Hush money trial: Michael Cohen testifies Donald Trump directed payment to Stormy Daniels

livemint.com:

Trump pledges ‘upper class’ tax cut if he returns to White House Cohen, the star witness in the hush-money case, detailed how Trump signed off on a plan to cover up the $130,000 Daniels payment under the guise of legal fees. Cohen’s testimony offered an insider’s perspective into Trump’s state of mind when he entered into the agreement.

The testimony is a crucial moment for the district attorney’s office, which must convince the jury that Trump falsified dozens of business records in order to conceal the true nature of checks he made out to Cohen throughout 2017. It’s one of four criminal cases Trump is facing as he campaigns to return to the White House.

Ex-Trump Controller Says Cohen Was Repaid From Personal Account Under questioning by the prosecutor, Cohen elaborated on a trove of emails, texts and heated discussions, including Trump’s directives, as the trial entered its fifth week. His testimony is potentially the most damaging against the former president so far, giving a first-hand account of Trump allegedly directing him to falsify financial records.

Cohen said he heard Daniels was speaking to publications about her story just after Trump was caught on an “Access Hollywood" tape boasting about sexually assaulting women. Prosecutors allege that the timing of the Daniels’ hush-money payment was motivated by the release of the tape, which lead to a media frenzy.

Cohen also described an ongoing arrangement with former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, who worked to shield Trump from unflattering stories long before the 2016 presidential campaign. Cohen testified that he was part of a 2015 meeting at Trump Tower in which Pecker assured Trump he’d help silence negative stories about him during the campaign.