Michael Cohen, former lawyer of Donald Trump, is back in a New York City courtroom after accusing the ex-president of being involved in a scheme to suppress negative media coverage before the 2016 elections.
As the prosecution’s key witness, Cohen is expected to face a challenging cross-examination from Trump’s legal team today.
Trump, the first former US president to stand trial, is present in the Manhattan courtroom along with a group of Republican supporters, including House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Their presence is a clear display of support not only for Trump’s re-election bid but also for viewers at home and the jurors deciding the case.
Yesterday, Cohen testified that Trump instructed him to pay adult film star Stormy Daniels, who alleged a sexual encounter with the real estate developer-turned-politician in 2006. Trump denies the encounter.
Cohen’s $130,000 payment in October 2016 is central to Trump’s trial, the first for a former US president, which began last month in a New York state criminal court in Manhattan.
Trump, the presumptive Republican Party nominee for the upcoming presidential election, faces 34 felony counts related to payments to Daniels.
Prosecutors argue that Trump’s actions aimed to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election, which he won, while Trump maintains his innocence and calls the indictment a politically motivated “witch-hunt.”
During his testimony, Cohen detailed instances where he claims Trump approved…
Source from www.aljazeera.com