Michael Cohen testified that Donald Trump did not care if his wife, Melania Trump, learned about an alleged affair between him and adult film star Stormy Daniels.
May 13, 2024, published at 3:10 PM ET
In a bombshell development that was set to take place shortly after Trump's criminal hush-money trial resumed in Manhattan on Monday, Cohen took to the witness stand to testify in the ongoing proceedings against the embattled ex-president.
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Cohen's impressive testimony came just days after Daniels testified for more than six hours in connection with the case.
Cohen's impressive testimony came just days after Daniels testified more than six hours in connection with the case.
Cohen also provided new details about the alleged $130,000 hush money payment paid to Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
But while Trump previously suggested he didn't want Melania to find out about his alleged affair with Daniels, Cohen claimed that wasn't the reason for the hush money payment.
Instead, Cohen testified that the $130,000 payment was “all about the campaign” and Daniels kept quiet about the alleged affair so as not to hurt the then-presidential candidate's chances of winning the White House.
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“He wasn't thinking about Melania,” Cohen testified Monday. “This was all about the campaign.”
“Michael Cohen says Trump explicitly told him they had to do everything they could to suppress the Stormy Daniels story until at least after the election because at that point it didn't matter anymore,” a New York reporter said Times. Jonathan Swift reported Monday from the courtroom.
“Cohen also remembers asking Trump how Melania Trump might take everything that happened,” said a fellow New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman added from the courtroom. “He describes Trump's response as follows.”
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Haberman then added a direct quote from Cohen's testimony Monday afternoon.
“He says, how long do you think I'll be in the market? Not for much longer,” Cohen said of Trump's alleged response to Melania possibly finding out about the alleged affair with Daniels.
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Cohen also provided new details about the alleged $130,000 hush money payment paid to Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
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Donald Trump
“He wasn't thinking about Melania,” Cohen continued. “This was all about the campaign.”
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Haberman then noted that the alleged conversation Cohen recounted on the witness stand this week was a “hearsay” and that Cohen's credibility “could be in question” as a result of cross-examination by Trump's defense team.
“This is hearsay,” Haberman explained, “and if attorneys challenge this on cross-examination, Cohen's credibility will be in question.”
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Trump “grinned and shook his head when Cohen made his comments about Melania.”
According to CNN, former President Trump grinned and shook his head when Cohen made his comments about Melania.
While Cohen is expected to be questioned by Trump's lawyer Todd BlancheIt is unclear whether Trump's defense team would want such potentially devastating testimony repeated to the jury deciding the case.
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If RadarOnline.com previously reported, Trump is on trial for the suspect forgery of corporate data in New York ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and the prosecutor has argued that Trump falsified the company's records cover harmful information and unlawful activities of American voters before and after the 2016 election.
