{"id":26390,"date":"2023-10-25T05:32:48","date_gmt":"2023-10-25T09:32:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=26390"},"modified":"2023-10-25T05:34:07","modified_gmt":"2023-10-25T09:34:07","slug":"michael-cohen-the-onetime-personal-lawyer-for-donald-trump-testifies-against-his-former-boss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2023\/10\/25\/michael-cohen-the-onetime-personal-lawyer-for-donald-trump-testifies-against-his-former-boss\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Cohen, the onetime personal lawyer for Donald Trump, testifies against his former boss"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><b class=\"ssrcss-hmf8ql-BoldText e5tfeyi3\">Five years after they last met in person, the former president and his self-described fixer were reunited in court on the most anticipated day yet in Donald Trump&#8217;s fraud trial.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The New York County Courthouse&#8217;s Roman fa\u00e7ade and frescoed interiors have played backdrop to many iconic movies and television shows &#8211; perhaps, most famously, Goodfellas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The scene inside the building today was very much real life, but the dramatic stakes were something straight out of cinema: the consigliere turning on his boss, the underling exacting revenge on the master.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Michael Cohen, the onetime personal lawyer for Mr Trump, took the stand on Tuesday to testify against his former boss in a high-stakes civil fraud case that could see the former president lose a portion of his famous real estate business.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The anticipation for this hearing was high. Though Mr Cohen has provided damaging testimony to prosecutors several times by now, this was the first time he had sat before Mr Trump while he did it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;Heck of a reunion,&#8221; Mr Cohen quipped to reporters before walking in to face his boss.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Dressed in a blue blazer, Mr Cohen had ditched the tie but kept his signature hangdog expression and thick Long Island accent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">This being an actual court proceeding, not a cinematic one, there were no bombshell revelations or accompanying gasps from the audience. There was no spontaneous outburst from the defendants.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"unordered-list-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1o5f7ft-BulletListContainer e5tfeyi0\">\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li><a class=\"ssrcss-k17ofw-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-us-canada-67212196\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Three key moments from Cohen&#8217;s day in court<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"ssrcss-k17ofw-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-us-canada-66949606\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The glitzy New York buildings that Trump could lose<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">But over several hours, Mr Cohen provided damaging testimony that repeatedly tied his own actions, and the actions of all the employees at the Trump Organization, directly to Mr Trump.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Mr Cohen testified that he answered to Mr Trump, and Mr Trump alone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;Whatever issues he had, whatever created ire for him, he would bring it to me in order to resolve it,&#8221; he told the court.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Later, he said Trump personally asked him and Allen Weisselberg, the convicted ex-chief financial officer of the company, to inflate his assets &#8220;arbitrarily&#8221; by a number he had chosen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">They did &#8220;whatever Mr Trump told us to,&#8221; Mr Cohen said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">In this setting, there was not much Mr Trump could offer in response aside from folded arms and a stony expression. But in the court of public opinion, Mr Trump has sought to paint his former personal counsel as a traitor and a &#8220;rat&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Walking into court on Tuesday, he told reporters that Mr Cohen was a &#8220;proven liar&#8221; and a &#8220;felon&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;You see what his record is, he is not a credible witness,&#8221; Mr Trump said. His lawyers picked up that thread during their cross examination.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Alina Habba began by making Mr Cohen read out his guilty pleas from 2018 one by one. She later read federal government statements that Mr Cohen engaged in a &#8220;pattern of deception.&#8221; If Cohen could not be trusted then, she argued, how could they trust what he said under oath today?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">At one point, Mr Cohen clearly grew irritated with her questioning and began to interject. When she said he was out of order, Mr Cohen began dictating Supreme Court precedents to justify his statements.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Chris Kise, Mr Trump&#8217;s lead attorney, declared that Mr Cohen was &#8220;out of control&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-19w8cxh-ComponentWrapper-HeadlineComponentWrapper egtrm1f0\" data-component=\"subheadline-block\">\n<h2 id=\"Years-of-loyalty-then-a-falling-out\" class=\"ssrcss-y2fd7s-StyledHeading e10rt3ze0\" tabindex=\"-1\"><span role=\"text\">Years of loyalty, then a falling out<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Mr Cohen once claimed he would &#8220;take a bullet&#8221; for his boss.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The pugnacious lawyer was at his side as he built his real estate empire &#8211; an empire that prosecutors now allege was built on a foundation of fraud.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">During the 2016 election, Mr Cohen had arranged hush money payments to an adult film star whom Mr Trump denies he had an affair with (the former president faces a criminal trial related to those payments in New York next year).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">But in 2018, during Mr Trump&#8217;s presidency, Mr Cohen turned on him in the face of serious legal jeopardy. He eventually went to prison after pleading guilty to charges of tax evasion, lying to Congress, and campaign finance violations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Since his release, Mr Cohen has undergone a very public reversal, becoming one of Mr Trump&#8217;s harshest critics and a star witness in not one but two criminal investigations into the former president. He has handed over financial documents to Congress, bashed Mr Trump in the press and said Mr Trump inflated his personal wealth.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-xza2yt-ComponentWrapper ep2nwvo1\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-4qvfmb-StyledFigure e34k3c23\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1hq4gmv-Placeholder etlorgc0\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/14124\/production\/_131521228_308162eb19ccc566293b27509459d08263aecb81.jpg.webp 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/14124\/production\/_131521228_308162eb19ccc566293b27509459d08263aecb81.jpg.webp 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/14124\/production\/_131521228_308162eb19ccc566293b27509459d08263aecb81.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/14124\/production\/_131521228_308162eb19ccc566293b27509459d08263aecb81.jpg.webp 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/14124\/production\/_131521228_308162eb19ccc566293b27509459d08263aecb81.jpg.webp 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/14124\/production\/_131521228_308162eb19ccc566293b27509459d08263aecb81.jpg.webp 976w\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"ssrcss-evoj7m-Image edrdn950\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/14124\/production\/_131521228_308162eb19ccc566293b27509459d08263aecb81.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/14124\/production\/_131521228_308162eb19ccc566293b27509459d08263aecb81.jpg 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/14124\/production\/_131521228_308162eb19ccc566293b27509459d08263aecb81.jpg 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/14124\/production\/_131521228_308162eb19ccc566293b27509459d08263aecb81.jpg 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/14124\/production\/_131521228_308162eb19ccc566293b27509459d08263aecb81.jpg 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/14124\/production\/_131521228_308162eb19ccc566293b27509459d08263aecb81.jpg 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/976\/cpsprodpb\/14124\/production\/_131521228_308162eb19ccc566293b27509459d08263aecb81.jpg 976w\" alt=\"Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's ex-lawyer, arrives in court where he will testify against his former boss\" width=\"976\" height=\"549\" \/>(Image: Reuters)<\/picture><\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Mr Trump responded with a $500 million lawsuit against Mr Cohen. His lawyers now say that suit is on pause as he juggles four other criminal cases with a presidential campaign.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">New York Attorney General Letitia James has brought a civil fraud case against the Trump Organization, Mr Trump, and his two sons, Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump. She alleges that the company massively inflated its properties&#8217; value for personal gain and to secure favourable loans.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Mr Trump has denied any wrongdoing. He has accused Ms James, a Democrat, of leading a politically motivated prosecution.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Judge Arthur Engoron has already ruled the Trump Organization perpetrated fraud. The current trial focuses on other charges of falsification of business records, business fraud, and conspiracy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Should Mr Trump lose, he could face a fine of up to $250 million, lose his ability to conduct real estate business in New York, and find the future of some of his most famous properties at stake.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Meanwhile, barred from practicing law, Mr Cohen, like so many who have been ejected from Mr Trump&#8217;s orbit, has written a book.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-11r1m41-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">He titled it, &#8220;Revenge&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-us-canada-67211840\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\">Five years after they last met in person, the former president and his self-described fixer were reunited in court on the most anticipated day yet in Donald Trump&#8217;s fraud trial. The New York County Courthouse&#8217;s <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2023\/10\/25\/michael-cohen-the-onetime-personal-lawyer-for-donald-trump-testifies-against-his-former-boss\/\" title=\"Michael Cohen, the onetime personal lawyer for Donald Trump, testifies against his former boss\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26391,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[109,2,3],"tags":[285,305,9512,5023,521,9840],"class_list":{"0":"post-26390","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headline","8":"category-news","9":"category-usa","10":"tag-donald-trump","11":"tag-fraud","12":"tag-indictments-of-donald-trump","13":"tag-michael-cohen","14":"tag-new-york","15":"tag-new-york-county-courthouse","16":"pmpro-has-access"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26390","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26390"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26390\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26393,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26390\/revisions\/26393"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}