Former President Donald Trump seems in courtroom throughout his trial for allegedly protecting up hush cash funds at Manhattan Felony Court docket on Might 20, 2024, in New York Metropolis. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying enterprise information within the first of his legal instances to go to trial. (Picture by Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Pictures)
NEW YORK — New York state prosecutors rested their case towards Donald Trump Monday after 4 days of testimony from their key witness, Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen, who says the previous president was effectively conscious of a hush cash cover-up. The protection paints Cohen as a liar.
The Manhattan legal trial, the primary ever for a former president, now in its sixth week, was poised to achieve closing arguments as early as Tuesday. However New York Justice Juan Merchan indicated Monday that proceedings would stretch past Memorial Day.
Trump legal professional Todd Blanche, in a prolonged, and at instances sluggish and disjointed cross- examination Monday, continued wringing Cohen for proof that may persuade jurors the previous fixer can’t be trusted.
Cohen’s earlier testimony that Trump reimbursed him for paying a porn star to remain quiet earlier than the 2016 presidential election is on the crux of the prosecution’s case.
Trump is charged with falsifying 11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entries as routine authorized bills somewhat than reimbursement of the hush cash, amounting to 34 felony counts.
Trump denies any wrongdoing and maintains he by no means had a sexual relationship with grownup movie actress and director Stormy Daniels. She testified otherwise in excruciating and awkward element in early Might.
Monday’s proceedings have been beset with objections and expertise points, and wrapped with tense testimony from the protection’s second witness, Robert Costello, Cohen’s authorized counsel, who promised backdoor communication to Trump after Cohen was underneath the FBI’s thumb in 2018.
The day ended with an extended shot, however anticipated, request from the protection to throw the case out. Merchan dismissed the courtroom, saying he’d problem his ruling Tuesday. The protection is more likely to relaxation its case then as effectively.
Closing arguments are anticipated after the vacation.
On a ‘journey’
Blanche started the day grilling Cohen on his earlier enterprise dealings, revenue and the cash he’s made since breaking ties with the previous president.
Cohen testified that he’s made tens of millions of {dollars} on his books “Disloyal” and “Revenge,” and his podcast “Mea Culpa,” all of which sharply criticize the person from whom he used to hunt reward, as he testified days earlier.
Prompted by Blanche, Cohen confirmed he’s mulling over a 3rd e book, has a tv present within the works titled “The Fixer” and is contemplating a run for Congress as a result of he has “the most effective identify recognition” on the market.
When Blanche recommended Cohen’s identify recognition hinges on Trump, Cohen disagreed.
“I wouldn’t characterize it that approach. My identify recognition is due to the journey I’ve been on,” Cohen stated.
“Properly the journey you’ve been on … has included day by day assaults on Trump,” Blanche responded.
By the course of Blanche’s questioning, Cohen once more acknowledged his earlier crimes and in addition fessed as much as stealing $30,000 from the Trump Group when Trump lagged on paying a tech firm to rig a CNBC ballot of well-known businessmen.
Minutes later, Blanche requested, “Do you have got a monetary curiosity on this case?”
“Sure, sir,” Cohen responded.
When Blanche pressed about whether or not a responsible verdict is Cohen’s most popular end result, Cohen responded, “The reply is not any. It’s higher if he’s not (responsible) for me as a result of it provides me extra to speak about sooner or later.”
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger carried out her redirect at a tidy and speedy clip, main Cohen by way of every of Blanche’s doubting strains of questioning to reaffirm for the jury Cohen’s testimony that Trump’s hand was behind the hush cash reimbursements.
“They’ve requested you loads of questions on the way you’ve made cash and (your) podcast… Placing apart monetary issues, how has telling the reality affected your life?” Hoffinger requested.
“My whole life has been turned the wrong way up as a direct end result,” Cohen responded.
Earlier than the prosecution rested its case, the protection lobbed a prolonged objection to a nonetheless body of a C-SPAN video depicting Trump along with his bodyguard Keith Schiller simply earlier than 8 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2016. The events finally agreed to confess it.
Proof that Trump and Schiller have been collectively that night time looms massive for Cohen’s declare that he spoke to each of them on the cellphone about paying off Daniels.
Trump’s assist contained in the courtroom
A gentle move of high-profile Republican supporters has proven up for the GOP’s presumed 2024 presidential nominee.
Monday’s supporters included Trump ally and legal professional Alan Dershowitz; authorized adviser Boris Epshteyn, who himself is indicted in Arizona for making an attempt to subvert the 2020 presidential election outcomes; and Chuck Zito, an actor and one of many founders of New York Metropolis’s Hells Angels chapter within the Eighties.
A number of Republican lawmakers, together with vice presidential hopefuls, have flocked to Manhattan for the trial.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and former GOP major hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy attended Might 13. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama additionally made appearances final week, alongside Iowa Lawyer Basic Brenna Fowl.
Home Speaker Mike Johnson delivered remarks exterior the courthouse Might 14, slamming the “sham trial” and accusing New York prosecutors of solely wanting to maintain the previous president off the marketing campaign path.
The Louisiana Republican forged Trump as a sufferer of a “travesty of justice.”
Almost a dozen far-right Republican Home members confirmed up Thursday, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Accompanying Gaetz have been different right-wing Home Freedom Caucus members: fellow Floridian Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Waltz; Eli Crane and Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Diana Harshbarger and Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Mike Cloud of Texas; and caucus Chair Bob Good of Virginia.
Talking on the sidewalk exterior the courthouse, Gaetz described the costs because the “Mr. Potatohead doll of crimes,” accusing the prosecution of mixing issues “that didn’t belong collectively.”
Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills of Florida attended earlier within the week.
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