Trump doesn’t intend to testify in the New York trial
The Case against Cohen in New York – Donald Trump’s Case for Uninformed Corroboration of a Nondisclosure Agreement with Daniels
Cohen has a history of perjury, including lying to Congress in the past. On Tuesday last week, Blanche questioned the motives of Cohen, as well as his recent profiting off of merchandise promoting Trump being put in jail.
Cohen denied that he submitted any legal services in relation to the 11 invoices he did submit. He also testified that it was false that the payments were for any legal work done during the months they were issued.
Hoffinger also asked Cohen if the circumstances around the nondisclosure agreement with Daniels was, as Blanche phrased it last week, “perfectly legal” — Cohen said it wasn’t. Blanche’s questioning last week focused on how these agreements are legal.
Prosecutors have spent weeks setting up Cohen’s corroboration of Trump’s knowledge of the 34 allegedly falsified documents. But they also set him up as someone bullish, unlikeable and self-interested. At the same time, the defense and Trump himself have long attacked Cohen’s credibility.
The defense for former President Donald Trump has rested in his New York criminal trial, marking the end of witness testimony and paving the way for jury deliberation.
The Cohen-Costello Action: When Trump lied to Pleize guilty to Tax Evasion Charges, Attorney Robert Costello stepped in to defend himself
Cohen said last week that he “accepted responsibility and I suffered the consequences.” He testified in October that he lied to plead guilty to the tax evasion charges.
The duration of Trump’s defense is not known, though lawyers previously noted if they call any witnesses it wouldn’t take long. Trump could still testify in his defense, as he originally vowed to, though he didn’t answer reporters’ questions Monday morning about his plan.
On Monday morning, the Trump lawyer questioned if Cohen would have had a legal retainer to perform legal work for the president and his family. Trump says that he was simply paying his own lawyer.
In testimony that carried over into Tuesday morning’s session, Costello testified to conversations and emails he had with Cohen following a 2019 FBI raid on Cohen’s home and office.
Trump’s defense called up two witnesses: a paralegal who verified call logs between former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and lawyer and Trump ally Robert Costello. Costello was called to the stand.
