Michael Cohen’s key testimony could make or break Trump’s hush money case

Prosecutors charge that the payment, made in the final days of the 2016 presidential campaign, and the subsequent attempt to conceal it by falsifying records qualifies as election interference.

Cohen testified saying that the payment was “one of many times he operated at the direction of and for the benefit" of Trump, he said, according to a BBC report.

Moreover, Cohen said Trump instructed him to "handle" several hush-money payments, as well as liaise with tabloid media to silence negative stories that could threaten his political goals.

Photo: Stormy Daniels

Cohen also testified that he worked with the National Enquirer tabloid to buy and bury a story about an alleged affair between Trump and Playboy model Karen McDougal (pictured).

Cohen said he was present for a call in which Trump asked National Enquirer publisher David Pecker (pictured) about a payment to McDougal and added that Pecker’s response was “we have this under control, we’ll take care of this”.

Although Cohen’s testimony is key, it is also a tricky piece of evidence for prosecutors, because the jury may need to rely solely on Cohen’s account of it, according to ‘Politico’ analysts.

Cohen, who was convicted in 2018 to eight felony counts, including tax offences, fraud and campaign finance violations, is also an egotistical self confessed liar with anger management issues, Politico analysts say.

Moreover, the only other witness who was present in Cohen’s accounts, Allen Weisselberg, is currently serving jail time for perjury and appears unlikely to testify in the trial , Politico reported.