Donald Trump’s former “fixer” Michael Cohen today (14/5) testified in court about an Oval Office meeting during which the then US president-elect confirmed a plan to covertly reimburse Cohen for a payment that had done to a porn star in order not to reveal the love affair she had with the tycoon.
Cohen, the prosecution’s most important witness in Trump’s criminal trial in New York, also admitted to lying on multiple occasions, including under oath, but stressed that he did so out of loyalty to Trump as prosecutors seek to forestall an anticipated defense attack on Cohen’s credibility.
On the first day of his testimony yesterday, Cohen detailed how Trump ordered him to pay porn star Stormy Daniels — “just do it,” Cohen recalled Trump telling him to keep her quiet about it with an alleged sexual encounter they had in 2006.
Cohen’s $130,000 payment in October 2016 is at the center of Trump’s trial, the first for a former US president, which is now in its fifth week.
Prosecutors say Trump paid off Cohen after the election through fake invoices that said they were for legal fees. Those disguised reimbursements are the basis for the 34 counts of falsifying business records Trump faces.
In his testimony today, Cohen recounted an Oval Office meeting with Trump in February 2017 when the newly sworn-in president told him he would soon receive the first two installments of a bonus package. That package, Cohen said, included refunds of the money he spent paying Daniels.
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger showed Cohen a series of invoices and checks, some signed by Trump himself, that the witness said were falsely billed as payments to him for his legal services.
“There was no indemnity agreement, was there?” Hofinger asked.
“No, ma’am,” Cohen replied.
Michael Cohen, 57, also admitted to lying to Congress several times during an investigation into Trump’s ties to Russia, eventually pleading guilty to perjury. He also told jurors that he repeatedly lied about payments to Daniels and another woman, telling reporters that Trump had no involvement and pressuring Daniels to release a statement denying their meeting.
Asked how he knew Daniels’ statement was false, Cohen replied, “Because I helped him write it,” referring to Daniels’ lawyer.
In 2018, during a federal investigation into the Daniels case, the FBI raided Cohen’s residence. He said he called Trump in a panic.
“He told me, ‘Don’t worry, I’m the president of the United States, there’s nothing here, everything’s going to be fine, stay strong, you’re going to be fine,'” Cohen said. That was the last time they spoke directly, Cohen added.
Sources: APE-MPE, Reuters
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