The payout isn’t illegal, but Trump is accused of falsifying records to hide it – a claim he denies.<\/p>\n
On Monday, his trial in New York heard from Mr Cohen, once a lawyer and self-described “fixer” for the ex-president.<\/p>\n
Trump’s lawyers have painted the hush money as an attempt to protect his wife from rumours and upset.<\/p>\n
![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/24\/05\/768x432\/skynews-cohen-trump_6553264.jpg?20240513213856\")
<\/div>However, Mr Cohen said his boss was purely concerned with keeping the claims quiet as he ran for the presidency.<\/p>\n
“He wasn’t thinking about Melania. This was all about the campaign,” he said, prompting Trump to shake his head in response.<\/p>\n
Mr Cohen told the court he’d heard Daniels was considering selling her story and he told his boss swift action was required.<\/p>\n
The witness claimed Trump was angry when he learned about the porn star’s story and said to him: “I thought you took care of this.”<\/p>\n
![\"Stormy](\"https:\/\/e3.365dm.com\/24\/02\/768x432\/skynews-stormy-daniels-donald-trump_6456682.jpg?20240215154121\")
<\/div>He said Trump told him: “This is a disaster, total disaster. Women are going to hate me. Women will hate me. Guys, they think it’s cool, but this is going to be a disaster for the campaign.”<\/p>\n
Cohen said he asked Trump how the story might impact his marriage to Melania, with Trump allegedly responding: “Don’t worry… how long do you think I’ll be on the market for? Not long.”<\/p>\n
Cohen said that comment led him to conclude that “this was all about the campaign.”<\/p>\n
Trump denies the affair and his lawyers say Mr Cohen acted on his own – a claim he denied in court.<\/p>\n
He told jurors in Manhattan that “everything required Trump’s sign-off” and he was ordered to “just do it”.<\/p>\n
Mr Cohen said he stumped up the $130,000 himself after Trump told him he would pay him back.<\/p>\n
He said he set up a shell company – listed as a “real estate consulting company” – to make the payment.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors say Trump later paid the money back and covered it up by recording it as a legal retainer fee.<\/p>\n
He faces 34 counts of falsifying business records over the claims.<\/p>\n
Read more: The court also heard a recording of a conversation between Trump and Mr Cohen over hush money said to have been paid to another woman, former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who he also allegedly had an affair with.<\/p>\n Mr Cohen suggests in the recording setting up another company to repay David Pecker – who said he provided the $150,000 to cover up the story.<\/p>\n The former National Enquirer boss previously testified he bought the story to keep it hidden and eventually decided against seeking reimbursement.<\/p>\n Later in the recording, Trump can be heard suggesting the $150,000 might be better off being paid in cash.<\/p>\n Mr Cohen told the court this was to “avoid any type of paper transaction”.<\/p>\n The 57-year-old – who once said he would take a bullet for Trump – worked for him for nearly a decade.<\/p>\n He pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance law in 2018 over the Stormy Daniels payment and was jailed, but at the time prosecutors did not bring charges against Trump.<\/p>\n Mr Cohen’s credibility is in the sights of defence lawyers as he has previously admitted lying under oath.<\/p>\n Trump – who will take on Joe Biden in his bid to become president again in November – is unlikely to face a custodial sentence if found guilty.<\/p>\n His other cases are potentially more damaging but mired in delays.<\/p>\n They concern allegations of keeping stacks of secret documents after leaving office and trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat. He denies the claims.<\/p>\n Source: \u00a0
\nPorn stars, sex scandals and zzzs: A to Z of Trump trial<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Sky](\"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/sky-news-logo-1.png\"){kind=logo}
<\/a> news.sky.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"