Welcome to the fifth week of former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial.Â
This morning, prosecutors called star witness and former Trump fixer Michael Cohen to the stand. Welcome to the fifth week of former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial.Â
Cohen, who’s known to flare up, remained relatively composed while answering questions from prosecutors. The 57-year-old did not offer an animated account of his relationship with Trump. Instead, he smiled softly at times and provided direct and succinct answers. Whether this could change when he comes face-to-face with Trump’s attorneys during cross-examination remains to be determined.Â
On Monday, Cohen looked back fondly on his earlier days with Trump, saying he felt “on top of the world” when his ex-boss would praise him and admitting to lying and bullying people for Trump because sometimes that’s what was “needed to accomplish the task.”Â
But, even for Cohen, there was a line. Asked if he would have paid Daniels’ for the agreement if Trump hadn’t assured him he’d be reimbursed, Cohen told prosecutor Susan Hoffinger, “I was doing everything I could and more in order to protect my boss, which is something I had done for a long time, but I would not lay out $130,000 for an NDA needed by somebody else.”Â
Court snapshot: Trump, on the other hand, seemed entirely uninterested in Cohen’s testimony. Slumped back in his chair, his eyes were closed pretty much the entire time his former attorney was on the stand. At one point, his mouth hung open.Â
