Former attorney Cohen admits to stealing from Trump.
Donald Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen is set to be the final witness for the prosecution in the hush money trial against the ex-president. Trump is facing 34 counts of falsifying business documents. Cohen is being presented by the defense as a liar and they're trying to coax a confession out of him.
During cross-examination, Cohen admitted to stealing $50,000 from his previous employer, the Trump Organization. He claimed that he'd only paid the company $20,000 in cash, with the remaining $30,000 serving as his own pocketed profit. "Did you steal from the Trump Organization?" his lawyer, Todd Blanche, inquired. "Yes, sir," Cohen admitted. He had never repaid the stolen amount.
Cohen was the prosecution's last witness, with the defense set to interrogate another lawyer named Robert Costello next. Costello had once worked with Cohen but later fell out with him and has since considered him unreliable. Costello accused Cohen of trying to ruin Trump's reputation. Cohen countered that Costello was attempting to coerce him during the Trump investigation to prevent him from aiding the investigators.
The trial, which has been ongoing for over four weeks, may soon be approaching its conclusion. The jurors are expected to deliberate as early as next week to determine if Trump is guilty of the 34 counts of falsifying business records. Trump has pleaded not guilty throughout the trial.
The case revolves around the payout of $130,000 made by Cohen to porn star Stormy Daniels. Cohen allegedly gave her this amount to prevent her from publicly disclosing a rumored sexual encounter with Trump during the 2016 campaign. Trump was later said to have reimbursed Cohen for this payment. Prosecutors have accused Trump of falsifying documents to mask the real reason behind the transaction. Trump has adamantly denied any intimate relationship with Daniels. Judge Juan Merchan expects the closing arguments to occur on May 28.
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Michael Cohen, the former attorney for Donald Trump, testified about his involvement in a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign in the ongoing trial in the USA. Despite Trump's plea of not guilty, Cohen's testimony and the prosecution's allegations suggest that Trump may have knowingly falsified business records in an attempt to conceal the nature of the payment.
Source: www.ntv.de
