NEW YORK – Five years after publicly challenging former President Donald Trump, his former lawyer Michael Cohen faced him in court on Tuesday in a civil lawsuit that threatens to rock his real estate empire.
Mr. Cohen did not look in former President Trump’s direction when he walked past him to testify as a key witness against his former boss.
Former President Donald Trump, now the leading Republican candidate for the 2024 elections, voluntarily appeared in court for this much-anticipated testimony. He has already attended six days of court hearings in Manhattan. Mr. Cohen, whose court appearance last week was delayed due to a health condition, has said it is the first time he has seen Mr. Trump in five years.
“It’s not Donald Trump vs. Michael Cohen, or Michael Cohen vs. Donald Trump,” Mr. Cohen said when he arrived at the courthouse. “This is about accountability, plain and simple.”
On his way to court, former President Trump noted that Mr. Cohen served prison time after pleading guilty to tax evasion, defrauding Congress and violating campaign finance rules.
“He has been proven to be a liar,” said Mr. Trump, who is expected to testify later in the trial.
After taking the witness stand, Mr. Cohen began answering questions about his career and the criminal convictions he has received. From time to time, former President Trump communicated in whispers with his lawyers and at certain times he followed with rapt attention.
Former President Trump during the trial in Manhattan (October 24, 2023)
The trial was sparked by a lawsuit filed by New York prosecutor Letitia James, accusing Mr. Trump and other executives of his company, the Trump Organization, of conspiring to inflate his value by billions of dollars in financial statements that were released. were presented to banks, insurance firms and others to reach business deals or obtain bank loans.
Judge Arthur Engoron has already ruled that Mr Trump and his company committed fraud, but the trial continues on charges of conspiracy, insurance fraud and falsifying business records.
Former President Trump denies any wrongdoing. He says even the value of his assets was understated, and he says his financial statements have a note telling recipients to check the figures presented for themselves.
He has attacked the process calling it “a fraud” and “a continuation of the biggest witch hunt of all time”. The former president says this lawsuit is part of an effort by prosecutor James and other Democrats to damage his election campaign.
Mr. Cohen served for a decade as Mr. Trump’s loyal personal lawyer before publicly parting ways with him in 2018 amid a federal investigation that landed Mr. Cohen in a federal prison. He is also the prosecution’s star witness in another Manhattan court case over payments to silence others, which is expected to begin next spring.
Prosecutor Letitia James (October 24, 2023)
Prosecutor James has said that Mr. Cohen served as the driving force behind her civil investigation, which led to the fraud lawsuit that is being litigated. She cited Mr. Cohen’s testimony to Congress in 2019 that Mr. Trump has a history of misrepresenting the value of his assets in order to obtain soft loans and tax breaks.