Observers in a Manhattan courtroom were left astonished by the defense attorneys representing former President Donald Trump during a cross-examination of the prosecution’s star witness, former Trump attorney Michael Cohen.
Trump is currently facing trial for allegedly falsifying business records in connection to a non-disclosure agreement with adult film star Stormy Daniels (Stephanie Clifford) in 2016. As the statute of limitations had expired for misdemeanor charges under state law, District Attorney Alvin Bragg had to find a way to charge Trump with a felony. He did so by accusing Trump of falsifying records to hide a federal crime, although the specific crime has not been disclosed to the court by the prosecutors.
Earlier in the week, Cohen testified that Trump instructed him to falsify records regarding the payments made to Daniels. Cohen claimed that he borrowed money from his personal funds to make the payments and was later reimbursed by Trump through a misleading legal retainer agreement. The purpose of this arrangement, according to Cohen, was to avoid reporting the payments to the Federal Elections Commission (FEC). It is worth noting that neither the FEC nor federal prosecutors have accused Trump of any wrongdoing. This may be due to previous unsuccessful prosecutions of politicians involving similar payments, as well as the difficulty in proving that non-disclosure payments made to protect one’s personal reputation are primarily campaign expenses.
During Thursday’s cross-examination, defense attorney Todd Blanche challenged key aspects of Cohen’s testimony, causing his credibility to unravel on the witness stand. For instance, Cohen had initially claimed during direct examination on Tuesday that he discussed the payments to Daniels in an October 2016 phone call. However, Blanche presented text messages and call logs that suggested the phone call was actually about a different subject, undermining Cohen’s claim. Even CNN’s Elie Honig and Anderson Cooper, who are not known for being supporters of Trump, acknowledged that Cohen’s credibility had been severely damaged.
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https://x.com/MAGAIncWarRoom/status/1791160699709718964
