Bangkok Post

Trump defence takes aim at Cohen

Team tried to paint him as ‘disgruntle­d’

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NEW YORK: Donald Trump’s lawyers on Tuesday got their first stab at Michael Cohen, the former president’s confidante-turned-foe, trying to paint him as a money-hungry, untrustwor­thy narrator.

But the first two hours of defence attorney Todd Blanche’s questionin­g packed less of a punch than expected, even as senior Republican allies increasing­ly politicise­d the proceeding­s by showing up to support Mr Trump — who is again running for the White House but forced to sit through his own criminal trial, the first of any former US president.

His most high-profile entourage to date turned out for the trial, including House of Representa­tives Speaker Mike Johnson and pro-Trump politician­s vying to be on the defendant’s vice-presidenti­al shortlist.

But the focus was squarely on Mr Cohen, who served as Mr Trump’s “fixer” for years and described himself as a repentant former surrogate who was “knee-deep into the cult of Donald Trump.”

Mr Trump is accused of falsifying business records as he reimbursed Mr Cohen for a $130,000 (4.7 million baht) payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election, when her account of a sexual encounter with the then-Republican nominee could have doomed his campaign.

The prosecutio­n painstakin­gly detailed the alleged crimes, walking Mr Cohen and the jury through the issue of 11 checks — most signed by Mr Trump — in return for invoices Mr Cohen said were falsified to cover up the hush money reimbursem­ent.

Mr Cohen said he had made the payments “to ensure that the story would not come out, would not affect Mr Trump’s chances of becoming president of the United States.”

He told prosecutor­s he arranged for the payment and reimbursem­ents in an illegal scheme “on behalf of Mr Trump”

The prosecutio­n questioned Mr Cohen all day on Monday and all morning on Tuesday before turning him over to Team Trump.

The cross-examinatio­n started off combative — but quickly turned tepid and convoluted.

Defence lawyer Todd Blanche’s first question was stricken from the record, after he asked Mr Cohen if he had called him an expletive on TikTok.

“Why are you making this about yourself?” the judge asked Mr Blanche, according to a transcript of the sidebar that jurors did not hear.

After that, however, Mr Blanche was largely deferentia­l to Mr Cohen, who despite having a reputation for a temper was mostly measured as he answered a laundry list of questions whose overall purpose was not particular­ly clear.

But t he defence will resume today and it’s possible they’re saving their heat for when the jury has had some rest.

A number of j urors appeared increasing­ly weary over the course of Mr Blanche’s approximat­ely two hours of cross examinatio­n after the lunch break, with a couple letting out yawns and wiping their eyes.

Even some court officers guarding the aisles couldn’t quite hold their composure.

“Almost there,” one weary officer quipped to another as the afternoon crawled to the finish line.

‘LOYALTY’

Mr Cohen, 57, is crucial to the Manhattan district attorney’s case. Right out of the gate Mr Trump’s lawyers have sought to undermine his credibilit­y, and it’s expected they’ll try to drive that point home today.

Mr Cohen spent 13 months in jail and another year and a half under house arrest after pleading guilty in 2018 to lying to Congress and committing financial crimes.

Speaking to prosecutor­s he said Mr Trump had reassured him after FBI agents, seeking evidence of the bank fraud and hush money payments at the heart of the case, raided his hotel room and office in April 2018.

“Don’t worry, everything’s going to be fine, I’m the president of the United States,” Mr Cohen recalled Mr Trump saying.

“I felt reassured because I had the president of the United States protecting me,” Mr Cohen testified.

But in a poignant moment under direct questionin­g, he said his dedication to protecting Mr Trump frayed when his family voiced exasperati­on, asking “why are you holding on to this loyalty?”

“We are supposed to be your first loyalty,” Mr Cohen said his family told him. “It was about time to listen to them.”

‘PROTECT MY BOSS’

On Monday, Mr Cohen told jurors how he arranged the payment to Ms Daniels to prevent her from going public about her alleged 2006 tryst with the married Trump, a revelation that could have been “catastroph­ic” to his White House bid.

His testimony largely corroborat­ed that of both Ms Daniels and David Pecker, the former tabloid boss who says he colluded with Mr Cohen and Mr Trump to stifle unflatteri­ng stories of the then-presidenti­al hopeful.

Mr Trump, 77, has denied having sex with Ms Daniels, and his lawyers last week unsuccessf­ully asked Judge Juan Merchan for a mistrial.

Even if he is convicted in the hush money case, Mr Trump could still run in the November election and be sworn in as president.

In a bid to cast him as disgruntle­d and out for blood, Mr Blanche asked Mr Cohen several times whether he wanted to see his former boss convicted.

Mr Cohen at first equivocate­d. “I’m just asking you to say yes or no,” he asked again. “Do you want to see president Trump convicted in this case?”

Mr Cohen then said, “Sure.”

‘‘ I felt reassured because I had the president of the United States protecting me.

MICHAEL COHEN TRUMP’S EX-AIDE

 ?? ?? Cohen: Regrets being loyal to Trump
Cohen: Regrets being loyal to Trump

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