Donald Trump’s hush money trial has entered its final stretch as the prosecution’s star witness Michael Cohen returned to the stand Monday. In his testimony last week, Cohen placed the former president directly at the center of the alleged scheme to stifle negative stories to fend off damage to his White House bid. Among other things, Cohen told jurors that Trump promised to reimburse him for the money he fronted and was constantly updated about efforts to silence women who alleged sexual encounters with him. Trump denies the women’s claims.
Here’s the latest:
Quick Read
- Trump Hush Money Trial Advances: As Donald Trump’s hush money trial progresses, prosecution’s key witness Michael Cohen returned to testify. He previously implicated Trump in a scheme to suppress negative stories during his presidential campaign, which Trump denies.
- Defense Scrutinizes Cohen: The defense cross-examined Cohen, focusing on his past misdeeds and various sources of income to challenge his credibility. They highlighted his admitted theft from Trump’s company and his earnings from books critical of Trump.
- Trial Heading Toward Conclusion: The trial is nearing its end, with prosecutors indicating they will rest their case after Cohen’s testimony concludes. It’s uncertain if Trump’s defense will call witnesses or if Trump himself will testify.
- Upcoming Closing Arguments: Closing arguments are tentatively scheduled for the Tuesday after Memorial Day, contingent on the proceedings of the coming days.
- Cohen’s Role and Challenges: Cohen, a central figure in the trial, faced rigorous questioning about his reliability and past dishonesty. Despite this, he maintained his claims about Trump’s involvement in the payments.
- Next Steps in the Trial: The prosecution plans to introduce additional evidence, including a C-SPAN video screenshot, to support Cohen’s statements about his communications with Trump regarding the payments.
- Public and Political Reactions: Outside the courtroom, Trump’s supporters criticized the trial and the judicial process, declaring Cohen untrustworthy and asserting Trump as a victim of misconduct.
The Associated Press has the story:
Prosecution moves ahead with redirect of Cohen after cross-examination concludes
Newslooks- NEW YORK (AP) —
Donald Trump’s hush money trial has entered its final stretch as the prosecution’s star witness Michael Cohen returned to the stand Monday.
In his testimony last week, Cohen placed the former president directly at the center of the alleged scheme to stifle negative stories to fend off damage to his White House bid. Among other things, Cohen told jurors that Trump promised to reimburse him for the money he fronted and was constantly updated about efforts to silence women who alleged sexual encounters with him. Trump denies the women’s claims.
Defense attorneys resumed cross-examination of Cohen with questions about his interactions with reporters and a series of questions about his business dealings and other activities in the lead-up to the payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels. They further dug into Cohen’s sources of income in the years since Trump originally took office, as well as income he has earned criticizing the former president.
Prosecutors have said they will rest their case once Cohen’s testimony concludes, though they could call rebuttal witnesses if Trump’s lawyers call their own witnesses to the stand. The defense isn’t obligated to call any witnesses, and it’s unclear whether the attorneys will do so. It also remains unclear whether Trump will testify.
Merchan said earlier in the day that closing arguments could take place the Tuesday after Memorial Day.
The trial is in its 19th day.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
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.
PROSECUTION SEEKS TO SHOW SCREENSHOT OF C-SPAN VIDEO TO JURY
After the jury was excused for lunch on Monday, prosecutors said they’re seeking to show them a screenshot from a C-SPAN video of Donald Trump and his bodyguard Keith Schiller together at a campaign event on Oct. 24, 2016, just minutes before Cohen called Schiller’s cell phone.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told Judge Juan M. Merchan they wanted to show the image to blunt any suggestion by the defense that Trump and Schiller might not have been together at the time in question. Trump lawyer Todd Blanche said he never suggested, nor would he suggest, they were apart.
Cohen previously testified that he needed to speak with Trump “to discuss the Stormy Daniels matter and the resolution of it” and he knew that Schiller would be with him. Cohen wired $130,000 to Daniels’ lawyer two days after the call in question.
Citing text messages and telephone records, Blanche pressed Cohen last week on the subject matter of the call, eliciting testimony that the witness was also dealing with harassing phone calls from a person who’d identified himself as a 14-year-old boy.
TRIAL BREAKS EARLY FOR LUNCH
Court proceedings in Donald Trump’s hush money trial broke early for lunch on Monday.
Judge Juan M. Merchan made the announcement following a bench conference prompted by prosecutor Susan Hoffinger’s question revisiting Michael Cohen’s testimony about a phone call he said he had with Trump on Oct. 24, 2016.
Cohen previously testified that he spoke with Trump about paying porn actor Stormy Daniels, but Trump’s lawyers suggested Cohen was contacting Trump’s lawyer to complain about a prank caller.
THE SCENE OUTSIDE THE COURTHOUSE
Donald Trump’s entourage of political supporters spoke to news reporters Monday in the park across from the Manhattan courthouse where his criminal trial is currently taking place.
The group sought to attack the case, the judge, the judge’s daughter and President Joe Biden.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said Michael Cohen — who is currently on the witness stand — lied to Congress, the media and the court.
“You’d have trouble finding a single person he has actually told the truth to,” Wilson said.
Kash Patel, who served in Trump’s administration, said that Monday’s proceedings marked the first time in six weeks of trial that “we finally have a crime,” because Cohen admitted to stealing money from the Trump Organization.
“We also have a victim. That victim is Donald J. Trump,” Patel said.
U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia called for the U.S. government to withhold any federal money from being used in New York’s court system and Illinois Rep. Mary Miller said “any normal judge would have dismissed this case by now.”
PROSECUTORS REMIND COURT THAT COHEN ISN’T ON TRIAL
As she questioned Michael Cohen again on redirect, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger took a dig at the defense’s exacting cross-examination of him during Donald Trump’s hush money trial.
“I know you might feel like you’re on trial here after cross-examination, but are you actually on trial here?,” she asked.
“No, ma’am,” Cohen replied after a defense objection was overruled.
Asked to describe the difference between testifying in court against Trump and the 2018 federal case in which he pleaded guilty to various crimes, Cohen said: “My life was on the line. My liberty. I was the defendant in that case. Here, I’m just a non-party subpoenaed witness.”
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