‘What I was doing was at the direction of and benefit of Mr. Trump,’ Cohen testifies in hush money case

Michael Cohen, former President Donald Trump’s ex-lawyer and fixer, allegedly gave adult film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 in exchange for her silence right before the 2016 presidential election.

On Monday morning, the 16th day of Trump’s hush money trial in New York, Cohen took the stand and testified on Trump’s involvement in the payments.

“What I was doing was at the direction of and benefit of Mr. Trump,” Cohen testified, adding: “Everything required Mr. Trump’s sign-off,” according to The Associated Press.

Jurors have already heard from key prosecution witnesses, including adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The 34-count criminal case, brought forward by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, alleges Trump falsified business records prior to the 2016 election to keep his relationship with Daniels a secret.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing, repeatedly calling the judicial proceedings a “witch hunt,” as he did in his remarks to reporters shortly before the court proceedings.

“I should be out campaigning now instead of sitting in a very cold courthouse all day long,” he said. “This is a Biden prosecution.”

Daniels was on the witness stand for two days. She was asked about the alleged $130,000 “hush money” payment, given to her by Cohen.

Cohen said he began working for Trump in 2007 and earned a $375,000 salary, according to NBC News. He said he would handle Trump’s legal work, like renegotiating specific bills, place stories in the media to shape a positive image of Trump and kill stories that could damage his image. Cohen testified he spoke with Trump on a daily basis, while revealing Trump never had an email address because he thought an electronic paper trail could be used against him.

Asked if he lied in order to help Trump, Cohen said he was dishonest to finish the task and keep his boss happy, as CBS News reported.

In 2016, Cohen received a call from David Pecker and Dylan Howard, the former publisher and editor-in-chief of The National Enquirer, regarding a story that was being shopped around about a Playboy model’s alleged relationship with Trump.

Trump knew the woman, Karen McDougal, and Cohen recalled him saying, “She’s really beautiful.”

“I said, ‘OK, but there’s a story that’s right now being shopped,’” Cohen said. He added that Trump told him to suppress this story’s release. Pecker told Cohen it would cost $150,000 to bury the story, and Trump had agreed to pay up, Cohen said in his testimony.

This story wasn’t the central issue in the trial but it could be used to show Cohen needed the former president’s sign-off to carry out his plans.

The “Access Hollywood” tape, involving Trump speaking about sexual assault, surfaced in 2016. Trump directed Cohen to reach out to his media contacts and spin the story as “locker room talk,” on former first lady Melania Trump’s recommendation, according to his testimony. According to NBC News, he said the tape in question would have a “catastrophic” impact on the campaign.

Trump had told Cohen to “take care” of the Daniels story back in 2011, and was frustrated it had resurfaced, saying it was “a total disaster,” Cohen said. When it came to paying Daniels, Trump instructed his fixer to push the transaction past the election, keeping the story under wraps at least until then. But Daniels pushed back, saying she would go to the Daily Mail.

Cohen confirmed he paid Daniels’ lawyer on Oct. 27, 2016. After Trump won the White House, he no longer had use for the fixer.

“My service was no longer necessary as I was special counsel to Mr. Trump, and he was president-elect,” Cohen testified.

During the proceedings, Eric Trump, sitting behind his father, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, “I have never seen anything more rehearsed.”

Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, who was also in attendance in support of Trump, said in a post on X that he was “about to fall asleep” in court.

“I saw a media report a few days ago that Trump looked like he was falling asleep or bored or something. The obvious narrative they’re trying to sell is ‘yeah Biden is mentally unfit but this other guy is bad too,’” Vance said. “It’s an absurd narrative. I’m 39 years old and I’ve been here for 26 minutes and I’m about to fall asleep.”

Other attendees included Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y.

In August 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations. At the time, he also alleged Trump directed him to pay off Daniels. Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison for all the charges against him, but he was released on furlough during the pandemic.

Although he previously said he would “take a bullet” for Trump, Cohen, following his time in jail, changed his tune. He published two books — “Disloyal” and “Revenge” — critical of the former president.