Donald Trump's former fixer and nemesis Michael Cohen has taken the stand in Manhattan on Monday in testimony that could make or break the case against the former president.
'I said to him, how’s things going to go upstairs,' Cohen said, looking upward while describing a conversation he said happened inside Trump Tower, where Trump has a penthouse apartment.'Don’t worry. He goes ... how long do you think I’ll be on the market for? Not long. He wasn’t thinking about Melania. This was all about the campaign.
Cohen cracked a smile when he described a boast by Trump where he stacked up well against the football player. 'But she liked Mr. Trump and that women prefer Trump even over someone like Big Ben,' he said. 16:26Cohen tells court it was Melania who suggested 'spin' on Access Hollywood tape Michael Cohen told the court it was Melania Trump who came up with advice to 'spin' the infamous Access Hollywood tape.
This led to 10 or 12 conversations with Weisselberg about the McDougal transaction, Cohen told the court. 15:52Trump is more animated after the break, shaking his dead and smiling dismissively at CohenTrump appeared much more lively when he returned to the courtroom after a short break. So although Trump cannot comment on witnesses, his supporters can ... and did: 'Michael Cohen admitting he secretly recorded his employer. Just totally normal conduct, right? The best part is he said he did it only once and only for Trump’s benefit. A standup guy!'
He looked straight at Cohen when he took the stand, but then he seemed to keep his reactions to a minimum. 15:27Court hears secret audio Cohen made of a Trump phone call in 2016 The court hears a secret audio recording Cohen made of a conversation about the Karen McDougal story. On the tape there is crosstalk between the two men and it is unclear who Trump is referring to when he says: ‘Maybe he gets hit by a truck’.
‘I hope that all of the incredible MOTHERS out there had an incredible day. You are the most special people of them all!!! ❤️Love, DONALD J. TRUMP, 45th President of the United States,’ he wrote on Truth Social.Melania Trump is spending her first Mother’s Day without her mom. Amalija Knavs died in January.
Cohen said he heard about it from American Media Inc., after earlier speaking about his contacts with David Pecker and Dyland Howard, and testifying about what he called a plan to kill negative stories about Trump. We know that Cohen is a convicted perjurer but the prosecution is hoping the jurors are all thinking: Oh, maybe he's not so bad after all.
Trump and his team knew the power the tabloid had as it was sold in so many supermarkets and bodegas. ‘It was Ted Cruz, a photo of his father with lee Harvey Osawald claiming was involved in the assaination of JFK 14:22Cohen reveals he spent so much time with Trump they synced phone contactsMichael Cohen told the court that he spent so much time with Donald Trump that the real estate mogul chose to 'sync' his cell phone.It meant Cohen could get anyone Trump wanted on the line.14:18Cohen admits he would bully people to make Trump 'happy'Michael Cohen was asked by prosecutors about whether he would sometimes bully people while working for the Trump Organization.
14:15Cohen says he could be described as Trump's 'fixer'Michael Cohen testified that it would be 'fair' to characterize him as Trump's former 'fixer.''If it was in order to place a story that would be advantageous I would speak with them,' he said. He would also bring down the hammer. 'If there was an article that caused him displeasure I’d speak with them as well,' he said.Trump has not looked directly at Cohen thus far.
13:59Cohen reveals he was 'honored' to work at the Trump OrganizationCohen told the court he was honored to be offered a job at the Trump Organization in 2007. 13:48Trump: 'The New York Times just came out with a poll, and it shows us leading everywhere'Donald Trump spoke for six minutes before entering the court to face his nemsis Michael Cohen.
13:48Cohen identifies Trump from the stand by his necktieCohen was asked to identify Trump from the witness box where he is delivering testimony. Trump looks straight ahead as his nemesis steps into the witness box and is sworn in. Cohen is wearing a light pink tie and his most earnest expression. He told reporters before entering the courthouse on Monday morning: 'I should be out campaigning now, instead of sitting in a very cold courthouse all day long.'
Prosecutors said last week the agreement showed that under the agreement Weisselberg was entitled to three payments of $250,000 this year and that he couldn’t disparage the Trump Organization. She runs a boutique law firm under her own name, and previously served as New York’s deputy attorney general. She ran investigations for the Moreland Commission, which investigated public corruption. The Harvard College and Yale law grad previously worked at MacAndrews & Forbes and for the firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and worked for a federal judge.
Cohen is set to say that Trump was behind the payment and that the former president personally approved the reimbursements.12:55Is this the final week of the prosecution?The Manhattan District Attorey's office prosecutors indicated on Friday that this would be the final week of their case.The prosecution's final witnesses are set to be less dramatic and could be procedural.There is a chance Trump's lawyers may not call anyone.
Cohen made recordings of a conversation in which he and Trump spoke about the arrangement to pay McDougal through the tabloid publisher. At one point, Trump said: 'What do we got to pay for this? One-fifty?' Trump denies the affair. 12:02The jury gets closer to deliberation: Who are they The jury in Donald Trump's Manhattan hush money trial has already heard three weeks of testimony.
Intelligence Chairman Mike Turner and GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik wrote the Justice Department six months ago with a criminal referral for Cohen. The DOJ confirmed receipt of the letter but has never followed up. 11:18Who Cohen's testimony is so keyThe reimbursements Cohen received form the basis of the charges — 34 felony counts of falsifying business records — against Trump.
But prosecutors relying on someone who was jailed for pleading guilty to federal charges related to the payments and lying to Congress is a risky strategy. The porn star went into detail with her salacious and sometimes lurid claims about the night they allegedly had sex in a hotel room in 2006 - a story Trump has denied.
Some cabinet members, longtime aides and top White House personnel remained loyal until the bitter end and still support him. Others bailed out in the last days of his administration, both before and after January 6.