- Donald Trump’s lawyer pressured the central witness of Trump’s first trial, Michael Cohen, to admit he’s lying.
Donald Trump’s lawyer turned the spotlight on witness Michael Cohen, accusing him of lying at the former U.S. president’s trial about their phone conversation. According to the witness, he and Trump had a private conversation regarding the hush money payment the former president paid to an adult movie star right before the 2016 presidential election.
Moreover, Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche added that the phone conversation revolved around harassment from a prank caller and not, as the witness stated, about a $130,000 payment that basically bought the silence of Stormy Daniels.
Blanche pushed Cohen’s buttons: “That’s a lie. You can admit it!” to which he responded: “No sir, I can’t because I am not certain that is accurate.” He also added that he still believes he spoke with Trump’s then-bodyguard Keith Schiller about the whole harassment, and also briefly with Trump about the payment. To this statement, Blanche seems to have raised his voice, saying “We are not asking for your belief.”
This exchange took place during the lengthy interrogatory Blanche designed to cast Trump’s former fixer as a spiteful turncoat who’s looking forward to seeing his former boss behind bars. Then, Blanche played the jurors a series of audio clips of Cohen stating that the entire case “fills him with delight” and that he felt very “giddy with hope and laughter” at the thought of Trump being imprisoned.
He also told them that Cohen has lied in the past to both Congress and the U.S. Justice Department and that he lied in court, too. He also pointed out that Cohen privately sought a pardon from the former president while publicly stating he wouldn’t accept one.
Cohen admitted he blamed others, Trump included, in the wake of his own criminal convictions on campaign finance changes but also tax fraud. Obviously, Blanche followed the lead, asking Cohen if the outcome of the trial would directly affect him, to which Cohen admitted that it would.
Trump pleaded not guilty in the very first criminal trial of any former U.S. president in history. The New York case is the first one of four criminal prosecutions that are expecting him in the near future, and it’s likely to be the only one with a jury verdict before his November 5 election rematch with Democratic President Joe Biden.
In this case, Cohen is a central figure. He testified before that Trump ordered him to pay the adult movies actress and protect Trump’s presidential campaign, and discussed a thorough plan to reimburse Cohen using a series of bogus invoices for legal fees.
If you enjoyed reading this article, we also recommend checking:
