Trump fixer-turned-foe, Michael Cohen, says in hush money trial he lied, bullied on boss's behalf

NEW YORK — Donald Trump's fixer-turned-foe, Michael Cohen, characterized his celebrity client as a hands-on manager and said he sometimes lied for him and bullied others on his behalf during highly anticipated testimony Monday in the former president's hush money trial.

Cohen is expected to testify about his role in arranging hush money payments on Trump's behalf during his first presidential campaign, including to porn actor Stormy Daniels, who told jurors last week that the $130,000 that she received in 2016 was meant to prevent her from going public about a sexual encounter she says she had with Trump in a hotel suite a decade earlier.

“When he would task you with something, he would then say, ‘Keep me informed. Let me know what’s going on,’” Cohen testified. He said that was especially true “if there was a matter that was troubling to him.”Cohen said Trump had an “open-door policy” allowing executives to meet him in his office, without appointment, and keep him apprised of developments.Even as he spoke warmly of his time with Trump, he also acknowledged that his job required him to lie and bully on his boss’s behalf.

Prosecutors are expected to try to blunt those attacks by eliciting detailed testimony from Cohen about his past crimes. They have also called other witnesses whose accounts, they hope, will buttress Cohen's testimony. Those witnesses included a lawyer who negotiated the hush money payments on behalf of Daniels and a Playboy model; a tabloid publisher who pledged to be the Trump campaign's “eyes and ears”; and Daniels herself.

Cohen later admitted lying to Congress about a Moscow real estate project that he had pursued on Trump's behalf during the heat of the 2016 Republican campaign. He said he lied to be consistent with Trump's “political messaging.” “He has talked extensively about his desire to see President Trump go to prison,” Trump attorney Todd Blanche said during opening statements. “He has talked extensively about his desire to see President Trump’s family go to prison. He has talked extensively about President Trump getting convicted in this case.”

Law Law Latest News, Law Law Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Michael Cohen, former lawyer and personal fixer for ex-President Trump, heads to courtMichael Cohen, the former lawyer and personal fixer of Donald Trump, headed to court in New York Monday where he is expected to take the stand on the 16th...
Source: YahooFinanceCA - 🏆 47. / 63 Read more »

Trump’s fixer-turned-foe Michael Cohen called to testify at hush money trialFor nearly a decade, Cohen worked as an executive and lawyer at Trump’s New York-based family real estate company and once said he would take a bullet for Trump
Source: globeandmail - 🏆 5. / 92 Read more »

Trump trial hears Michael Cohen was 'despondent' he was denied a government postExplore stories from Atlantic Canada.
Source: SaltWire Network - 🏆 45. / 63 Read more »