After Donald Trump became the first former president in US history to be convicted of a felony, Michael Cohen declared: “Today is an important day for accountability and the rule of law. While it has been a difficult journey for me and my family, the truth always matters.”
The testimony of Cohen, the former lawyer and devoted fixer who became an embittered enemy of Trump, was instrumental in the bringing of guilty verdicts in New York against the former president on all 34 counts relating to a hush-money plot to influence the 2016 election.
Sitting just a few feet away from a furious, red-faced Trump in room 1530 at the Manhattan criminal courthouse, Cohen described how the payoff made to adult actor Stormy Daniels had been organised: “He stated to me that he had spoken to some friends, some individuals, very smart people, and that ‘it’s $130,000 [£102,000], and [they said] you’re, like, a billionaire – just pay it’. And he expressed to me, ‘Just do it.’”
Delivered in a broad Long Island accent, with Trump glowering, it sounded like a mafia consigliere putting the knife into his capo di tutti capi. The jury appeared transfixed. It seemed in keeping with the drama when Robert De Niro, who played gangsters in some of his best roles, described Trump as “the biggest gangster of all” during a visit to the court.
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Denne historien er fra June 01, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
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