Trump is said to have then asked the lawyer to “take care” of Daniels’ story, Cohen claims.
This is the bribery case against Trump
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Trump is indicted for violating the Accounting Act in connection with a payment of $130,000 from Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen to porn actress Stormy Daniels in 2016.
The payment took place just before the US presidential election, which Trump won.
Daniels allegedly received the money to keep a lid on the fact that she and Trump had had sex in a hotel ten years earlier.
It is not illegal to pay someone to remain silent, but it is illegal to camouflage it as a campaign contribution.
The indictment against Trump is about the fact that he allegedly tried to hide the fact that he transferred money to Cohen, after the payment to Daniels.
Trump denies the two ever had sex. At the alleged time, he had been married for a year and a half to his third wife, Melania, who later became the first lady of the United States.
– You’re a billionaire, just pay it
According to Cohen, Trump allegedly asked him to control the story until after the 2016 election. The lawyer at the time tried to delay the agreed payments to Daniels. When it was no longer possible, he created the company Essential Consultants LLC, to transfer the funds to Daniels’ lawyer, he says.
– The reason for the wire transfer was to pay Stormy Daniels to sign the non-disclosure agreement, Cohen testified.
Trump is said to have spoken to friends whom he himself has referred to as “smart people”.
– You are a billionaire, just pay it, they are said to have told the presidential candidate, Cohen testified.
Court transcript from the “hustle money case” where Michael Cohen testifies.
Photo: Reuters
Cohen also says he was the only one who kept the deal with Daniels, to make sure it wasn’t leaked.
Cohen says that Trump approved the payment:
– Everything required Trump’s approval, and I also wanted the money back.
Trump is not listed on any of the bank statements. According to Cohen, it is because they wanted to protect the presidential candidate.
“Caught and killed” negative stories about Trump
Cohen is said to have been one of Trump’s closest associates until the start of his presidency.
The relationship between Trump and Cohen publicly broke down after Cohen allegedly released a recording of him and Trump discussing buying the rights to former Playboy model Karen McDougal’s story about an alleged affair with Trump.
In court, Cohen says that he collaborated with executives at the tabloid magazine National Enquirer to “catch and kill” negative stories about Trump, writes CNN.
In court, Cohen says that his services were no longer needed after Trump was elected president. The lawyer nevertheless expressed disappointment at not having been considered as chief of staff in the White House.
– I at least wanted to be assessed. It was more about my ego than anything,” he added, he testified,
Michael Cohen and Donald Trump together in Cleveland, Ohio during the election campaign in September 2016.
Photo: Jonathan Ernst / Reuters
Ahead of the election campaign, Trump is said to have warned Cohen that negative stories from his private life would come out:
– Just be prepared that many women will come forward, the presidential candidate is said to have said, says Cohen from the witness box on Monday.
Wants to paint Cohen as a liar
Although Cohen is referred to as a key witness, it is not necessarily unproblematic.
In 2018, Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison for, among other things, breaking the law on election campaign financing and for lying to Congress. He has now finished serving his sentence.
Cohen has also expressed a clear desire to see his former boss behind bars.
– He has spoken extensively about his desire to see Trump imprisoned, said Trump’s defender Todd Blanche during the opening of the “kickback case”.
According to CNNTrump’s legal team is trying to paint Cohen as a liar out to get his former boss.
Want to see Trump in jail
Daniels testified in the case last week. In October 2016, she is said to have learned that Donald Trump and the lawyer Michael Cohen wanted to buy the story.
– It was the best thing that could have happened. Because then I was safe, and the story wouldn’t come out, Daniels said in the courtroom.
– The motivation was not money, she claimed.
Daniels further emphasized that she wanted to see Trump in prison.
Photo: Markus Schreiber / AP
Published 13/05/2024, at 15.56 Updated 13.05.2024, at 22.01