Key takeaways as ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen testifies in New York trial
Al Jazeera
Cohen testifies in former president’s hush-money trial about efforts to quash negative stories before 2016 election.
Michael Cohen, the key prosecution witness in Donald Trump’s hush-money case, has testified against the former United States president in one of the most widely anticipated days in court since the trial began.
Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer, told the court on Monday that he lied and bullied on behalf of his former boss.
“It was what was needed in order to accomplish the task,” said Cohen, periodically glancing over at Trump, who was slouched in his chair at the defendant’s table in the New York City courtroom.
Prosecutors have accused Trump of falsifying business records related to hush-money payments made before the 2016 election, which he won.
The prosecution’s case hinges on a $130,000 payment Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the vote, in an effort to keep her from speaking publicly about a 2006 sexual encounter she says she had with Trump.
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