Lawyers representing Donald J. Trump are expected to commence cross-examining the prosecution’s key witness, Michael D. Cohen, on Tuesday. This will provide them with an opportunity to challenge the credibility of his testimony regarding a $130,000 hush-money payment and to undermine his account. They will also seek to portray him as a historically combative individual from New York.
During his composed testimony on Monday, Mr. Cohen detailed how Mr. Trump instructed him to make the payment to a porn star and subsequently approved a plan to reimburse him.
Mr. Trump is facing 34 felony charges related to falsifying business records in connection to the reimbursement. Each charge corresponds to a document involved, including 11 checks, 11 invoices, and 12 ledger entries.
In addition to shedding light on the payment to the porn star, Mr. Cohen’s testimony provided insight into the 2016 Trump campaign. This included revelations about the impact of the “Access Hollywood” tape, in which Mr. Trump made controversial remarks about women. Media figures like Chris Cuomo speculated about the repercussions for the candidate, who later dismissed it as “locker-room talk” with credit given to his wife, Melania, for the phrase.
The next significant development was the involvement of Stormy Daniels, a porn star whose allegations against Mr. Trump were deemed potentially damaging, as testified by his former fixer. Mr. Trump reportedly expressed anger at the prospect of her going public with the story, which he has consistently denied.
Mr. Cohen recalled Mr. Trump’s reaction to the situation, stating that the President considered it a “total disaster” and feared repercussions with women. He claimed that Mr. Trump instructed him to “take care of it.”
Here are some key points to keep in mind about the trial:
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Mr. Cohen’s testimony aligned with existing evidence presented in the trial, such as phone records, emails, and text messages related to the $130,000 payment. It also supported the testimony of David Pecker, the former National Enquirer publisher, regarding a deal to suppress negative stories about Mr. Trump. Read more about Monday’s testimony here.
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Mr. Cohen’s role as a fixer involved tasks like managing favorable media coverage for his boss. He intervened to prevent The Enquirer from mentioning Mr. Trump’s past relationship with a Penthouse model in an upcoming story.
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Throughout the proceedings, Mr. Trump appeared mostly passive, listening with his eyes closed and occasionally expressing disbelief. Among his supporters present in court was Senator J.D. Vance, who criticized the lack of opportunity for the former president to defend himself. Vance’s presence was seen as a potential indicator of his interest in becoming Trump’s running mate in the upcoming election.
