In the trial against former US President Donald Trump, his ex-lawyer Michael Cohen confessed to stealing from him. The 57-year-old said he was supposed to pay $50,000 to the technology company Red Finch for one of Trump’s companies, which was supposed to polish Trump’s image. But he only handed over $20,000 to the boss of Red Finch in a “paper bag” and kept the rest. In total, the “Trump Organization” reimbursed him $100,000 for the transactions.
Cohen justified his actions as a form of self-help. He said he was upset that his annual bonus was cut after he advanced $130,000 of his own money to buy the silence of porn star Stormy Daniels.
Trump is accused in the lawsuit of falsifying business documents related to the payment to Daniels before the 2016 election. Cohen had paid her the hush money to prevent revelations about an alleged sexual affair. Trump has admitted that he paid Cohen the money back. However, he rejected the allegations in the trial – 34 individual charges – and spoke of a politically motivated trial.
Cohen is the prosecution’s key witness. His confession to stealing from his then-boss could damage his credibility with the jury. They must decide whether Trump should be found guilty in the first trial against a former US president. Trump’s defense attorneys also presented a witness on Monday who testified against Cohen.
Judge has the room cleared
This led to a scandal: Judge Juan Merchan burst his collar when questioning defense witness Robert Costello because he seemed to question one of Merchan’s decisions. Costello commented on statements that Merchan had previously allowed prosecutors to object to.
The judge instructed the witness – Costello is a lawyer himself – that he was not allowed to answer in such cases. When the objection was approved, Costello then said “Jeesh” audibly – which can be translated as “Oh my God”. Merchan subsequently had the jury escorted out of the courtroom and told Trump ally Costello: “I want to talk about decorum in my courtroom.” He refuses to comment on his decisions. As Costello continued to glare at the judge, Merchan blurted out, audibly annoyed, “Are you staring me down?”
He then had the room cleared – with the help of loud and sharp instructions from the court staff. Journalists and observers were allowed to re-enter room 1530 after a few minutes and the questioning continued.
Costello testified in court that Cohen told him in 2018 that he had no dirty information on Trump. Costello also stated that Cohen told him several times that Trump did not know about the payment to Daniels.
The process won’t take long
The trial is now coming to an end: the prosecution announced on Monday after questioning Cohen that it would not call any more people to the witness stand. According to Trump lawyer Todd Blanche, the upcoming questioning of defense witnesses could be completed within one day of the meeting. The closing arguments could then follow.
Judge Merchan named Tuesday next week as a possible date. Then the twelve jurors would deliberate to reach a verdict. Officially, there is no time limit for deliberations, but juries usually deliberate for several hours to several days. If the verdict is found guilty, Judge Merchan would determine the sentence. Trump faces several years in prison, which could also be suspended, or a fine.