Trump Lawyers to Throw Final Blows Against Michael Cohen in Secret Trial

donald trumpJohn’s lawyers are expected to deal their final blows to the credibility of Michael Cohen, the former lawyer and middleman who facilitated the payment of $130,000 in hush money to the adult film star Stormy Danielsas the criminal case against the former president resumes on Monday.

The defense team has already taken several steps to undermine Cohen’s testimony, which is at the heart of the case.

It made him claim last week that the hush money was part of a good faith agreement, in an attempt to counter the prosecution’s claim that it was fraudulent to record the payment as legal expenses.

Related: Trump Secret Trial: Here’s What’s Happened in the Case So Far

Cohen has also been faced with accusations that he has lied whenever it suited his needs: lying to Congress about a Trump real estate deal in Moscow, to a federal judge in 2018, and in his testimony to prosecutors about Trump’s involvement in the money secret. . agreement – ​​the latter he denied.

When Cohen returns to the stand for further questioning in the first criminal trial of a US president, it will be his fourth and likely final day of testimony. After Cohen finishes, the prosecution is expected to rest its case.

It remains to be seen whether Trump will testify in his own defense, even though Trump has suggested he wants to testify. If Trump does not testify, closing arguments in the case could take place on Tuesday. Since court is not in session on Wednesdays, the jury could begin deliberating on Thursday.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of criminal falsification of business records. Prosecutors must prove that Trump authorized what he knew were hush money reimbursements to be falsely labeled as “legal expenses” in Trump Organization records, with the intent to commit a second crime.

The criminal case against Trump stems from his attempts to suppress negative stories about alleged sexual encounters he had with Daniels and others, out of fear that they could negatively affect his campaign just weeks before the 2016 election.

Cohen was perhaps the prosecution’s most important witness, as he remains the only person who directly linked Trump to the money-hiding deal. But he is far from the ideal person to provide evidence, given the fertile ground for the defense to question his honesty and motivations.

Cohen’s motivation for lying in his trial testimony, Trump’s lead defense lawyer Todd Blanche suggested, was to see Trump go to prison after the then-president abandoned him when federal prosecutors charged him with tax evasion and false statements six years ago. years.

Blanche suggested that Cohen lied at trial about several things since the time of the non-disclosure agreement: that he didn’t want a White House job, which they said contradicted his private messages at the time, and that he didn’t want a job. pardon, when he asked his lawyers to analyze such a possibility.

Blanche also accused Cohen of lying about key testimony: Cohen’s claim that when he called Trump’s then-bodyguard, Keith Schiller, on October 24, 2016, it was to inform Trump that he was moving forward with paying hush money to Daniels.

But Blanche offered an alternative explanation. Based on Cohen’s messages to Schiller, Blanche suggested that Cohen actually called Schiller to complain about prank calls by a 14-year-old boy and that the phone call was too short – one minute and 30 seconds – for him to tell Trump about the deal. .

“You can admit” that you lied, said Blanche, raising her voice. “No, sir, I can’t,” Cohen replied.