Former Trump adviser will face cross-examination by former president’s lawyers

Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former adviser turned enemy, expects a tough round of questioning from the former president’s lawyers on Tuesday after testimony that linked the celebrity client to every aspect of a hush money scheme. which prosecutors said was intended to quell stories that threatened his 2016 campaign.

Cohen returns to the stand Tuesday as the prosecution’s star witness, where a day earlier he delivered actionable testimony that got to the heart of the former president’s trial.

“Everything required approval from Mr. Trump,” Cohen said.

He placed Trump at the center of the money scheme to maintain his silence, saying he had promised to repay money the lawyer had advanced for payments and was constantly informed of behind-the-scenes efforts to bury stories that were feared to be damaging. for the campaign.

“We need to keep this from coming to light,” Cohen quoted Trump as telling him, referring to porn actor Stormy Daniels’ account of a sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier. The then-candidate was especially concerned about how the story would affect his standing among female voters.

A similar episode occurred when Cohen alerted Trump that a Playboy model was alleging that she and Trump were having an extramarital affair. “Make sure it doesn’t get published,” was Cohen’s message to Trump, the lawyer said. The woman, Karen McDougal, received $150,000 in a settlement that was made after Trump received a “complete and total update on everything that occurred.”

“What he was doing, he was doing at the direction and benefit of Mr. Trump,” Cohen testified.

Trump has pleaded not guilty and has denied both sexual encounters.

Cohen is by far the prosecution’s most important witness, and while his testimony lacked the electricity that defined Daniels’ turn on the stand, it linked Trump directly to the payments and helped illuminate some of the driest evidence, such as text messages and phone records that jurors had already seen.

[Con información de The Associated Press]

Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channels Youtube, WhatsApp and to newsletter. Turn on notifications and follow us on Facebook, x and instagram.