As Donald Trump’s hush-money trial enters its second week, jurors will be asked to focus on the testimony of his former Mr Fixit – the disbarred lawyer Michael Cohen.
Cohen, who served as Trump’s personal attorney for 12 years until 2018, is acting as a witness for the New York district attorney, Alvin Bragg. The case could turn on Cohen’s testimony about payments sought by two women, the porn star Stormy Daniels and the Playboy playmate Karen McDougal, and how those payments were made and allegedly disguised, as prosecutors contend, in violation of accounting and political campaign laws.
Another disbarred lawyer, Michael Avenatti, will feature in Cohen’s testimony, given he previously represented Clifford and McDougal in the transaction. Avenatti is serving a five-year sentence after being convicted of stealing $297,000 in book proceeds from Daniels, defrauding $20m from Nike, and obstructing the IRS.
Avenatti said in court in 2022 he had chosen to represent Daniels because she was an underdog, and because no one else would
From a larger metaphorical perspective, can you imagine how long it will take to flush all of trump out of the country? No one here will be alive by the time it happens.
