Michael Cohen, the former lawyer for Donald Trump, testified in a $250 million civil fraud trial that Trump had asked him to increase the value of his assets based on a number chosen by the former president. Cohen described his role as “reverse engineering” the value of assets to achieve Trump’s desired number. He also attributed his guilty plea in 2018 for lying to Congress about Trump’s efforts to obtain a property in Russia to Trump’s direction and benefit. After the court recessed for lunch, Trump criticized Cohen, calling his record “horrible” and stating that he is not a credible witness. Judge Arthur Engoron instructed Cohen not to speak to reporters in the hallway. Follow for the latest updates.
Trump claimed that the court failed to mention the COVID-19 outbreak and expressed his belief that Cohen is not a credible witness. Trump stated that he was not concerned about Cohen’s testimony and predicted that it would not end well for him. Judge Engoron maintained his instruction for Cohen not to speak to reporters in the hallway.
Before Cohen took the stand, Trump shared snippets of praise from Cohen about him on Truth Social, a social media platform.
During his testimony, Cohen wasted no time in blaming Trump for the federal crimes he pleaded guilty to in 2018. Cohen claimed that one of the charges, lying about Trump’s efforts to acquire a property in Russia, was done at Trump’s direction and benefit. He also acknowledged making public comments about his conviction on multiple occasions.
Cohen approached the witness stand without making eye contact with Trump, who sat with his arms crossed. The two men had not seen each other since five years ago when Trump was president and Cohen was his fixer.
Struggling to keep up with all the charges facing Trump? After leaving office, Trump has been involved in numerous criminal and civil cases. Some of these cases are set to go to court next year as Trump campaigns for a return to the White House in 2024. The charges against him include attempting to alter the election result, paying hush money to a porn star, and mishandling White House documents. Here is an overview of the key cases.
In another setback for Trump, a fourth co-defendant in the 2020 election interference case, Jenna Ellis, pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against him if needed. Ellis, a member of Trump’s legal team, admitted to assisting Trump’s efforts to overturn his election defeat in Georgia. She expressed remorse for not thoroughly vetting claims about voter fraud made by other Trump attorneys.
For a decade, Michael Cohen worked as Trump’s lawyer and fixer, helping to cover up what he referred to as Trump’s “dirty deeds.” However, since facing legal troubles of his own, Cohen has become an archenemy of his former boss. Cohen facilitated the hush money payment that led to Trump’s indictment, and now he is set to testify against Trump in a $250 million fraud trial brought by the New York Attorney General.
Trump’s lawyer requested a fresh microphone in court due to concerns about COVID-19. An outbreak reportedly spread to four court staff members. The court staff accommodated the request and replaced the microphone.
The first witness to testify was Bill Kelly, the general counsel of Mazars, Trump’s accounting firm. Kelly stated that receiving a subpoena is not grounds for terminating a client relationship. However, after Mazars was subpoenaed for information about Trump’s CFO, the firm decided to end its relationship with Trump Org.
Trump’s lawyer asserted that it was “beyond irresponsible” to hold proceedings due to the positive COVID-19 tests among the attorney general’s legal team. He expressed concern about exposing Trump to unnecessary risk.
Trump criticized Cohen as a “proven liar” before entering the New York courtroom. He accused Cohen of seeking a better deal for himself but claimed that the case against him was baseless.
Michael Cohen arrived at court and emphasized that the trial is about accountability, not a personal vendetta between him and Trump. Cohen left the determinations up to Judge Engoron.
Last week, the judge overseeing the fraud trial fined Trump $5,000 for violating a gag order. Trump made false claims that a court clerk was involved romantically with Chuck Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader. The judge had threatened to jail Trump before issuing the fine.
Welcome to our live coverage of Donald Trump’s New York civil lawsuit. Stay tuned for the latest developments as Michael Cohen testifies against his former boss.
