The criminal trial of Donald Trump, who engineered a hush-money scheme to save his 2016 presidential campaign from numerous stories of his misconduct, reached its dramatic finale on Tuesday as his former fixer Michael Cohen completed his testimony for the prosecution. entered into. Then Trump’s lawyers appeared poised to strike, and when they were finally given the chance to strike back, the former president’s lawyers were surprisingly cool. Tuesday is the end of Monday and the beginning of Tuesday. The prosecution began with the usually talkative and combative Cohen, calmly explaining every step of Trump’s plan to make adult film star Stormy Daniels pay for keeping her silent about sexual encounters she testified about. . erase. As the prosecution’s case concluded, tension rose in the courtroom. Trump’s lawyers were expected to attack Cohen, attacking his credibility and his long history of lies (much of which he said were for Trump’s benefit).
Trump attorney Todd Blanche began with a snide jab at Cohen, asking if they had ever met, and when Cohen said they hadn’t, he asked if Cohen had actually ever described Blanche as a “crying little shit” on TikTok at one point. . Cohen agreed that was the type of thing he would say, and it was as hostile as the afternoon was. Blanche appeared to navigate Cohen through a series of questions designed to confirm that she had previously lied and that she did, in fact, harbor a deep dislike for her former employer. Among the other strange testimony Blanche elicited from Cohen was the following corroboration:
- Cohen wants to see Trump go to jail.
- Cohen called Trump a “shameful cartoon misogynist” and a “Cheeto-dusted cartoon villain.”
- Cohen sells merchandise on his website, including a T-shirt showing Trump in an orange jumpsuit and one that says “Prisoner 45.”
Cross-examination is scheduled to continue Thursday, but so far it’s a far cry from the Trump team’s attacks on Cohen during his civil fraud trial last fall. Cohen also testified, and Trump’s lawyers did not hesitate to repeatedly attempt provocation. Cohen even taunted his wife about whether she lied to him. In this case, Trump’s lawyers continued to argue with Cohen, and Cohen quickly became embarrassed. But on Tuesday, Cohen remained calm throughout his testimony, answering slowly and methodically as Blanche examined him.
Even Trump, a noisy presence, sat quietly with his eyes mostly closed while his former fixer testified in his fraud trial. Cohen had to impose a gag order to prevent Trump from attacking him outside the courtroom.
The trial is expected to conclude around next week. Cohen is central to the prosecution’s case against Trump, and prosecutors said Tuesday he will be their final witness. Trump’s lawyers told Judge Juan Mercan they had very limited plans to call witnesses but had not yet decided on whether to have Trump take the stand in his own defense.
Despite the calm cross-examination, Cohen continued his testimony smoothly from the previous day on Tuesday morning and repeated his statements to the prosecution. Cohen testified Monday how he rewarded adult film star Stormy Daniels and others who threatened to reveal embarrassing stories about Trump in the weeks before the 2016 presidential election. For Daniels, it was a story about a sexual encounter at a golf tournament, which she refused to call her relationship or romantic relationship on her stand. She agreed to pay Daniels $130,000, and despite Trump’s insistence that the deal be finalized, Cohen was unable to get Trump to pay in the final days before her election and decided to supply it herself. On Tuesday, he detailed his own efforts to get repayment, testifying that while in the White House, Trump personally signed off on payments to reimburse Cohen under the guise of legal fees. Cohen did little of his legal work, he said.
Cohen also testified that when news of the cover-up leaked in 2018, Trump urged him to remain loyal and keep quiet.
“I said, ‘It’s okay. I’m the president of the United States. There’s nothing here. Everything’s going to be okay. Stay strong.’” Cohen said President Trump told him in his final speech, “It’s going to be okay.”
But Cohen said he was not okay with it when he became the subject of an investigation by then-FBI Director Robert Mueller. At that point, Cohen turned to the jury, looking emotional and speaking with his family, who he said questioned why he remained loyal to his old boss who had done little for him since taking office.
“Why are you holding on to this loyalty? What are you doing? We must be your first loyalty.” Cohen said his family asked him.
Prosecutors also walked us through some of Cohen’s worst moments after he was elected, including his plan to use his once-close relationship with Trump to sell access to him, his repeated and blatant lies on behalf of the former president, and his conviction for payments. Daniels and another woman served a year in prison. Discussing these low points was part of prosecutors’ strategy to get ahead of attacks from Trump’s legal team. No attack was made, at least not at first.
Ultimately, the case may come down to which version of Cohen’s jury will believe. The erratic, stubborn, and vengeful serial liar that Trump’s defenders were trying to bring out in their sharp attacks, or the former erratic, stubborn, and vengeful serial liar that he now professes to be. Regrets his subservience to Trump. Cohen seemed to have a strong will to confess his guilt through direct investigation by the prosecution. During a day and a half of testimony, Cohen explained how he came to Trump’s attention, who bought property in his building and then offered his services as an over-the-top attack dog who raged against anyone who threatened Trump’s success. . He ran for president. Cohen also spoke at length about how he constantly came back to Trump to detail his exploits, which he admitted were desperate attempts to gain approval and affection.
When it was Blanche’s turn to attack Cohen and his credibility, Cohen seemed to have confessed almost everything Blanche had wanted to ask. One of the biggest revelations from the initial cross-examination was that, despite Trump’s repeated efforts to portray the case against him as a conspiracy closely controlled by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Cohen had never personally met Bragg. He testified that there was no such thing.
Even before the testimony began that day, expectations for the drama to unfold were running high outside the courtroom. There was no sign of protesters, either for or against Trump, but a crowd of more than 100 curious members of the public began lining up at 4 a.m. to secure coveted seats in the courtroom or a nearby overflow courtroom. The trial is being broadcast live. Many of the hopefuls seemed older or retired, and seemed most pleased to see progressive commentators passing through the courthouse. However, most people in line were disappointed and only about 20 court tickets were given out. Dozens of journalists were also left without tickets. One man who appeared to be a Trump supporter was reprimanded for refusing to give up his ticket.
When it became clear that very few people would be able to attend, at least one person at the back of the line paid the woman at the front $350 cash to get in. She previously declined an offer of $80. Considering the cold tone of the afternoon’s testimony, the buyer may regret the gift he received.
