For nearly a decade, Michael Cohen was Donald Trump’s trusted adviser, personal attorney, and self-described “attack dog with a law licence”.
But Monday morning, Cohen is set to serve as the star witness in Trump’s New York criminal hush money trial, potentially delivering testimony that could cement the Manhattan district attorney’s case and send Cohen’s former boss to prison.
Prosecutors hope his testimony will support their allegations of criminal conduct against Trump in front of a jury that has already heard from 19 different witnesses and seen 200 pieces of evidence. While the jury has seen Trump’s signatures on the allegedly fraudulent cheques at the centre of the case, some witnesses have seemingly distanced Trump from the alleged unlawful conduct – leaving Cohen with the burden of pinning Trump to the crime.
According to prosecutors, Cohen was in the room when Trump and former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker agreed to a catch-and-kill scheme to illegally hide negative information about Trump from 2016 voters; coordinated with Pecker to kill two stories about Trump; and himself made a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to buy her silence about an alleged 2006 sexual encounter with Trump.
The former president, who has denied the encounter took place, is on trial for allegedly falsifying business records related to Cohen’s reimbursement in 2017.
While prosecutors have already warned the jury that many witnesses have “baggage” and have asked jurors to “keep an open mind,” Cohen’s value to the prosecution’s case could be endangered by the disbarred lawyer’s credibility issues. Cohen in 2018 pleaded guilty to tax evasion, campaign finance violations, and lying to Congress in what Cohen says was an effort to protect Trump. The former president’s lawyers have argued that Cohen perjured himself again when he testified at Trump’s civil fraud trial last year, and accuse Cohen of making his livelihood off books and podcasts that antagonize Trump.
“He has a goal, an obsession with getting Trump, and you’re going to hear that,” defence lawyer Todd Blanche told jurors during his opening statement. “I submit to you that he cannot be trusted.”
Prosecutors have attempted to preempt the defence’s attacks on Cohen by emphasizing that he was acting on Trump’s orders when he committed crimes and has since atoned for his actions.
“You’ll also learn that Cohen has publicly committed to making sure the defendant is held accountable for his role in this conspiracy,” prosecutor Matthew Colangelo told jurors, later adding, “I suspect the defence will go to great lengths to get you to reject his testimony precisely because it is so damning.” (CBS)
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