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Trump NY Trial: Cohen Admits He Lied Under Oath

Image copyright: Spencer Platt/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

  • Michael Cohen, the ex-lawyer for former Pres. Donald Trump, faced tough questions Thursday during the defense’s cross-examination of him in Trump’s New York criminal trial, leading Cohen to admit to lying about whether he was pressured into pleading guilty to campaign finance violations in 2018.

  • Cohen testified for nearly six hours over a two-day cross-examination in which current Trump attorney Todd Blanche attempted to portray him as a vengeful employee with a history of lying under oath.

  • Blanche accused Cohen of lying about an Oct. 24, 2016, phone call in which he contacted Trump bodyguard Keith Schiller in order to speak with the then-presidential candidate about Stormy Daniels — a key piece of evidence relating to Trump’s alleged hush money payments to the adult film actress.


The Spin


Pro-Trump narrative

Blanche has exposed Cohen’s disdain for Trump and showed the jury that he's not a trustworthy witness. Cohen is a serial liar and his testimony was a disaster for Democratic Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s politically-motivated sham prosecution.


Anti-Trump narrative

Cohen was the perfect witness to expose Trump’s criminal tendencies. Blanche tried to tie a hodgepodge of unrelated attacks together to frame Cohen as a questionable witness, but instead he exposed the efforts Trump will go to in order to save himself.


Metaculus Prediction



The Controversies



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