Former President Trump's Hush Money Trial: Cohen's Testimony and Missing Witnesses

New York City, New York United States of America
Allen Weisselberg, then-chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, could be a linchpin to establish that Trump agreed to reimburse Cohen through the Trump Organization as a business expense.
Former President Donald J. Trump is on trial for orchestrating a conspiracy to suppress sex scandals during the 2016 election.
Michael D. Cohen is the only witness directly linking Trump to the 34 business records he is charged with falsifying.
The trial marks the first criminal trial of a sitting or former U.S. president in American history.
Former President Trump's Hush Money Trial: Cohen's Testimony and Missing Witnesses

Former President Donald J. Trump is on trial for orchestrating a conspiracy to suppress sex scandals during the 2016 election and seeking to bury a porn star's story for good. The Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, has retained inherent advantages due to reams of circumstantial evidence and favorable laws underpinning the charges. Michael D. Cohen is the only witness directly linking Trump to the 34 business records he is charged with falsifying.

The trial began with testimony from various witnesses who provided evidence of Trump's involvement in hush money payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, two women who claimed they had affairs with Trump before the election. Cohen, a former lawyer for Trump, testified that he facilitated these payments at the direction of the former president.

However, Cohen's credibility was called into question during cross-examination by Trump's defense team. They highlighted his criminal record and painted him as a serial liar bent on taking down the former president. Despite this, legal experts believe that the prosecution still has an advantage due to the reams of circumstantial evidence and favorable laws underpinning the charges.

The trial is significant because it marks the first criminal trial of a sitting or former U.S. president in American history. The outcome could have far-reaching implications for Trump's political future and potentially impact his ability to run for office again.

Despite Cohen's testimony, the prosecution has left out a second key witness who could validate his claims about Trump agreeing to reimburse him through the Trump Organization as a business expense. Allen Weisselberg, then-chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, could be the linchpin to establish this fact. However, the DA's office has told Judge Juan Merchan that they believe Weisselberg's interests are now aligned with Trump and may not expect him to tell the truth on the stand.

The trial is expected to conclude with closing arguments in the coming days. The jury will then deliberate and reach a verdict.


Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image
Article Image

Confidence

90%

Doubts
  • Can the prosecution secure a conviction without Allen Weisselberg's testimony?
  • How accurate are Michael Cohen's claims against Donald Trump?

Sources

77%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Opinion: I changed my mind about the strength of the prosecution’s case against Donald Trump. Here’s why

CNN News Site: In-Depth Reporting and Analysis with Some Financial Conflicts and Sensational Language Saturday, 18 May 2024 20:00
  • Unique Points
    • The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office announced they were resting their case after calling Michael Cohen as their final witness in the Donald Trump hush money trial.
    • The prosecution has left out a second key witness to establish that Trump intended to falsify his business records to cover up another crime.
    • Allen Weisselberg, then-chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, could be the linchpin to validate Cohen’s claims about Trump agreeing to reimburse him through the Trump Organization as a business expense.
    • The DA’s office told Judge Juan Merchan that they believe Weisselberg’s interests are now aligned with Trump, implying that they don’t expect him to tell the truth on the stand.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (30%)
    The article contains editorializing and selective reporting. The author expresses her opinion that the Manhattan District Attorney's Office made a significant tactical error by not calling Allen Weisselberg as a witness to back up Michael Cohen's testimony. She also implies that Weisselberg would be the linchpin to validate Cohen's claims about Trump agreeing to reimburse him through the Trump Organization. However, she fails to mention that Weisselberg has credibility issues due to his conviction for lying under oath and the DA's belief that his interests are aligned with Trump. By focusing on the potential benefits of calling Weisselberg without disclosing his credibility issues, the author is selectively reporting information and manipulating emotions by creating a false sense of importance around Cohen's testimony.
    • It leaves a hole in the prosecution’s case, and that also could leave room for reasonable doubt.
    • He actually did pretty well in responding to the prosecution’s warm-up when confronted with his prior bad acts, convictions and bias toward the former president, staying steady on the stand and not losing his cool.
    • The obvious choice would be to call Weisselberg to close any gaps in Cohen’s story if the jurors choose to discredit his testimony that Trump knew and approved the plan.
    • The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office made a significant tactical error announcing they were resting their case after calling Michael Cohen as their final witness in the Donald Trump hush money trial.
  • Fallacies (80%)
    The author commits an appeal to authority fallacy by referring to the testimonies of various witnesses and their significance in proving the prosecution's case. While these testimonies may provide evidence, they do not necessarily prove that the author's assertions are correct.
    • The jury heard the testimonies of: David Pecker, Hope Hicks, and Stormy Daniels herself.
    • What the prosecution left out of its case is a second key witness to establish that Trump intended to falsify his business records to cover up another crime.
  • Bias (90%)
    The article expresses a clear opinion that the Manhattan District Attorney's Office made a tactical error in not calling Allen Weisselberg as a witness to support Michael Cohen's testimony. The author argues that Weisselberg could have provided crucial information to validate Cohen's claims about Trump agreeing to reimburse him through the Trump Organization. However, the author also acknowledges that Weisselberg has credibility issues due to his perjury conviction.
    • The DA’s office told Judge Juan Merchan outside the presence of the jury that they believe his ‘interests right now are very aligned with the Defendant’, implying that they don’t expect him to tell the truth on the stand.
      • The obvious choice would be to call Weisselberg to close any gaps in Cohen’s story if the jurors choose to discredit his testimony that Trump knew and approved the plan.
        • Weisselberg was Trump’s right-hand man while serving as CFO, but he is currently serving time at Rikers Island on a perjury conviction stemming from his testimony to investigators in Trump’s civil fraud case.
        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication

        95%

        The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
        (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

        A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

        As Trump Trial Nears Its End, the Law May Give Prosecutors an Edge

        The Name Of The NZ Prefix. I PWA NZI.P.Was Dropped. Ben Protess, Sunday, 19 May 2024 07:01
        • Unique Points
          • Former President Donald J. Trump is on trial for orchestrating a conspiracy to suppress sex scandals during the 2016 election and seeking to bury a porn star's story for good.
          • Michael D. Cohen is the only witness directly linking Trump to the 34 business records he is charged with falsifying.
          • The Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, has retained inherent advantages due to reams of circumstantial evidence and favorable laws underpinning the charges.
        • Accuracy
          • The jury will determine Trump’s fate based on all presented evidence.
        • Deception (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Fallacies (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Bias (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication

        88%

        The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
        (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

        A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

        Trump Trials update: Michael Cohen, going on and on and on

        The Fixing Site: A Summary of the Article. Devlin Barrett, Sunday, 19 May 2024 20:30
        • Unique Points
          • The article is a regular Sunday edition of the Trump Trials newsletter.
          • There might be possible closing arguments in the trial.
        • Accuracy
          • A curve ball could push the trial's finale past Memorial Day.
        • Deception (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Fallacies (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Bias (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication