Trump’s defense gets turn at Cohen
‘I was knee-deep into the cult of Donald Trump, yes,’ he says on stand
a day and a half of ex-lawyer Michael Cohen telling his story his way, former President Donald Trump’s attorney pounced on the prosecution’s star witness, interrogating his memory and motives.
Prosecutors in the first criminal trial of a U.S. president are trying to prove that Trump falsified business records to cover up unlawfully interfering in the 2016 election through a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. Trump has pleaded not guilty.
The prosecution portrayed Cohen as remorseful, a brass-knuckled worm who turned and regretted his loyalty to “the Boss.”
However, Cohen’s record is spotty: He pleaded guilty to lying to Congress, among other crimes, and was disbarred. As the witness spoke, defense lawyers sharpened their knives.
Under aggressive questioning by attorney Todd Blanche, Cohen acknowledged calling the former president a “dictator douchebag” on TikTok and saying that Trump belongs in a “cage, like an animal.”
He admitted he had persisted in commenting on the case even after prosecutors expressed frustration.
The jurors appeared riveted. Cohen said he was on TikTok, where he mentions Trump practically daily, to “vent.” But yes, he answered Blanche, he was also there to make money.
The defense showed pictures of Trump-themed merchandise Cohen sells, including mugs reading, “Send him to the big house, not the White House.”
“I would like to see accountability. It’s not for me – it’s for the jury and this court,” Cohen said in response.
Though the defense generally wants to show Cohen was a liar, Blanche asked him to confirm he hadn’t lied when he praised Trump in 2016.
“I was knee-deep into the cult of Donald Trump, yes,” Cohen said.
Though the presumptive GOP presidential nominee has lost the good opinion of his former fixer, he had plenty of support in the courtroom from his son, Eric; Eric’s wife Lara Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee; and rival-turned-vice presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy.
And he had support outside, where House Speaker Mike Johnson spoke in a park, saying what Trump can’t under a gag order that prohibits him from criticizing witnesses, jurors, court staff or the judge’s families. An appeals court upheld the gag order Tuesday.
“The judicial system in our country has been weaponized against President Trump,” the Louisiana Republican said.
Cross-examination will continue Thursday.
Fake invoices and presidential protection
Earlier in the day, Cohen cut to the core of the prosecution’s case. Why did he pay Daniels $130,000? “To ensure that the story would not come out, would not affect Mr. Trump’s chances of becoming president of the
United States,” Cohen said.
Would Cohen have paid if not for the campaign?
“No.”
On whose behalf did he do it? “Mr. Trump.”
Cohen said he submitted invoices that falsely stated they were for a retainer agreement or services rendered in 2017.
He had already told jurors these payments were in fact reimbursing him for the Daniels payment as well as reimbursing him for another expense and padding his 2016 bonus.
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger displayed a series of checks for those payments. Several had Trump’s personal signature, Cohen said, confirming earlier witnesses.
He admitted he wanted to cash in as the president’s personal lawyer, saying he made $4 million from clients around that time.
Anticipating the defense, Hoffinger addressed a lapse in honesty directly: a Feb. 8, 2018, statement Cohen’s lawyer made to the Federal Election Commission. The statement referred to “Ms. Clifford,” Daniels’ legal last name.
It said: “Neither the Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign was a parAfter ty to the transaction with Ms. Clifford, and neither reimbursed Mr. Cohen for the payment directly or indirectly.”
The sentence was literally true but intentionally misleading, Cohen said: Trump’s revocable trust and Trump himself reimbursed him.
Cohen later pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations, including in relation to the Daniels hush money. Judge Juan Merchan told jurors that they could not consider the Federal Election Commission’s investigation when determining Trump’s guilt.
In 2018, the FBI raided Cohen’s office and the tables began to turn.
Cohen called Trump. “I was scared,” he testified. “I wanted some reassurance that Mr. Trump had my back, especially as this dealt with issues that related to him.”
Trump called back and said, allegedly, “Don’t worry. I’m the president of the United States. There’s nothing here. Everything’s going to be OK. Stay tough. You’re going to be OK.”
“I felt reassured, because I had the president of the United States protecting me. His Justice Department should go nowhere,” Cohen said. “And I remained in the camp,” lying about Trump’s involvement.
Trump conveyed a message via tweet as well, as was his wont. The president praised Cohen as “a fine person with a wonderful family,” and said while most people would flip, Trump didn’t see Cohen doing that.
Those tweets “reinforced my loyalty,” Cohen said.
But he eventually decided his loyalty should be “to my wife, my daughter, my son and the country,” he said.
Trump’s call from the White House was, Cohen testified, the last time they spoke.
The prosecutor asked Cohen if he had any regrets about his time with Donald. Yes, the disgraced lawyer said. “I regret doing things for him that I should not have,” Cohen said. “To keep the loyalty and to do things that he had asked me to do, I violated my moral compass and I suffered the penalty, as has my family.”
Hoffinger said she had no further questions.
Contributing: Reuters