Trump Defense Dissects Cohen’s Testimony, Raises Doubts on Prosecution’s Case

Clear Facts

• The defense team of former President Donald Trump has challenged the credibility of the prosecution’s key witness, Michael Cohen, in a Manhattan courtroom. Cohen, previously Trump’s attorney, has testified about allegedly falsified business records of Trump related to a non-disclosure agreement.
• Although the state statute of limitations for misdemeanor charges has elapsed, District Attorney Alvin Bragg is attempting to charge Trump with a felony, arguing that the former president manipulated records to hide an unmentioned federal crime.
• Cohen’s testimony was scrutinized by defense attorney Todd Blanche, who pointed out vital inconsistencies in Cohen’s narrative. This has led some to question Cohen’s reliability on the stand.

In a Manhattan courtroom, former President Donald Trump’s defense team delivered a thorough cross-examination of the prosecution’s primary witness, Michael Cohen. Cohen defended his previous allegations of Trump’s supposed falsification of business records related to a 2016 non-disclosure agreement involving adult film actress Stormy Daniels (Stephanie Clifford).

Despite the expiration of the state’s statute of limitations for misdemeanor charges, District Attorney Alvin Bragg is trying to charge Trump with a felony. This is based on the claim that Trump intentionally falsified records to conceal a federal crime. The alleged crime, however, has not been specified by the prosecution.

Cohen testified that Trump directed him to alter records regarding payments made to Daniels. Cohen stated that he personally funded these payments and was later reimbursed by Trump through a misleading legal retainer agreement, all in an effort to avoid reporting the payments to the Federal Elections Commission (FEC).

Defense attorney Todd Blanche critically examined Cohen’s testimony, highlighting its inconsistencies and questioning Cohen’s credibility. Blanche refuted Cohen’s previous claims about a phone call discussing the payments to Daniels in October 2016 by presenting text messages and call logs suggesting the call was about a different issue.

The defense also sought to clarify that the non-disclosure agreement was a private issue and not intrinsically illegal. Doubts were raised about Cohen’s claim that Trump instructed him to write a check to model Karen McDougal as part of another non-disclosure agreement. Blanche contested Cohen’s interpretation of Trump’s use of the word “cash” as meaning a check, suggesting it could merely refer to a payment made without borrowing funds, as is common in real estate transactions.

With Cohen’s credibility under scrutiny, even from media figures often critical of Trump, his position on the stand appears increasingly precarious. The defense’s probing has left observers questioning the strength of the prosecution’s case and the accuracy of Cohen’s claims. As the trial progresses, all eyes will be on the courtroom to see how these allegations against the former president play out.

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