Donald Trump Fixer on Stage In Front of Grand Jury Looking Into Trump Payments: When it came to dirty deeds, Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen was par excellence.
For years, when Donald Trump was in trouble it was Cohen who “fixed” the situation in the former president’s favor.
Now Cohen has turned into an enemy of Trump. The attorney will testify today at a grand jury in New York City. The panel is looking into payments made by Cohen to an adult video star that was designed to silence her so that Trump’s family would not know about his extramarital affair.
Donald Trump Denies Wrongdoing
Cohen arranged and made payments to Stormy Daniels and to another woman to make sure no details of the affairs were made public before the 2016 presidential election. Trump has denied that the affairs took place.
Intricate Web of Payments
For the Daniels payment, Cohen set up a shell company and paid her $130,000. Cohen also made sure Karen McDougal was paid $150,000 through the National Enquirer tabloid in exchange for the former Playboy model to stay silent about her affair with Trump before the election.
Cohen May Have the Goods on Trump
The Manhattan district attorney is looking into the legality of the payments and Cohen is expected to be one of the final witnesses to testify. Cohen is believed to have evidence such as recordings, texts, and emails about the payments.
This May Only Be a Misdemeanor
The former president could be charged with falsifying business records, a misdemeanor. Trump would be the first former commander-in-chief to have been charged with committed a crime.
Trump Will Likely Not Testify In Front of the Grand Jury
Trump has been invited to testify before the grand jury as well, but he is not expected to do so. Trump lawyer Joseph Tacopina was interviewed by Good Morning America on March 13.
“We have no plans on participating in this proceeding,” Tacopina said. “It’s a decision that needs to be made still. There’s been no deadline set, so we’ll wait and see.”
Donald Trump: This Is Another Political Witch Hunt and Hoax
Trump said on Truth Social that the legal proceedings against him are a “Scam, Injustice, Mockery, and Complete and Total Weaponization of Law Enforcement in order to affect a Presidential Election!”
Trump and his attorneys have maintained that the legal proceedings are a way to attack Trump in order to shut down his campaign for president. Trump’s legal team has stated that district attorney Alvin Bragg is acting in an unconstitutional manner and that Bragg wishes to persecute Trump politically.
Trump’s Legal Team Believes Cohen Is Not a Reliable Witness
Cohen has served time in jail after pleading guilty in 2018 to making the payments to Daniels and McDougal. Trump’s attorneys are attempting to discredit Cohen’s testimony as untrue since he has been convicted already.
Other Trump Allies Are On the Hotseat
Other witnesses in Trump’s orbit have also met with the prosecuting attorneys such as 2016 election campaign manager Kellyanne Conway and longtime Trump loyalist and spokesperson Hope Hicks.
Other Legal Woes
The hush money investigation is not Trump’s only legal problem. He is also being investigated by a Fulton County prosecutor in Georgia for allegedly attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election in that state.
In addition, Donald Trump could face charges for his alleged actions leading up to the January 6 insurrection. And he could be charged with mishandling classified documents.
Any criminal accusations could galvanize supporters around Donald Trump who believe that the criminal system is weaponizing proceedings to stop the momentum of his campaign.
Author Expertise and Experience:
Serving as 19FortyFive’s Defense and National Security Editor, Dr. Brent M. Eastwood is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer. You can follow him on Twitter @BMEastwood. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and Foreign Policy/ International Relations.
