Donald Trump's lawyers depicted Michael Cohen as a liar and Trump-hater at his New York criminal trial, claiming Cohen acted alone in paying off a porn star.
By Arforbes
Legal experts assert that prosecutors supported Cohen's testimony with corroborative accounts, phone logs, and other hard evidence.
Cohen testified that
Trump directed him to pay Stormy Daniels $130,000 before the 2016 election to keep quiet about an alleged 2006 sexual encounter and approved falsifying records to cover up the deal.
Defense lawyer
Todd Blanche cross-examined Cohen, portraying him as a spiteful turncoat falsely implicating Trump.
The defense argued
that Trump was not involved in the details of Cohen's reimbursements central to the case.
Although prosecutors couldn't fully corroborate Cohen's private conversations with Trump, they established Trump's awareness of the scheme, highlighting his micromanagement style.
Prosecutors emphasized circumstantial evidence linking Trump to the payments, supported by testimony from legal experts like Professor Rebecca Roiphe.
Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, with prosecutors alleging the altered records concealed election-law and tax-law violations, elevating the crimes to felonies.