Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s disgraced ex-attorney and fixer, took aim at his former boss on a contentious and crowded day in the court. Cohen testified that it was Trump and only Trump who was ultimately responsible in directing his subordinates to fraudulently increase his net worth. Cohen was on the witness stand answering questions while Trump sat 10 yards away.
During a break in his Tuesday legal business fraud trial, past president Donald Trump speaks with the media. Stefan Jeremiah, AP Photo
Fight misinformation by subscribing to Mother Jones Daily’s completely newsletter and keeping up with important news. Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s disgraced former attorney and fixer, took aim at his former boss on a controversial, packed day in court. Cohen testified on Tuesday that it was Trump and just Trump who was ultimately in charge of ordering his subordinates to improperly inflate his net worth. Trump sat only 10 yards away, hunched over the defense attorney table, his shoulders uncomfortable, rolling forward, and his head bowed as Cohen responded to questions from the witness stand.
Cohen appeared subdued when responding to questions from prosecutors in the New York attorney general’s office, merely occasionally casting a glance over at Trump. Cohen had worked for Trump for years before flipping on his old boss to take on new responsibilities as his antagonist. Cohen mostly focused on the state attorney guiding him through his testimony while reading his glasses while perched on his nose. The calm back-and-forth gave little indication of the animosity that would erupt in the courtroom after that day when Trump’s team had its first opportunity to cross-examine Cohen.
The main issue with the continuous trial is how much money Trump should be held accountable for his wrongdoing. Cohen was giving a testimony in the$ 250 million civil fraud case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James against Trump, alleging that Trump had inflated the values of various properties in order to obtain favorable terms from banks and insurance companies. Trump did really commit fraud, according to Judge Arthur Engoron, who is in charge of the trial. The third week of the ongoing trial is presently primarily focused on Trump’s potential financial punishment for his wrongdoing.
The day started off with a dispute over Covid between lawyers. The trial was put on hold on Monday after one member of James’ office contracted the virus next week and some more over the weekend. All of the attorneys in court had tested damaging by Tuesday morning, but Trump attorney Chris Kise criticized James and her office for failing to warn everyone about the potential exposure earlier. Kise stated that he wanted the trial to be postponed for a few more days.
We’re only going to break all the rules and protocols, it seems, aside from pursuing President Trump. Since Kise sued Amazon over Covid safety protocols, she said,” Frankly it’s irresponsible ,” adding that James was being” hypocritical.”
Engoron said the trial would go on but added that N95 masks were accessible for anyone who was worried. Although a number of reporters did, none of the Trump attorneys accepted the judge’s mask offer. Alina Habba, another Trump attorney who is infamous for her snarling cable news appearances, abruptly cut Engoron off to inform her that she wouldn’t be using the same microphone as the attorney general staff.
Numerous reporters were typing aloud on laptops inside the courtroom as a small army of armed court police officers stood watch and patrolled the aisles. The sides of the room were lined with nearly a dozen plainclothes security guards, some from the Secret Service and some with the attorney general’s office, who kept the general public some rows away from their attorneys. When Trump did not attend the trial, there appeared to be fewer than 10 reporters present and only two armed officers stood guard. The packed conditions were a stark contrast to those days.
Numerous photographers and cameramen lined the hallway outside the court, their flashing strobing lights flickering beautifully as soon as the doors opened.
Cohen was called by James’ office to testify as a witness who could explain how the deceptive numbers were created, and on Tuesday, not long after taking the witness stand, Cohen gave his testimony.
In a stable, collected voice, Cohen testified,” I was given the task by Mr. Trump to increase the total assets, based on the number he unilaterally elected.” And it was my duty, along with Allen Weisselberg’s, to increase the assets in the different asset classes in order to reach the target Mr. Trump had set for us. Weisselberg served as the Trump Organization’s CFO at the time. He testified against the Trump Organization in its own tax evasion trial next year after entering a guilty plea to the charge.
Cohen was much more confident in the cooperation in his testimony, saying,” I was tasked by Mr. Trump to increase the total assets, based upon a number that he randomly elected.” Cohen did never hesitate when asked how much he and Weisselberg had exaggerated the value of different properties.
Whatever number Mr. Trump instructed us to call, he said.
After discussing what Trump’s genuine net worth was, Cohen described a procedure in which he would be called into his office and Trump would give Cohen and Weisselberg more money. Finally, in an effort to make Trump appear wealthier than he actually was, Cohen and Weisselberg would flee to his office. Weisselberg testified earlier this month on behalf of James as a unwilling witness, claiming that he every presented the false assessments of Trump’s wealth to Trump for approval. He claimed in his testimony, but, that he didn’t remember collaborating with Cohen on the numbers.
On Tuesday, as Trump entered the courtroom, he appeared worn out and a little drained. He walked slowly and stiffly, nodded to someone in the front row, but occasionally glanced faintly away to Letitia James’ seat. He boisterously whispered to his attorneys at various points, but the audience could hardly hear him. Trump would shake his head and whisper more vehemently to his attorneys during Cohen’s testimony, especially when he spoke about his interactions with Trump individually.
Trump’s attorneys objected when Cohen brought up a failed attempt by Trump to raise money to buy the Buffalo Bills NFL team, claiming that the deal not materialized and wasn’t covered by James’ fraud complaint. Cohen’s claim that the Trump Organization had created numbers the NFL might want to see was part of a pattern of behavior, according to James’ attorneys. Trump raised his hands and started tapping and whispering his lawyer’s hand when Engoron sided with James’ office. A related response from Trump last week led to the judge reprimanding him.
Later this afternoon, during a cross-examination from Habba, Cohen’s composed demeanor started to show some cracks. Before she and Cohen started arguing, Habba had hardly finished her second round of inquiries. Cohen was questioned by Habbara about his 2019 criminal pleas to tax evasion charges, which he presently claims are untrue.
Did you tell your wife a lie? Cohen responded angrily when Habbara asked, and James’ attorneys, who claimed the question was” below the belt,” erupted in protest.
Habba grinned and turned to face her client and the audience, saying,” Plainly I hit a trigger with you.”
The two kept fighting. Cohen repeatedly stated that he” objected” in response to questions that bothered him, which is something a witness cannot do. Habba, on the other hand, yelled at Cohen whenever he attempted to sidestep a query.
Habba said,” I get to ask the questions and you answer them because you’re never on CNN and your podcast.”
Both of them were warned by Engoron, who appeared to be somewhat amused by Habba’s theatrics and irritated by the tiresome bickering. Please refrain from making speeches, he said.
Afterwards, when Cohen attempted to dodge a question once more, Engoron groggily added,” Just answer the question.”
The cross-examination of Habba will resume on Wednesday. Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s disgraced former attorney and fixer, took aim at his former boss on a contested, crowded day in court. Cohen testified on Tuesday that it was Trump and just Trump who was ultimately in charge of ordering his subordinates to improperly inflate his net worth. Trump sat only 10 yards ahead as Cohen responded to inquiries from the witness stand.
Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s disgraced ex-attorney and fixer, took aim at his former boss on a contentious and crowded day in the court. Cohen testified that it was Trump and only Trump who was ultimately responsible in directing his subordinates to fraudulently increase his net worth. Cohen was on the witness stand answering questions while Trump sat 10 yards away.
On Tuesday, former President Donald Trump spoke to the press while he was taking a break from his civil business fraud lawsuit. AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah. Sign up for the complimentary Mother Jones Daily publication and follow the stories that are pertinent. On a heated and busy regular court session, Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s disreputable ex-attorney and fixer, attacked his ex-boss. Cohen stated on Tuesday that only Trump was responsible for instructing his employees to falsely increase his wealth. Cohen was questioned from the stand while Trump was seated in close proximity, stooped at the defense counsel table. His whole body was stiff and his head was bent low. Cohen, who had professed his loyalty to Trump in the past but recently had become a rival, refrained from looking towards his ex-boss as he answered prosecutors from the New York attorney general’s office. Cohen mainly concentrated on the lawyer representing the state while he had his reading glasses perched on his nose. The initial peaceful discussion concealed the animosity that suddenly broke out when Trump’s side was given the opportunity to interrogate Cohen. The incidence is focused on the amount of money the former President has to pay as a consequence of his misdeed. Cohen was called as a witness for New York Attorney General Letitia James’ trial, where she is looking for the punishment of $250 million for Trump due to him stretching the prices of his productive possessions to obtain improved deals from banks and insurance businesses. The presiding judge, Arthur Engoron, established that Trump had perpetrated a deceit.
