Michael Cohen, the former personal lawyer for Donald Trump, testified in the former president’s hush-money trial in New York, revealing shocking details about his time working for Trump. Cohen confessed to lying and bullying on Trump’s behalf, stating that he did whatever was necessary to accomplish the task at hand.
During his testimony, Cohen described his role as Trump’s fixer, handling a variety of tasks for the former president. He testified that he never worked as a traditional corporate lawyer and instead reported directly to Trump, handling everything from renegotiating bills to planting positive stories in the press. Cohen also revealed that Trump preferred to communicate by phone or in person, avoiding email to prevent potential legal issues.
One key revelation from Cohen’s testimony was his account of efforts to quash negative stories about Trump before the 2016 election. Cohen detailed a meeting with Trump and David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, where they discussed using the tabloid to boost Trump’s campaign while suppressing damaging stories about him. Cohen also described how he was pressured by Pecker to get Trump to reimburse the tabloid for payments made to suppress stories, including one about an alleged affair with a Playboy model.
Cohen also testified about Trump’s reaction to allegations made by adult film star Stormy Daniels, who claimed to have had a sexual encounter with Trump. Cohen stated that Trump was furious about the situation and was solely focused on the impact it could have on his presidential campaign. Despite Trump’s lawyers suggesting that the payment to Daniels was made to spare embarrassment, Cohen maintained that Trump’s primary concern was the effect on his candidacy.
In his testimony, Cohen detailed the hush-money payment he made to Daniels, which is central to the prosecution’s case against Trump. Cohen stated that Trump instructed him to delay the payment until after the election, but eventually told him to “just do it” as the story was about to come out. Cohen ultimately paid Daniels out of his own pocket, believing that Trump would reimburse him.
Overall, Cohen’s testimony provided a damning account of Trump’s involvement in efforts to suppress negative stories and pay hush money to protect his image. The trial continues to unfold, with Cohen’s testimony shedding new light on the inner workings of Trump’s inner circle.
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1. Cohen testified that he did whatever Trump wanted, acting as a fixer for the former president and handling tasks such as renegotiating bills, threatening to sue people, and planting positive stories in the press.
2. Cohen detailed efforts to quash negative press about Trump, including a meeting with the publisher of the National Enquirer to suppress stories that could harm Trump’s candidacy. He also discussed the $130,000 payment made to Stormy Daniels to keep her from speaking publicly about an alleged affair with Trump.
3. Cohen revealed that the publisher of the National Enquirer pressed him for reimbursement for the payment made to Daniels, expressing concerns about hiding the cost from the CEO of the parent company and the existence of files related to Trump.
4. Cohen testified that Trump was furious about Daniels’ claims and the potential impact on his presidential campaign, telling Cohen to “just do it” and make the payment to Daniels after initially urging him to delay it until after the election.
5. Cohen’s testimony provided insight into Trump’s handling of negative stories and efforts to protect his image, as well as the extent of Cohen’s involvement in carrying out Trump’s directives.