On Monday, Donald Trump‘s former lawyer Michael Cohen testified for the fourth day in the multi-week criminal trial, accusing the former president of falsifying business records.
What Happened: Cohen is one of the key witnesses from the prosecution, attempting to prove that Trump was involved in payments to adult actress Stormy Daniels and concealed them to minimize their impact on the 2016 election.
On Monday, Cohen was cross-examined by Trump's defense team and faced a final round of redirect from the prosecution.
Cohen was asked about having a financial interest in the outcome of the criminal trial against Trump.
"Yes, sir," Cohen answered of a potential financial interest, as shared by NBC News.
Cohen said it could be better for him if Trump is found not guilty in the case, as it gives him "more to talk about in the future."
The finances of Cohen and ways he's profited off of Trump were discussed by Trump's defense team Monday. Cohen said he made around $4 million in consulting from 2017 to 2018 and another $420,000 from Trump.
Cohen also said he has made around $4 million annually from books and podcasts with $3.4 million from two past books he wrote. The former Trump lawyer said he isn't making very much from TikTok.
He testified that he’s considering writing a third book and also exploring running for Congress. "My name recognition is because of the journey I have been on and it is associated with Trump."
Trump's lawyer pushed back and said Cohen's journey has included daily attacks on the former president.
"My journey is to tell my story," Cohen responded.
Cohen also said that an unnamed person or company is exploring a TV show about the former lawyer, something Cohen said he did not pitch himself.
He testified Monday that he pled guilty to campaign finance violations related to making payments to Daniels, adding that a non-disclosure agreement signed by Daniels was not legal with no signature from Trump.
What's Next: Cohen served as the last witness from the prosecution in the case. The defense has not determined who they will have take the witness stand.
Cohen and Daniels served as the key witnesses for the prosecution. The defense is expected to potentially turn to an expert on finance campaign laws as one of their witnesses. Trump's lawyers have also not ruled out the former president taking the stand in the case.
The trial entered its sixth week on Monday and is expected to continue into next week. The upcoming Memorial Day holiday weekend may potentially impact the trial’s timeline.
Judge Juan Merchan laid out a timeline previously of not wanting closing arguments to be made ahead of the holiday weekend. The goal right now is to have the case wrapped on Tuesday next week and to turn the case over to the jury.
Image generated using artificial intelligence via Midjourney.
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