Donald Trump’s fixer-turned-foe returned to the witness stand and could face a bruising round of questioning from the former president’s lawyers as soon as Tuesday. Michael Cohen ‘s testimony this week has linked Trump to all aspects of a hush money scheme that prosecutors say was aimed at stifling stories that threatened his 2016 campaign. He’s the prosecution’s star witness.
Here’s the latest:
Quick Read
- Testimony Linked to Trump: Cohen’s testimony tied Trump to a hush money scheme intended to suppress damaging stories during his 2016 campaign. He described how Trump was involved in efforts to manage the media narrative.
- Evidence Presented: Jurors saw a variety of evidence, including text messages, audio recordings, and notes, which prosecutors argue demonstrate an illegal attempt to influence the 2016 election.
- Dramatic Witness Accounts: The trial has featured testimony from notable figures such as David Pecker, former National Enquirer publisher, and Stormy Daniels, adding to the trial’s drama.
- Cohen as Star Witness: Set to be the last witness for the prosecution, Cohen detailed his role in the scheme, including misleading Congress to protect Trump, which he now regrets.
- After Prison: Post-disbarment, Cohen is working in media and entertainment, hosting two podcasts where he often discusses Trump and current affairs.
- Legal Developments: A New York appeals court upheld a gag order against Trump, preventing him from making public statements about trial-related individuals, amidst concerns about trial integrity.
- Cohen’s Turnaround: Cohen shared his decision to break from Trump, influenced by his family’s urging to prioritize their well-being over loyalty to Trump.
- Upcoming Cross-Examination: Trump’s lawyers are expected to cross-examine Cohen, which could provide further insights into the legal strategies and personal dynamics involved.
The Associated Press has the story:
Cohen will be the last witness called by prosecution in Trump hush money trial
Newslooks- NEW YORK (AP) —
Donald Trump’s fixer-turned-foe returned to the witness stand and could face a bruising round of questioning from the former president’s lawyers as soon as Tuesday.
Michael Cohen ‘s testimony this week has linked Trump to all aspects of a hush money scheme that prosecutors say was aimed at stifling stories that threatened his 2016 campaign. He’s the prosecution’s star witness.
Trump’s lawyers could get their chance to begin questioning Cohen as early as Tuesday.
Cohen placed Trump at the center of the hush money scheme, saying he had promised to reimburse money the lawyer had fronted for the payments and was constantly apprised of the behind-the-scenes efforts to bury stories feared to be harmful to the campaign.
Text messages, audio recordings, notes and more have all been introduced or shown to jurors in recent weeks to illustrate what prosecutors say was a scheme to illegally influence the election that year. And sometimes dramatic testimony from witnesses that included former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, ex-Trump staffers and porn actor Stormy Daniels added to the intrigue.
The trial is in its 17th day.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts.
The case is the first-ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president and the first of four prosecutions of Trump to reach a jury.
COHEN WILL BE LAST WITNESS CALLED BY THE PROSECUTION
Before court resumed for the day, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told the judge that Donald Trump’s former laywer, Michael Cohen, would be the prosecution’s last witness.
Steinglass made the disclosure during a sidebar conversation out of earshot of reporters but recorded in the official transcript.
Trump’s fixer-turned-foe returned to the witness stand Tuesday, testifying in detail about how the former president was linked to all aspects of the hush money scheme prosecutors say was an illegal effort to purchase and then bury stories that threatened his 2016 presidential campaign.
Cohen told jurors he lied to Congress during an investigation into potential ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign to protect Trump. He also described for jurors the April 2018 raid by law enforcement on his apartment, law firm, a hotel room where he stayed and a bank where he stashed valuables.
COHEN’S LIFE AFTER PRISON AND DISBARMENT
Donald Trump’s lawyers will get a chance Tuesday to question his former lawyer Michael Cohen on cross-examination in the ex-president’s criminal hush money trial following a lunch break.
Before he concluded his initial testimony prior to the break, Cohen shared how he makes money now that he has served prison time and been disbarred.
Cohen said he’s working now predominantly in “media and entertainment” — specifically on two podcasts on which he is frequently critical of Trump.
Cohen tried to downplay his shows’ focus on Trump, testifying that “Mea Culpa” and another one he hosts on the liberal MeidasTouch network talked about the “news of the day.”
“Among other topics, do you frequently discuss Mr. Trump?” prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asked.
“I do,” he said, his eyes shifting around.
Hoffinger also asked Cohen about two books he wrote: “Disloyal,” which he described as a memoir he wrote in prison, and “Revenge,” which he said was about the “weaponization” of the Justice Department against a critic of the president, referring to himself.
Cohen also testified having Stormy Daniels, the woman at the center of the hush money case, on a podcast at one point.
“I thought it would be a good time to speak to her and to ‘Mea Culpa,’ and to apologize,” he testified.
Cohen said it was the first time he spoke with Daniels. He invited her on a podcast a second time later on.
PROSECUTORS WRAP DIRECT EXAMINATION OF COHEN
Prosecutors in Donald Trump’s hush money trial wrapped their direct examination of his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen before a lunch break Tuesday.
Cohen testified that he regretted some of the things he did for Trump, and the loyalty he showed the former president for so long. He said he and his family have paid a dire price.
“I regret doing things for him that I should not have,” Cohen said. “Lying. Bullying people to effectuate a goal. I don’t regret working for the Trump Organization. As I expressed before, I had some very interesting, great times.
“But to keep the loyalty and to do the things that he had asked me to do, it violated my moral compass, and I suffered the penalty, as has my family.”
Minutes earlier, a New York appeals court upheld a gag order barring Trump from making statements against certain people connected to his trial. He did not stop to answer a question about the ruling as he left the courtroom for lunch, offering only a fist pump as he walked away.
COURT UPHOLDS GAG ORDER AGAINST TRUMP
A New York appeals court on Tuesday upheld a gag order that bars Donald Trump from making statements against certain people connected to his criminal hush money trial, including witnesses and the judge’s daughter.
The court found that Judge Juan M. Merchan “properly determined” that Trump’s public statements “posed a significant threat to the integrity of the testimony of witnesses and potential witnesses.”
Trump had asked the state’s intermediate appeals court to lift or modify the gag order, which bars him from commenting publicly about jurors, witnesses and others connected to the case, including the judge’s family and prosecutors other than District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
A message seeking comment was left with a lawyer for Trump.
Specifically, according to the ruling, Trump challenged restrictions on his ability to comment about Matthew Colangelo, a former Justice Department official who is a part of the prosecution team, and Merchan’s daughter, the head of a consulting firm that has worked for Trump’s rival Joe Biden and other Democratic candidates.
At an emergency hearing last month, just days before the trial started, Trump’s lawyers argued the gag order is an unconstitutional curb on the presumptive Republican nominee’s free speech rights while he’s campaigning for president and fighting criminal charges.
COHEN DESCRIBES DECISION TO TURN AGAINST TRUMP
Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen described at the ex-president’s hush money trial Tuesday how his family persuaded him to finally turn against Trump after the FBI raided his office, apartment and hotel room in April 2018.
Amid conversations with lawyers, including one connected to Trump loyalist Rudy Giuliani, Cohen said his wife and two children made him see how sticking by Trump was detrimental.
“My family, my wife, my daughter, my son, all said to me, ‘Why are you holding onto this loyalty? What are you doing? We’re supposed to be your first loyalty,” Cohen testified.
Cohen says he came away from the conversation thinking “that it was about time to listen to them” and show loyalty “to my wife, my son, my daughter and my country.”
Cohen pleaded guilty in August 2018 to federal charges involving the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels and other, unrelated crimes and served time in federal prison. Trump bashed him on social media, writing: “If anyone is looking for a good lawyer I would strongly suggest that you don’t retain the services of Michael Cohen!”
Cohen testified that the tweet helped make him feel abandoned by Trump and his associates.
“It caused a lot of angst, anxiety,” Cohen testified.
COHEN RECOUNTS CODE TO REFER TO TRUMP
Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen recounted at the ex-president’s hush money trial Tuesday outreach he received from a New York attorney and code they used to communicate about Trump.
The questioning from prosecutors about Cohen’s interaction with Robert Costello appeared designed to show jurors the efforts the Trump orbit took to try to keep Cohen from cooperating in the case and to lay the groundwork for a potential pardon.
Costello identified himself as a close friend and former co-worker of lawyer and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a “relationship that could be very beneficial to you,” Cohen recalled.
Cohen described a backchannel for him to communicate with Trump via Costello, who would communicate with Giuliani, who would relay information to Trump. Some emails between Cohen and Costello shown to jurors contained what appeared to be disguised references to Giuliani and Trump, with a wink and a nod to the men as “my friend” and “his client.”
“It’s all back channel, sort of ‘I-Spy’-ish,” Cohen said. “Never mentioning President Trump. Just using code word.”
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