Michael Cohen, star witness in Trump hush money trial, grilled on his record of lying

Michael Cohen, the former personal attorney for ex-President Donald Trump turned star witness against his ex-boss, admitted previously lying under oath and to a federal judge, under cross-examination Thursday at Trump's historic hush money trial in Manhattan.

Cohen, 57, a Lawrence native, repeatedly admitted making false statements, concealing financial information from his wife and covertly recording conversations with various people, under questioning by Trump lead defense attorney Todd Blanche, who stressed to the jury Cohen's documented history of not telling the truth.

But Cohen, a felon and disbarred attorney, maintained his composure under hours of sometimes meandering questioning from Blanche. The cross examination of Cohen, the prosecution's final witness, is expected to continue Monday.

The former Trump "fixer" has pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about Trump's real estate dealings in Russia prior to his presidency. Cohen also has testified that he lied to a federal judge in 2018 when he pleaded guilty to crimes including tax fraud.

A cadre of congressional lawmakers made the trek to the downtown Manhattan courthouse Thursday to hear Cohen testify, including Reps. Matt Gaetz, of Florida, and Lauren Boebert, of Colorado — both fervent Trump supporters.

Trump, the GOP's presumptive presidential nominee, appeared to close his eyes during some of Cohen's testimony. Trump shook his fist in the air as he entered and exited the courtroom during breaks in testimony and lodged a series of complaints after testimony ended for the day, including that the courtroom was an “ice box” and “they're trying to rush to get it done before the election so that they can harm me.”

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with the $130,000 hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Prosecutors have said Trump, 77, directed the hush money payment to Daniels just weeks before the 2016 presidential election to prevent the story of their liaison from going public — and hurting his chances at becoming president.

The payment was made to Daniels, as well as a $150,000 payment to Playboy model Karen McDougal, who said she had an affair with Trump following the October 2016 release of the infamous “Access Hollywood” recording, prosecutors said. Trump is heard on the recording bragging about grabbing women by the genitals. A $30,000 payment was also made to a door attendant who falsely said Trump had fathered a child outside his marriage.

Prosecutors say Trump, Cohen and former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker formed a “criminal conspiracy” to “catch and kill” negative stories about Trump as he ran for president, and to publish unfavorable pieces about his opponents, all in an effort to help his presidential campaign.

Blanche, during Thursday's cross-examination, also accused Cohen of lying about a key phone conversation he testified to earlier in the trial. Cohen had testified for the government that he told Trump that the Daniels payment had been finalized during an Oct. 24, 2016, phone call he had with then-Trump bodyguard Keith Schiller, who had passed the phone to Trump.

But Blanche presented Cohen with text messages he had exchanged with Schiller minutes before the 90-second call in which they discussed a 14-year-old who had allegedly been prank-calling Cohen, attempting to call into question whether he had actually spoken to Trump about the Daniels payment during the very brief phone call.

“When you testified on Tuesday that was your specific recollection that you called Keith Schiller, who passed the phone to President Trump to talk about making the payment to Stormy Daniels — that wasn't true, was it?” an animated Blanche pressed Cohen.

Cohen said that he talked to Schiller about harassing calls and Trump about Daniels.

“Everything is taken care of,” Cohen said he told Trump. “It’s going to get resolved.”

Blanche, feigning disbelief, told Cohen: “That was a lie. You talked to Keith Schiller about what you had been through.”

Schiller, who was the director of Oval Office Operations during the Trump presidency, was not called by the prosecution. But prosecutors are expected to attempt to clarify the phone call during their redirect examination of Cohen.

Blanche also attempted to show that Cohen's animus toward Trump — and testimony against him — stemmed from his anger that Trump had not given him a White House job. Cohen denied that and had testified on direct questioning that he only wanted to be considered, to feed his ego.

“I wanted the hybrid position — where I had access to President Trump, but I did not work in the White House,” Cohen said Thursday.

The trial was off Friday so Trump could attend his son's high school graduation. Testimony resumes Monday.