On Thursday, Donald Trump‘s lawyer accused star witness Michael Cohen of lying about a phone conversation with Trump regarding a hush money payment to a porn star before the 2016 presidential election.
Todd Blanche, Trump’s lawyer, claimed the conversation was about harassment from a prank caller, not the $130,000 payment to silence Stormy Daniels, as Cohen had previously testified.
“That is a lie,” Blanche asserted. “You can admit it!”
“No sir I can’t, because I am not certain that is accurate,” Cohen responded, stating he believed he spoke to Trump’s then-bodyguard Keith Schiller about the harassment and briefly with Trump about the payment.
“We are not asking for your belief,” Blanche said, raising his voice.
The exchange followed several hours of questioning by Blanche aimed at portraying Cohen as a vindictive turncoat eager to see his former boss imprisoned.
Blanche played audio clips of Cohen expressing delight at the thought of Trump and his family in prison.
He highlighted Cohen’s history of lying to Congress, the U.S. Justice Department, and in court, and pointed out Cohen’s contradictory stance on accepting a pardon from Trump.
Cohen admitted he had blamed others, including Trump, following his own convictions on tax and campaign-finance charges.
When Blanche asked if the trial’s outcome affected him personally, Cohen affirmed, maintaining his composure despite his aggressive public comments.
Trump has pleaded not guilty, denying having sex with Daniels.
This New York case, one of four criminal prosecutions against him, is likely the only one with a jury verdict before his November 5 election rematch with President Joe Biden.
Cohen, central to the case, testified that Trump ordered him to pay Daniels to protect his campaign and discussed reimbursing Cohen through bogus invoices for legal fees, including during a 2017 White House meeting.
Despite Cohen’s baggage as a witness, his testimony is corroborated by other evidence, including Trump’s company records.
Cohen recalled conversations from the 2016 campaign, including efforts to buy the silence of another woman who claimed to have sex with Trump.
Trump, facing 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up the Daniels payment, characterizes the case as an attempt to interfere with his campaign.
Members of the far-right Freedom Caucus attended the trial, echoing his complaints of political interference.
It remains uncertain whether Trump will testify next week.
Though he initially said he would, his lawyer, Blanche, has since stated that Trump has not yet decided.
The defense is not required to present a case, and Trump is not obligated to decide in advance whether he will testify.