His former attorney, Michael D. According to Cohen, Stormy Daniels was talked about in the Oval Office.

Timothy A. Claire/AFP

Trump trial: His ex-lawyer Michael D. According to Cohen, there was even talk of Stormy Daniels in the Oval Office (pictured in front of Michael Cohen’s Manhattan home on a May 14, 2024 court visit)

Trump – “ Don’t worry, I’m the president of the United States “. This sentence was said by Donald Trump to Michael Cohen, worried after the raid of his home by federal agents in the context of payment for the Stormy Daniels affair. When the former lawyer of the Republican candidate appeared on the defense grill this Tuesday, May 14, to try to explain his role in the matter firmly, At least that’s what he said.

According to The New York TimesThe ” Pitbull ” nicknamed him, he spent part of the morning describing a meeting at the White House. He and Donald Trump then reportedly discussed paying $130,000 in restitution to Stormy Daniels to silence her.

He claims he had an affair with real estate mogul Melania in 2006 when he was already married. The meeting would have taken place in February 2017 in the Oval Office.

Fake invoices and checks signed by Trump

“Yes”, Michael Cohen replied, Donald Trump knew he was paying Stormy Daniels and then disguised himself “Legal Costs” In accounting for the family’s real estate empire, the Trump Organization.

As a reminder, Donald Trump has been accused of falsifying business records to cover up this famous charge. Michael Cohen gave more details on how the project unfolded. After paying himself through a shell company to buy Stormy Daniels’ silence, he wrote false invoices that he sent to the Trump Organization. In return, he received checks signed by Donald Trump.

But eventually, Stormy Daniels’ story came to light. The former lawyer explained how he tried to contain the fallout by organizing statements on his side.

“I have violated my moral sense”

When the Wall Street Journal revealed the affair in 2018, Michael Cohen said he paid Stormy Daniels on his own initiative without informing Donald Trump. Caught by the court and sentenced to three years, including 13 months, the ex-lawyer turned against his former employer, claiming he acted on his orders.

Concluding his testimony to prosecutors, Michael Cohen said he did not “Regret working in the Trump Organization”But still “I violated my moral sense, I enjoyed permission. »

Six months before the presidential election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, the trial has become increasingly politicized: Republican President Mike Johnson and Vivek Ramasamy in front of the House of Representatives in Manhattan courtroom, briefly the Republican presidential primaries.

In this historic and unprecedented trial for a former US president, the 77-year-old billionaire faces criminal charges for 34 counts of falsification of accounts and theoretically faces prison time. But even if he is convicted and jailed, Donald Trump could appear on Nov. 5 for revenge against Joe Biden.

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