5 ‘Damaging Revelations’ by Michael Cohen From His Trial Testimony Against Trump
5 Major Revelations From Cohen's Trump Trail Testimony
The recent testimony from a former lawyer and fixer for President Donald Trump, Michael Cohen, appeared to intensify the mixed feelings in the New York civil fraud trial. Despite being brought on to the verge of verbal conflict by Trump's two defense lawyers, Cohen stood strong. Throughout his two days in court, Cohen aimed to directly link the then-2016 nominee to crucial documents central to the case, implicating him in a wider conspiracy of election interference. Given below are 5 major revelations coming from Cohen's testimony.
1. Latest Information About Melania Trump
According to The Hill, Cohen testified on Monday that Melania Trump was the one who characterized her husband's remarks on the infamous Access Hollywood tape as locker room talk when it was first leaked just before the 2016 election. Cohen said, “We needed to put a spin on this, and the spin that [Trump] wanted put on it was that this is locker room talk — something that Melania had recommended, or at least he told me that that’s what Melania had thought it was." However, Reporters in the room noted that Trump shook his head in disagreement when Cohen mentioned his wife.
2. Cohen Faced a Pressure Campaign
As reported by The Hill, prosecutors presented evidence on Tuesday of a pressure campaign aimed at ensuring Cohen remained loyal while the FBI investigated him in 2018. Cohen detailed how attorney Robert Costello relentlessly contacted him, bombarding him with calls and lengthy emails, in an apparent effort to keep him in check. This all unfolded as reports surfaced indicating that the then-president was distancing himself from his attorney. “This was part of the pressure campaign. Don’t flip. Don’t speak. Don’t cooperate," Cohen said. Cohen's testimony has the potential to influence jurors by suggesting that Trump and his allies made efforts to prevent any information about unlawful activities from reaching investigators.
3. Cohen Wants Trump's Conviction
Cohen confessed that he hoped for Trump's conviction in this trial. As reported by The Guardian, while speaking to Trump attorney Todd Blanche, Cohen said, “It sounds like something I would say." Ever since distancing himself from Trump, Cohen has emerged as one of the former president's harshest critics, often engaging in verbal sparring both online and in the media—and even profiting from these exchanges. Defense attorneys are likely to seize upon this revelation to argue that Cohen is an unreliable witness. Nonetheless, his testimony provided some of the most damning evidence against his former client to date.
4. Cohen Didn’t Get Federal Sentence Reduction
During the proceedings, Cohen remained composed yet occasionally confrontational as he defended himself against attacks from Trump's attorney. Prosecutors also worked to strengthen Cohen's credibility by highlighting his willingness to testify against Trump to reduce his federal sentence. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger revealed that Cohen and his legal team had requested a letter outlining his cooperation to help reduce his sentence. However, defense attorneys sought to twist the narrative, arguing that Cohen's cooperation was motivated by a desire for sentence reduction. Cohen admitted that he had not received any relief for his help.
5. Constant Conversation Between Cohen and Trump
Cohen detailed that Trump insisted on being kept informed of updates in the hush money negotiations. Cohen said, “When he would task you with something, he would say, ‘Keep me informed. Let me know what’s going on.'" He added, “And what he was saying, what everybody did is, as soon as you had a result, an answer, you would go straight back and tell him. Especially if it was a matter that was troubling to him.” Cohen recounted that he would meet with his former boss every day without fail, sometimes multiple times a day, either in person or over the phone.
