Donald Trump’s Former Attorney Michael Cohen Testifies Against Him in Court: “Heck of a Reunion”

In court on Tuesday in New York, Donald Trump's former fixer testified against his former employer, stating that he helped increase the alleged worth of the former president's assets. Michael Cohen pled guilty to many felonies, including tax evasion and lying to Congress and a bank, and Trump's attorneys attempted to depict him as a habitual liar. A court has already found that Trump lied about the worth of his properties to get better credit terms, but the amount of money he has to pay back will be decided at trial. Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James wants to punish Trump with $250 million (£205 million) and prevent him from doing business in the state.

As reported by The Guardian, following days of detailed evidence from Trump's former accountants, Cohen laid out a rather straightforward plan to deceive the public about Trump's wealth. Cohen claimed that Trump instructed him and other executives to "reverse-engineer" the valuations of various assets and "cook the books" in order to assist the ex-president in artificially increasing his wealth.

When pressed for specifics, Cohen said, "Whatever number Mr. Trump told us to." Trump was unable to refute Cohen's allegations head-on in court. As his former attorney entered the stand, he looked to stare in Cohen's way but said nothing. Instead, during many court recesses, the former president attacked Cohen, calling him a "proven liar" and a "felon." Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison in 2018 for lying to Congress about hush money payments he made on Trump's behalf, after previously saying he would "take a bullet" for the president. During lunch break, on being asked by reporters about coming face to face with his former boss in court, he replied, “Heck of a reunion.”

Alina Habba, a lawyer representing Trump, blasted Cohen's federal guilty pleas from 2018 and his subsequent attempts to dissociate himself from some of them. On Tuesday, he admitted to lying when he pleaded guilty to tax evasion and providing false representations to a bank on a loan application. He said he hadn't done anything illegal, only "tax omission" and paperwork errors. Habba pounced on the remark and questioned Cohen on his plea deal with the federal court, asking, "Did you lie to Judge Pauley?" in reference to the tax charges. To this, Cohen replied, "Yes," per Politico.

Cohen's evidence in the civil lawsuit is just the beginning of his time spent testifying against Trump in legal proceedings. The Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, is bringing a criminal prosecution against the former president for his alleged involvement in hush money payments to Daniels, and Cohen is likely to testify as a witness in the case.

In 2007, Cohen accepted a position as Trump's attack dog and began working for the president. He has previously stated his willingness to take a bullet for "Mr. Trump." When a federal investigation into Cohen's participation in a hush-money payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels began in 2018, everything changed. Cohen paid Daniels during the 2016 campaign so she wouldn't talk about her romance with Trump, which he has denied ever happening. Cohen paid Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Florida a visit in March 2018 for one of their last meetings. Shortly later, the FBI conducted a search warrant at Cohen's home and workplace.