Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer and lawyer, is poised to take the stand on Monday as the key witness in the Manhattan district attorney’s case against the former president. Cohen is expected to provide testimony connecting Trump to the $130,000 hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
Throughout three weeks of testimony, jurors have been exposed to a barrage of criticism of Cohen from various witnesses, painting a grim picture of an aggressive, impulsive, and unlikeable attorney.
David Pecker, former head of National Enquirer parent company American Media Inc., described Cohen as “prone to exaggeration.” Former Trump aide Hope Hicks stated that Cohen liked to refer to himself as a “fixer,” a role she suggested was only necessary because “he first broke it.” Keith Davidson, former attorney for Daniels, characterized Cohen as a “jerk,” stating that nobody, including Daniels’ then-manager Gina Rodriguez, wanted to deal with him.
Now Cohen stands as the prosecution’s main witness, tasked with providing testimony to help prove that Trump falsified business records in connection with the reimbursement of the $130,000 payment to Daniels. Trump has pleaded not guilty and denied the affair.
Cohen is the sole witness expected to testify about Trump’s alleged involvement in both the decision to pay Daniels and the subsequent reimbursement scheme. He is likely to guide the jury through the sequence of events, from the initial agreement to purchase negative stories that could harm Trump’s presidential campaign, to the payment made to Daniels just days before the election, and even to a meeting in the Oval Office shortly after Trump’s inauguration.
Prosecutors have prepared the ground for Cohen’s testimony by presenting phone records, emails, text messages, and bank records, all aimed at bolstering his credibility. However, they have not shied away from acknowledging the flaws and controversies surrounding Cohen and other witnesses.
The impending testimony sets the stage for a clash between Trump and Cohen, who once professed his loyalty to the former president. Their last encounter was during Trump’s civil fraud trial in New York last fall, which was marked by tension.
This week, the stakes are higher, with a potential criminal conviction and jail sentence looming over Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
For Cohen, this marks the culmination of a long journey, marred by a three-year prison sentence and home confinement after pleading guilty to federal campaign finance charges related to the payoff to Daniels, among other crimes.
Despite his past, Cohen’s testimony could prove pivotal in the case against Trump. However, his credibility will undoubtedly be scrutinized, with Trump’s attorneys expected to launch a blistering cross-examination aimed at undermining his testimony.
Cohen’s transformation from loyal fixer to key witness against Trump has been marked by personal vendetta, as evidenced by his books, “Disloyal” in 2020 and “Revenge” in 2022, as well as his podcast, “Mea Culpa,” all of which have been highly critical of Trump.
As the trial unfolds, the dynamics between Trump and Cohen will take center stage, with the outcome likely to reverberate beyond the courtroom.
