Michael Cohen, one of the key witnesses for the prosecution in the hush money trial against former President Donald Trump took the stand Monday in the multi-week trial.
Here's a look at what Cohen said Monday morning.
What Happened: Serving as Trump's former lawyer, Cohen has previously testified that the former president helped facilitate hush money payments to adult actress Stormy Daniels.
Trump faces criminal charges for falsifying business records in the case.
One Monday, Cohen testified that he was first introduced to the former president by Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. Cohen was tasked with fixing an unnamed issue at Trump World Tower and the former president was pleased with the way he handled the situation, leading to more work, according to NBC News.
Cohen said he was eventually asked to go work for Trump and was offered an initial base salary of $375,000 in 2007. Cohen revealed that he made $525,000 in his first year when working at the Trump Organization.
The former Trump lawyer said he wanted to work on Wall Street, but his grandma told him that it wasn't going to happen.
"Actually, I didn't want to be a lawyer. My grandmother wanted me to be a lawyer," Cohen said.
Why It's Important: Cohen started testimony Monday and is expected to be on the stand for several days as the hush money criminal trial has entered week five. Cohen will not be the final witness for the prosecution, but is perhaps the most important one in attempting to prove Trump's guilt.
On Monday, Cohen testified that he was warned about people coming forward if Trump made an announcement he was running for president in the 2016 election.
"You know that when this comes out – meaning the announcement – just be prepared, there's going to be a lot of women coming forward," Cohen recalled Trump telling him.
Cohen testified that he had a Trump campaign email address. The former Trump lawyer also said he created the website "ShouldTrumpRun.com" in 2011, coinciding with polls indicating rising interest in Trump among potential voters.
In a follow-up to the testimony of media mogul David Pecker, who testified earlier in the trial, Cohen said Trump's team had never paid to suppress stories from American Media prior to his presidential candidacy.
Cohen admitted to lying to help Trump previously.
"It's what was needed to accomplish the task," Cohen said. "The only thing that was on my mind was to accomplish the task to make him happy."
Cohen said he often spoke to Trump or met with Trump daily. "Every single day, and multiple times a day," he added.
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