WWhen Michael Cohen took the stand Monday morning in a Manhattan courtroom for Donald Trump’s hush-money criminal trial, his appearance was the first of many witnesses for the former president and former fixer-turned-prosecution. He was ready to mark a turning point in the showdown between the two.
But anyone expecting chaos in the courtroom will be sorely disappointed by Cohen’s first day of testimony. Cohen presented himself as more polite than sarcastic, more calm than angry, and sprinkled with just a touch of wistfulness. He wore a tie that should be described as blush pink or pale salmon, a color that perhaps the most conflict-averse person could wear.
“It was an honor,” said Cohen, who joined Trump full-time shortly after helping the real estate mogul navigate a red tape at one of his namesake properties in the early 2000s. He talked about his reaction when he was offered the job. Mr. Cohen acted as Mr. Trump’s problem-solver, telling jurors, “I just answer him.”
“It was great. Working for him, especially during that 10 years, was a great experience in many ways,” Cohen recalled. “There have been some great times and some not-so-great moments, but for the most part I have enjoyed the responsibilities that have been given to me. My colleagues at the Trump Organization and the Trump Children It was fun working with them. We were a big family.”
As Cohen’s testimony progressed, a twisted psychological drama emerged. Cohen delighted in Trump’s praises, cringed at his criticisms — the word “awesome” was all he needed to soften the blow of his explosive anger — and he became a reality TV star. Dirty as a star and dealt in deceit to appease Trump.
Under questioning from prosecutor Susan Hoffinger, Cohen said he had lied and bullied Mr. Trump. She asked: Why?
“It’s about accomplishing the mission,” Cohen said. “All I had in mind was accomplishing the mission of making him happy.”
“He would tell you to do something and he’d say, ‘Let me know,'” Cohen said at one point. “I will [go] Especially if it’s upsetting to him, come right back and tell him. ”
Cohen has said one of his key tasks is to control media coverage of Trump, avoiding negative coverage that could hurt his then-boss’ chances in the 2016 election. He explained that he had contributed to capturing and crushing it. This included $130,000 of his own money to repay adult film actor Stormy Daniels, who had tried to spread a story that she had a sexual relationship with the then-candidate in 2006, weeks before Election Day. This now includes taking over the role of someone else.
Cohen told jurors that he and Daniels’ lawyer, Keith Davidson, arranged to have her story about Trump removed from gossip sites in 2011. Daniels did not want his account made public at the time. The removal operation was successful.
On October 8, 2016, shortly after The Washington Post published a hot mic recording of President Trump boasting that he could grab women’s “pussies” without their consent, Cohen claimed that Daniels’ story was in fact I caught information that it has been made public. Cohen told Trump:
“He was really angry at me,” Cohen said, recalling Trump saying, “He was really mad at me. I thought you took care of this. ”
“We did that in 2011,” Cohen remembers telling Trump. “I have no control over what she goes out and does.”
President Trump responded: “Please be careful. Something terrible is happening.” Asked to elaborate on what else Trump said, Cohen told jurors that Trump said, “This was a disaster, a fucking disaster.
“Women will hate me.”
Cohen said Trump wants him to handle the Daniels issue, but he also wants him to “push this issue as long as possible until after the election, because if I win, will become president, and if I lose, I will have won,” he said. Don’t worry about it too much. ”
Cohen said he asked if it would cause a rift with his wife. “I said to him, what’s going on upstairs?” he said. “Don’t worry, he’s going.” He said, “How long do you think I’ll be on the market?” Not long. “
“He wasn’t thinking about Melania,” Cohen said. “That’s what the campaign was all about.”
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Cohen said Trump described Daniels and another alleged mistress, Playboy bunny Karen McDougall, as “beautiful,” and that he was ultimately ignored by the boss he worked so hard to protect. He told jurors that he felt that way.
When Trump won the election, Cohen felt left behind. “I was Mr. Trump’s special counsel, and now that Mr. Trump is president-elect, my role is no longer needed,” Cohen said.
Mr. Cohen was offered the position of assistant general counsel, but did not want the job.
Cohen expressed his disappointment, saying, “I didn’t think I was qualified for this role. I didn’t think I was even capable of being chief of staff.” He said, “He just wanted his name on it.”
In late 2016, Mr. Cohen faced new insults. Annual bonuses have been discontinued.
“I put up $130,000 on his behalf for things like the campaign and the Trump Organization, and his way of thanking me was to cut his bonus by two-thirds.” It was insulting,” Cohen said. he said in the angriest-seeming part of his testimony.
In early 2017, Cohen’s fortunes appeared to be about to change. Mr. Trump’s longtime CFO, Allen Weisselberg, had promised that everything would be fine.
Mr. Cohen is obligated to pay $420,000 to avoid a high tax bill, and will receive a small bonus to make up for his anemic 2016 bonus. Trump then appointed Cohen as his personal adviser, a role he actually wanted.
Did you have any expectations of getting paid?
“Absolutely not,” Cohen said. The only way to get paid, he said, would be to “monetize the role of a private attorney.”
