had tried hard to cover up.
Importantly, Mr. Cohen said, the reimbursement he received from the $130,000 hush-money payment to Ms. Daniels, which prosecutors claim was intended to buy her hush money before the election, was used to secure Mr. Trump's business. That's the basis of 34 felonies charging him with falsifying records. Prosecutors allege that the repayments were falsely recorded as legal expenses to hide the true purpose of the payments.
Assistant District Attorney Susan Hoffinger (center) questions far-right witness Michael Cohen as President Donald Trump listens in Manhattan Criminal Court on Monday, May 13, 2024 in New York. (Elizabeth Williams, via AP)
To prove that Trump knew about the payments, Cohen told jurors during questioning that Trump had promised to pay them back.The two men also talked about Allen Weisselberg, former Trump Organization chief financial officerMr. Cohen testified about how reimbursements for legal services are paid in monthly installments.
She said Trump even tried to delay completing the deal with Daniels until after Election Day so he wouldn't have to pay her.
Cohen testified that for Trump, “it doesn't matter after the election.”
Cohen also gave jurors an inside account of his negotiations. david peckerThe National Enquirer's then-publisher said Pecker told Cohen that his publication kept “file drawers or locked drawers” containing Trump-related files. He was such a close ally of Mr. Trump that he said he was. This effort became even more urgent after the war. “Access Hollywood” recording released in October 2016 In it, President Trump can be heard bragging about sexually grabbing women.
The payment to Daniels was completed weeks after that disclosure, but Monday's testimony also focused on the contract he signed with McDougall earlier that fall.
To lay the foundation that the deal was made with Trump's support, prosecutors elicited testimony from Cohen aimed at showing Trump as a hands-on manager. Cohen said he sometimes lied and bullied others, including reporters, on Trump's behalf.
“When he commanded you to do something, he said, 'Let me know.' Tell me what's going on,” Cohen testified. That's especially true “when there's an issue that's troubling to you,” he said.
___
Long report from Washington. Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in New York and Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.
