- Donald Trump’s lawyers proceed with attempts to convince the judge to dismiss the hush money trial.
Donald Trump’s lawyers insisted that his first criminal hush money trial should be dismissed before it reaches the jury, citing that the testimony of star witness Michael Cohen is not credible given his own criminal record and prolonged history of lying.
Justice Juan Merchan didn’t rule right away on the request, which is a routine procedure in any criminal trial. In fact, it’s rarely granted. However, he did suggest that savvy jurors might be able to assess the credibility of Cohen’s testimony for themselves.
“Even if you think his lies are irrefutable, do you think he will fool 12 New Yorkers?” Merchan asked Todd Blanche, Trump’s lawyer, who sought dismissal. This exchange took place at the end of the day and focused primarily on Cohen’s character and credibility.
At the outset of Monday, Merchan declared he expects the two sides to present their closing arguments next week, immediately followed by jury deliberations.
The first former president who might face a criminal trial, Donald Trump, pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to silence adult movie star Stormy Daniels, who repeatedly threatened to go public right before the 2016 presidential election with her account of an alleged encounter with Trump, a liaison he completely denies.
Michael Cohen, Trump’s estranged former fixer and lawyer, testified that he had multiple conversations with Trump about the payment to Daniels in the last days of the 2016 presidential campaign, which is currently the pillar of the prosecution’s case.
However, Trump’s lawyers also made Cohen admit that he stole money from his former boss. He explained that he was angry that the annual bonus was less than he expected, especially after handling the entire Daniels ordeal.
He also added that he paid roughly $20,000 in cash in a paper bag to a tech company out of $50,000, keeping the rest. The Trump Organization later reimbursed him $100,000 in total to account for the taxes Cohen had to pay.
It’s worth mentioning that Michael Cohen is, after all, a convicted felon and admitted liar, but he’s still the one to carry all the baggage as a witness. As a former zealous defender of Trump, he has now become a fierce, foul-mouthed critic. Blanche thinks the case should be dismissed due to the fact that Cohen is not credible.
“There is absolutely no way that the court should let this case go to the jury relying on Cohen’s testimony.” he stated this outside the presence of the jury, adding that in Cohen’s testimony, there’s really “no case.”
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