Name: Cohen Testifies About Sending False Invoices to Trump
Uploaded: 2024-05-15T04:39:34.000Z
Description: Former President Donald Trump's "hush money" trial continues in New York on May 14.

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Former President Donald Trump's "hush money" trial continues in New York on May 14.

<em>Follow here for the live updates:</em>
<h2>What Happened Today</h2>
Michael Cohen returned to the witness stand for questioning by prosecutors, who outlined his last years of working for the Trumps before he broke publicly and became a vocal critic of President Trump.

Mr. Cohen said he was paid $420,000 throughout 2017 even though he did minimal work for the Trumps, totaling maybe 10 hours, because the payment was reimbursement.

Mr. Cohen said he was still "loyal" to President Trump through most of 2018, defending him in the media when Ms. Clifford went public with her story.

Mr. Cohen said he was "pressured" to stay loyal to President Trump, but after conversations with his family he decided to plead guilty to charges brought by federal prosecutors and broke from President Trump. These charges included a campaign violation, the payment the Ms. Clifford, and tax evasion for $4 million in income.

Prosecutors also allowed Mr. Cohen explain his latest admission of lying under oath, when he took the witness stand last fall at another trial against President Trump. Mr. Cohen said he disputed the charges but not the underlying facts.

Mr. Cohen began cooperating with the Manhattan District Attorney while in prison.

Under cross-examination, he confirmed he wanted a letter from the district attorney announcing his cooperation, so he could reduce his sentence. He is on supervised release until November.

Defense attorneys highlighted Mr. Cohen's financial streams, like his podcast, online store, books, media appearances, and livestreams, regularly feature Mr. Cohen attacking President Trump. Mr. Cohen confirmed he has said in various public statements he hoped to see President Trump in prison, and sells merchandise reflecting this sentiment.

There is no trial Wednesday, and cross-examination of Mr. Cohen will continue on Thursday. Trial ends early on Thursday, and there is no court on Friday.

President Trump is expected to attend his son Barron's high school graduation on Friday.
<h2>Trump Says Trial a 'Disgrace,' Businesses 'Fleeing'</h2>
President Trump spoke for about 10 minutes after court adjourned, largely reading from commentary published about his case, and called it "election interference."

"That's what they wanted to do, keep me here as long as possible," he said.

"All around the world they're watching this trial, and they're seeing what a disgrace this is and a big disgrace to New York. I love this state, I love this city, but they've got to get it back, they've got to get the legal system back because businesses are fleeing."

Cohen Made Millions From Anti-Trump Books
2 hours ago
Mr. Cohen testified that he has made about $3.4 million from his two books over four years.

"You talk in ['Revenge'] about your frustration about President Trump not being prosecuted, right?" Mr. Blanche asked. "And you say you don't understand why no one will hold President Trump accountable?"

Mr. Cohen affirmed he referred to himself as a fixer in the book.

"Are you fixing things that you broke?" Mr. Blanche asked, referencing what Ms. Hicks testified about Mr. Cohen.

"Did there come a time when you became concerned that the new DA was circulating negative stories about you?" Mr. Blanche asked.

"Yes," Mr. Cohen said.
<h2>Cohen on Supervised Release Until November</h2>
Mr. Cohen confirmed that he met with the new district attorney team in 2021 and thanked them for continuing the investigation, because he had a strong desire to hold President Trump accountable. He affirmed he met twice in February 2021 with Mark Pomerantz.

“You wanted the DA’s office to publicly acknowledge that you were cooperating, correct?” Mr. Blanche asked.

“I’m not trying to put words in your mouth. Do you have any doubt that you would say that?” Mr. Blanche asked.

Mr. Cohen confirmed that during home confinement, he was allowed for three hours a day every day to go anywhere in Manhattan.

He confirmed he wanted to be released but the district attorney’s office did not issue a letter or announcement of his cooperation.

During this time, he was doing media interviews and his podcast and meeting with the district attorney’s office.

Mr. Cohen is still on supervised release until November 2024.
<h2>Cohen Started Podcast on House Arrest</h2>
Mr. Cohen confirmed he had called President Trump several names on his podcast and said he hoped President Trump went to prison.

“August 2021, your podcast topped 10 million downloads, is that right?” Mr. Blanche asked.

“I think it’s more,” Mr. Cohen said.

“And you make money off your podcasts, right?” Mr. Blanche asked. “And is it fair to say that you are motivated by fame?”

“I don’t think that’s fair to say, sir,” Mr. Cohen said.

“Do you recall saying in ‘Disloyal’ that you had wealth but you wanted power, the good life, public acclaim, fast cars, the excess and zest and glamor for life?” Mr. Blanche asked, referring to Mr. Cohen’s prison memoir.

“So is that what motivates you, those words that I just read?” Mr. Blanche asked.

Mr. Blanche asked about Mr. Cohen’s regular media appearances on CNN and MSNBC. Mr. Cohen said he loved it when he was protecting President Trump, and less so now.

“So the answer is yes you love it, although less now than you used to,” Mr. Blanche said.
<h2>Cohen Sought DA Help in Reducing Federal Sentence</h2>
Mr. Cohen first met with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office in Otisville prison in New York.

“Do you recall the first thing or one of the first things you wanted to talk to the prosecutors about when you were in Otisville was what was the benefit for you of meeting with them?” Mr. Blanche asked.

Mr. Cohen said he did not remember discussing when charges would be brought against President Trump, but he did recall his attorneys asking whether the district attorney could help with a Rule 35 motion in federal court.

A Rule 35 motion needs to be made within a year of sentencing, and allows a judge to lower a sentence for reasons including cooperation.
<h2>Short Trial Week</h2>
Justice Merchan reminded jurors that court ends at 4 p.m. on Thursday because one of the jurors has a dentist appointment, and there is no trial on Friday.

President Trump is expected to attend his son Barron’s high school graduation on Friday.
<h2>Cohen Separated From Trumps in 2017</h2>
In a 2017 Vanity Fair article, Mr. Cohen said he was the guy who stopped the leaks, the guy who protects the president and the family, and the oft-quoted line where he said he would take a bullet for President Trump.

“And you were offered $10 million to write a tell-all book. And your counter offer was $100 million. but according to the article at the time … you were just pushing them to see how high they would go in for a book offer, right?” Mr. Blanche asked.

“I had no intention of writing a book at that time,” Mr. Cohen said.

“And you also said, not only about President Trump, that there was no money in the world that would cause you to write about his family?” Mr. Blanche asked.

“About his family, yes,” Mr. Cohen said.

“You described them in 2017 as a surrogate family of yours, correct?” Mr. Blanche asked.

Mr. Blanche said that in 2017, Mr. Cohen was not spending as much time with the family as he had the decade prior.

“For example, you told Hope Hicks in June 2017 that you missed being around the folks you worked with for years and years, correct?” Mr. Blanche said.

“I did have a great relationship with my colleagues,” Mr. Cohen said.

Mr. Cohen affirmed that in September 2017, there was an ongoing investigation and he was advised not to speak to President Trump.

“You then testified in Congress on October 24 of that year, this is the testimony you talked about on direct where you lied,” Mr. Blanche continued.

“Yes, in October 2017. Did you lie in other parts of your testimony, or only that part?” Mr. Blanche asked.

“I believe in that part,” Mr. Cohen said.

Mr. Blanche asked Mr. Cohen about when the FBI raided the hotel room in which he was staying in April 2018.

“Do you recall saying on the phone that you really missed the ‘boss,’ ‘boss I miss you so much’?” Mr. Blanche asked.

“I don’t recall that,” Mr. Cohen said.
<h2>Cohen Describes His Admiration for Trump Like a ‘Cult'</h2>
“And you were obsessed with President Trump, weren’t you?” Mr. Blanche asked.

“I wouldn’t say that would be wrong, but I don’t know if I used that word,” Mr. Cohen said. He confirmed it began before he met or began working for the Trumps.

Mr. Cohen also affirmed that he supported him publicly in 2015 after he announced his campaign.

“And at that time, you weren’t lying, were you?” Mr. Blanche said.

“At that time, I was knee-deep into the cult of Donald Trump,” Mr. Cohen said. “I was expressing feelings.”
<h2>Cohen Testifies About Flipping on Trump</h2>
Mr. Blanche asked Mr. Cohen when he changed his view on President Trump.

“It was around the time I had gone on George Stephanopoulos,” Mr. Cohen said, confirming it would have been the summer 2018.

He confirmed that he initially met Donald Trump Jr. at his apartment building, and helped resolve a construction issue. Mr. Cohen confirmed he still lives in a building with Trump’s name on it and previously had several Trump properties.

He affirmed that he admired President Trump when he was working for him, and that he had read “The Art of the Deal” at least twice.

“I do view it as an excellent book,” Mr. Cohen said.

“And you saw a little bit of yourself in President Trump, correct? Ambitious, hardworking dealmaker,” Mr. Blanche said.

“Innovative,” Mr. Cohen added.
<h2>Cohen Sells Trump Conviction Merchandise</h2>
“You’ve also talked, extensively, on Mea Culpa, your desire that President Trump get convicted in this case?” Mr. Blanche asked.

“Sounds like something I would say,” Mr. Cohen said. “Yes, probably.”

“Do you want President Trump to get convicted in this case?” Mr. Blanche asked.

Mr. Blanche showed in court merchandise Mr. Cohen sells on his website, including a shirt with President Trump in an orange prison jumpsuit, and a coffee mug that reads “Send him to the big house, not the White House.”
<h2>Cohen Says He Talks About Trump Every Podcast Episode</h2>
Mr. Blanche asked how many times Mr. Cohen had been on TV. “More than 20?”

“And you’ve also also recorded hundreds of episodes of the podcast you talked about earlier today?” Mr. Blanche asked.

“Yes, sir,” Mr. Cohen said. “Each podcast is done twice a week.”

He affirmed that he would have recorded about 15 to 20 episodes a month, and it would have been hundreds of episodes since the start of the investigation.

“You have talked about President Trump in every single one,” Mr. Blanche said.

“And you’re also active on TikTok,” Mr. Blanche said.

“That’s correct,” Mr. Cohen said, affirming that he was streaming more than an hour per night.

“What’s the goal of doing that?” Mr. Blanche asked.

“To build an audience, to create a community, to find a time to vent,” Mr. Cohen said.

He confirmed that to subscribe, people have to pay a small fee.

Mr. Cohen said he talked about President Trump “six days a week” on TikTok, and also talked about him on Twitter, now X, and his two podcasts Mea Culpa and Political Beatdown.
<h2>Cohen Says He Can’t Recall 2023 CNN Interview</h2>
Mr. Cohen said he did not recall leaking to CNN that he had given his cell phones to the Manhattan District Attorney in January 2023, and did not recall the prosecutors being frustrated with him about his commenting on the case in media appearances.

“I don’t even recall having conversations with Lanny Davis about not going on TV,” he said. “I don’t recall ever agreeing not to go on TV.”

“You don’t recall the DA telling you that you were unwittingly helping President Trump by going on TV?” Mr. Blanche asked.

He said he did recall that the prosecutors told him and his attorney “please don’t talk about the case.”

“They have said it to me, yes,” Mr. Cohen said.

“So they don’t direct you not to speak, they just say it’s probably better not to speak?” Mr. Blanche asked.

“Well, I do have a First Amendment right,” Mr. Cohen said. “They say it in a manner, we’re asking you not to speak.”
<h2>Cohen Says He Was Asked to Stop Talking About the Case</h2>
After a lunch break, defense attorney Todd Blanche began cross-examination of Mr. Cohen. He asked Mr. Cohen if he had watched MSNBC and CNN coverage of the trial, and whether he referred to President Trump as a derogatory term recently in a TikTok video.

“It sounds like something I said,” Mr. Cohen said.

“Now over the past several years, let’s go back to January 2021, is it fair to say that the government, meaning the Manhattan DA’s office, has repeatedly asked you to stop talking about the case,” Mr. Blanche asked.

“They might have, yes,” Mr. Cohen said.

“I’m not asking you if they might have. The prosecutors, not the ones sitting here next to me but the DA’s office, have repeatedly asked you to stop talking about this case?” Mr. Blanche asked.

Mr. Cohen was previously represented by attorney Lanny Davis, and said that ended in 2022.

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Cohen Testifies About Sending False Invoices to Trump

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