Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former fixer and private attorney, admitted under cross-examination Monday that he stole from Trump's company by withholding money that had been given to him that ought to have gone to a tech entrepreneur who was hired to assist manipulate a CNBC poll about celebrity businesspeople.
“You stole Trump Organizationright?” asked Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche Cohen at the previous president’s hush money trial in New York.
Cohen replied, “Yes, sir.”
Cohen pocketed $30,000 of the $50,000 he received from the Trump Organization after which donated about $20,000 to the technology firm Red Finch, which previously worked for the Trump Organization, in response to his testimony within the Supreme Court of Manhattan testified.
Cohen said that although Red Finch's owner would have preferred to receive your complete $50,000 owed to him, he was “appeased for now,” the previous fixer testified.
After Blanche finished cross-examining Cohen, Assistant District Attorney Susan Hoffinger had Cohen explain to the jury what Red Finch had done for Trump.
Cohen testified that he asked the contractor to assist organize a CNBC poll of probably the most famous businessmen of the last century by obtaining Internet Protocol addresses to bolster Trump's position in that poll.
Trump later refused to pay Red Finch because he was upset that CNBC didn’t proceed the poll after he moved to ninth place in that poll.
Cohen said he pocketed $30,000 of the $50,000 he later allegedly received for Red Finch from the Trump Organization because he was “angry” that his bonus was for serving as Trump's personal attorney had been shortened.
“It was almost like self-help,” Cohen testified.
Cohen is a key witness against Trump, having previously testified that he paid porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 before the 2016 presidential election to silence her about alleged sex with Trump a decade ago.
Prosecutors said Cohen can be their final witness within the trial.
Blanche is anticipated to finish his cross-examination on Monday. It's unclear whether they may call Trump to the stand.
Defense lawyers held off last week when Judge Juan Merchan asked whether or not they would even call defense witnesses to testify.
Last month, Trump told a reporter, “I would definitely testify.”
Merchan told prosecutors and the previous president's lawyers earlier Monday that final arguments within the case will happen on May 28, the day after Memorial Day.
“It has become clear that we will not conclude tomorrow,” Merchan said as Trump looked on.
The judge last week ordered either side to be able to submit their summaries on Tuesday.
But Merchan said Monday he desired to avoid a multi-day delay between closing arguments and the beginning of deliberations. The trial is not going to happen this Wednesday or Friday and would last half a day on Thursday because of a juror's scheduling conflict.
Before entering the courtroom on Monday, Trump told reporters: “It looks like we're going to have a very big gap between days.”
Trump is accused of falsifying business records related to his and his company's reimbursement to Cohen for the Daniels payout.
The former president denies having sex with Daniels, who previously testified within the trial.
Merchan had told lawyers to organize for closing arguments on Tuesday.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, is the primary former president to face a criminal trial.
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