Michael Cohen’s Ex-Lawyer Says Hush Money Jury Doesn’t Need to Believe His Testimony to Convict Trump | Video

Lanny Davis, the former attorney for Michael Cohen, who himself was the former personal attorney for President Trump, argued on Wednesday that the jury in Trump’s hush money trial doesn’t have to believe Cohen to find Trump guilty.

Jake Tapper had Davis on as a guest to discuss Cohen’s testimony and the anchor asked Davis, “This could all come down to whether the jury believes Michael Cohen or Donald Trump, both of whom have had their issues with facts in the past. Why should the jury believe Michael Cohen and not Donald Trump?”

Davis replied that he disagrees with the assumption “that Michael Cohen needs to be believed for the jury to convict.” He pointed out that Cohen is not the only witness against Trump: Former Enquirer editor David Pecker and former Trump staffer Hope Hicks have also testified, in addition to numerous “documents and text messages” obtained by the prosecution.

Davis also mentioned the “really harmful document” from former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, who has already been convicted of tax evasion.

Tapper had an image of the document in question handy, a hand-written financial plan that includes the alleged crux of the case: $130,000 that was paid to porn star Stormy Daniels. “You call it a smoking gun,” Tapper said to Davis.

“If the jury has any question about whether these were legal fees, which is what Mr. Trump has said falsely, or whether they were reimbursements for a criminal payment that Michael Cohen went to jail for,” Davis replied.

Tapper broke down the figures on the document saying, “It’s a document that basically comes up with the amount that they are going to pay Michael Cohen, which is reimbursement for the payment to Stormy Daniels, according to the prosecutors and Michael Cohen, plus $50,000 more for this other thing having to do with like some bogus polling or whatever.”

He added that the defense has not offered “an alternate suggestion as to what this is.”

“It’s taking a number adding all those things up including the illegal hush money,” Davis agreed.

“Yeah, it’s hush money in itself,” Tapper said.

Watch a segment of their conversation from CNN’s “The Lead” in the video above.

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