Former US President Donald Trump's lawyer pressured key witness Michael Cohen during cross-examination on Thursday, questioning the credibility of his testimony. This is happening within the framework of the first criminal trial against a former US president in New York, reports AFP.
We remind you that Trump is accused of falsifying documents for large sums. He reimbursed Cohen $130,000, according to documents. In fact, they were allegedly paid to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election to buy her silence about his relationship with Trump. This happened before his election campaign.
The defense team tried to suggest that Cohen was actually a disgruntled former employee who was lying for revenge.
Earlier in the week, Cohen directly accused Trump of fraud, admitting that he was made to pay many people to keep quiet.
The case comes just six months before Election Day, when Trump hopes to win back the White House.
Under Trump's close watch, defense attorney Todd Blanch began his second round of questioning, emphasizing Cohen's history of lying, particularly under oath.
In addition to listing Cohen's countless frauds - which he has admitted to in the past, including on direct examination - the defense also released clips from podcast episodes of the witness, in which they often discuss the former president.
"You better believe I want this guy down," he said in a 2020 episode
Cohen has repeatedly said he takes "responsibility" for his actions and suffered the consequences. Before the trial, including in his books, he did not hide his contempt for his former boss.
Meanwhile, Trump has complained that his campaign for another term in the White House has been hampered by weeks of court proceedings that he must attend every day.
Describing the case as politicized, he was backed by an entourage of leading Republicans at the New York trial, with his latest team of allies including lawmakers Matt Goetz and Lauren Bobert.
Outside court, Trump again raged about "what a sham this whole thing is".
"I've been sitting here for almost four weeks. And we still have a long way to go," he said.
The defense has not finished questioning Cohen and will continue on Monday. There is no hearing Friday because of the graduation ceremony for Trump's youngest son, Barron.
Prosecutors said Cohen, 57, was their final witness in the case.
His story generally lined up with Daniels and David Packer, the tabloid's boss, who said he worked with Trump and Cohen to suppress negative coverage during the Republican's 2016 bid for the White House.
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Trump denies ever having sex with Daniels.
It is unclear whether he will testify.
The defense indicated it would like to call one expert witness to explain the status of the campaign finance.
But the prosecution objected, saying that only the judge should explain how the law is applied.
This is just one of the cases brought against Trump.
He could owe more than $100 million in back taxes as a result of the Internal Revenue Service's years-long investigation into claims of massive losses from his Chicago skyscraper.
Trump has declared massive financial losses twice - first on his 2008 tax return, when he declared the building, then in debt, to be "worthless," and again after 2010, when he transferred her ownership in a new company also controlled by Trump.
As a result of the 2008 claim, Trump reported losses of $651 million for the year, and there is no evidence that it was challenged by the IRS, the publications reported.
A judge ruled earlier in May that Donald Trump's trial in Florida on charges of illegally storing classified documents after he left office be postponed indefinitely.
This significantly reduces his chances of facing a jury in either of the two federal criminal cases against him before the November 5 US election.
U.S. District Judge Eileen Cannon, who was appointed by Trump in 2020, said Tuesday that the trial would not begin on May 20, but did not set a new date. Cannon scheduled preliminary hearings to continue until July 22.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 40 federal charges that he withheld classified national security documents at his Mar-a-Lago Florida estate after leaving office in 2021 and obstructed the US government's efforts to obtain them .
Despite the legal problems, Trump is the Republican favorite for president.