According to Cohen, Trump himself had promised him that he would be paid back the bribe money, which the lawyer had paid to the porn actress out of his own pocket.
of the former President of the United States Donald Trump’s Trump’s former lawyer and creditor took the witness stand in the criminal trial on Monday Michael Cohen.
Cohen, who has already confessed to paying bribes, is one of the most prominent witnesses in the case.
Trump is accused of falsifying his accounting by a porn actress by Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about paying during the 2016 presidential election. According to prosecutors, Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 not to reveal that he and Trump had sex in 2006.
Trump has denied the charges and the allegation of a sexual relationship.
According to Cohen, Trump was closely involved in preventing unpleasant stories for his 2016 presidential campaign from coming to light.
– Everything required Trump’s approval, Cohen said in court.
Cohen said he opened a bank account to cover his payments to Daniels and told Trump about it.
According to Cohen, Trump had promised to reimburse the amount paid to Daniels when they discussed the matter Trump Organization’s CFO by Allen Weisselberg with.
– He (Trump) told me not to worry, you will get your money back, Cohen said.
Cohen said the men also discussed whether the repayment would be marked as legal fees.
“It was all about the campaign”
According to Trump’s lawyers, the trickle-down money was intended to protect the Trump family from the embarrassment of the story. On the witness stand, Cohen argued that Trump’s only concern was the impact of the Daniels story on the campaign.
– He didn’t think Melania. This was all about the campaign, Cohen said, referring to Trump’s wife.
Trump’s lawyers have claimed that Cohen lied about Trump’s involvement in the bribery payment. According to the lawyers, Cohen would have paid Daniels on his own. Cohen said in court that he would not have taken such significant steps without Trump’s approval.
Cohen will return to the witness stand on Tuesday. During the defense’s turn of questioning, Trump’s legal team is believed to be trying to paint a picture of Cohen as an unreliable witness.
Already in the opening statement of the trial, Trump’s lawyers described Cohen as a self-confessed liar who obsessively seeks to attack Trump. In addition to paying the bribe money, Cohen has previously also admitted that he lied to the country’s Congress about Trump’s intentions to build Trump Tower in Moscow.
Sources: AP, Reuters, AFP