Donald Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, admitted this Monday, May 20, that he stole thousands of dollars from the former president's company, while the Trump lawyers tried to cast doubt on Cohen's credibility in the trial that is pending against the former president for accusations that he paid to cover up unfavorable news.
The historic trial resumed today with the interrogation of Cohen, whose testimony last week linked the former president directly to the plot for which he is accused. Defense attorneys have already questioned Cohen about his judicial record and past lies, in order to portray him as a inveterate liar who only seeks revenge on Trump.
Pressed by attorney Todd Blanche, Cohen admitted he took money that was supposed to be part of a $50,000 refund. to a technology company, for which he admitted that he gave the company only 20 thousand dollars.
“So you stole from the Trump Organization,” Blanche said.
“Yes, sir,” Cohen responded, adding that he never reimbursed Trump’s company. Cohen has never been criminally charged with stealing from the company.
He is the prosecution's last witness and it is unclear whether Trump's defense will call any witnesses, much less whether the virtual Republican presidential candidate will take the stand.
Donald Trump trial: What issues have been raised against the former US president?
After more than four weeks of testimonies about sex, money, tabloid tabloids and the way Trump's company keeps its balance sheets, Jurors could begin deliberating next week on whether Trump is guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records, in the first criminal trial of a former US president.
The charges stem from records of the Organization Trump in which payments to Cohen, formerly Trump's confidant, were classified as legal expenses, when the prosecution says they were actually a reimbursement to Cohen for $130,000 paid to porn actress Stormy Daniels so that she would not disclose the sexual relationship she says she had with Trump.
Trump has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers insist that there was no nothing criminal about the deal with Daniels or about the way Cohen was paid.
“There is no crime,” Trump told reporters upon arriving at the courthouse on Monday. “We pay a legal expense. Do you know how it was registered? Like a legal expense.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office is expected to conclude its arguments once Cohen leaves the stand, but prosecutors will have the opportunity to call additional witnesses to respond in case he Trump's team calls its own witnesses. Judge Juan M. Merchan, citing calendar issues, anticipates that the final presentations will take place on Tuesday, May 28.
