Michael Cohen, a former lawyer for Donald Trump, who once said ‘he would do anything to protect the former United States president’, is now set to serve as the key witness as his ex- boss faces criminal charge in the alleged hush money payments case. Once a top executive at Trump’s real estate company, Cohen testified twice before Manhattan grand jury which indicted Trump on Thursday in a case related to payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election in a bid to silence claims of a past extramarital sexual encounter.
Who is Michael Cohen?
Cohen – being labelled as an ‘outspoken antagonist’ – a 360 turn from once being seen as Trump’s loyal ‘fixer’ – has said that Trump asked him to pay Daniels $130,000 to keep her from speaking about the 2006 sexual encounter. This means Cohen will serve as a key witness if Trump’s case goes to trial.
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As per his own record, Cohen was hired as an executive vice president and special counsel for Trump’s organisation in 2007. Before working for Trump, he worked as a malpractice lawyer and owned a fleet of yellow taxis. Son of a Holocaust survivor, Cohen was hired after managing the removal of the board of directors of a condominium where he owned an apartment. The board was attempting to remove the former president’s name from the building’s exterior.
Turning to his personal lawyer, Cohen advised Trump in his 2016 presidential bid. He was close to the businessman turned politician after he became the US president till 2019 when a sudden dramatic shift in his stance was observed.
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When the said case first came in the spotlight in 2018, Cohen said he had paid Daniels with his own money but was not reimbursed by Trump or his organisation. After he pleaded guilty for violation of laws for paying Daniels, he was sentenced to three years in prison for making unlawful excessive campaign contributions among other crimes.
Meanwhile, Trump has denied all the allegations against him and called Cohen a “serial liar” and “convicted felon.” He termed the case as a “political persecution and an election interference” in his presidency bid ahead of the 2024 election.
(With inputs from Reuters)
