NY v Trump: Prosecutors to resume questioning Michael Cohen after testimony on Stormy Daniels payment
FOX NewsMAY 16 2024
Trump NY Trial: Cohen Challenged During Second Day of Testimony
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The Facts
On Tuesday, Michael Cohen, former Pres. Donald Trump's ex-lawyer, resumed his testimony in Trump's New York criminal trial, saying he "violated" his "moral compass" to do the things Trump asked him to do.
Todd Blanche, Trump's defense attorney, countered by portraying Cohen as a spurned ex-employee out for revenge, confronting Cohen with recent statements with profanity he has made about his former boss.
Cohen also recalled how he met with Trump in 2017 to discuss a repayment Trump owed him for the $130K Cohen paid in October 2016 to adult film star Stormy Daniels — which is at the center of the prosecution's case.
The Spin
Anti-Trump narrative
It says something about the defense's desperation that instead of focusing on proving Trump didn't do the things he's accused of, Trump's lawyers instead try to undermine the credibility of Cohen. But Cohen held his nerve, didn't do anything to blow up the case, and even came across as sympathetic to the jurors. Trump's defense team has failed him.
Pro-Trump narrative
It doesn't take much to throw doubt on Cohen's credibility — after all, he's a convicted perjurer. There's no way a jury can take Cohen's testimony seriously, and the only way Trump doesn't beat these politically-motivated, overblown charges is if the mostly Democratic jurors can't get over their own biases.