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Trump’s Lawyers Intensely Grill Michael Cohen

In a lawsuit led by New York Attorney General Letitia James against former President Donald Trump, alleging a $250 million fraud, Michael Cohen, Trump’s erstwhile legal counsel, has been a focal witness. The charges brought against Trump involve purportedly falsifying the value of several assets connected to The Trump Organization, with allegations also extending to his sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.

Cohen had taken the stand for a second time, undergoing intensive scrutiny from Trump’s defense team, particularly focusing on Cohen’s prior dishonesty while under oath. In earlier testimony, Cohen claimed he was instructed by Trump to inflate the former president’s net worth by artificially increasing the valuation of specific assets. He detailed how he, alongside Allen Weisselberg, the organization’s former financial chief, would “reverse-engineer” asset values to meet the figures Trump had “unilaterally chosen.”

However, the tenor of Cohen’s testimony changed as he faced questioning from Trump’s attorney, Clifford Robert. Robert concentrated on Cohen’s 2018 guilty plea for financial misconduct related to payments made during Trump’s 2016 campaign, causing Cohen to appear to waver in his statements. This led to noticeable reactions both from Trump and in the courtroom.

Jose Pagliery, a journalist who was present, said Cohen seemed visibly worn out from the intense questioning, describing the atmosphere as Robert “pounding” Cohen. Furthermore, Robert challenged Cohen’s claim that Trump had pressured him to inflate asset valuations, asking for a simple “yes or no” answer. Cohen agreed, causing a visible reaction from Trump, who then abruptly left the courtroom.

Upon redirect from the Attorney General’s office, Cohen attempted to clarify his earlier contradictory comments. He indicated that while Trump did not explicitly ask him to inflate the numbers, his manner of speaking was more suggestive than direct, likening it to “mob boss” talk.

Despite Cohen’s contentious role, the presiding Judge Arthur Engoron denied Robert’s request for a directed verdict to dismiss the case. Engoron stated that he did not see Cohen as a “key witness,” but affirmed that there was ample evidence in the lawsuit to proceed.