Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is relying on convicted liar Michael Cohen as a key witness in his case against former President Donald Trump. However, Cohen’s testimony unraveled under cross-examination by Trump’s defense team, leading even CNN to acknowledge the weakness in his credibility.
CNN’s senior legal analyst Elie Honig described Cohen’s performance as having his “knees chopped out” during cross-examination. Anderson Cooper also noted the “extraordinary cross-examination” by Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche, which exposed inconsistencies in Cohen’s testimony.
Cohen has a history of lying, including to a Senate committee in 2017 and pleading guilty to lying to Congress in 2018. Federal prosecutors have raised concerns about his credibility and false statements made to the FBI.
During his testimony, Cohen admitted that Trump was concerned about how the allegations against him would affect his family, contradicting the prosecution’s narrative. Additionally, inconsistencies emerged during questioning about a phone call with Trump’s bodyguard, Keith Schiller, undermining Cohen’s credibility further.
In a damaging moment for Cohen, audio evidence was presented in court showing him thanking Bragg for their work against Trump, despite his earlier denial of ever meeting Bragg. This revelation, along with his admission of lying under oath for personal gain, further eroded Cohen’s credibility as a witness.
Overall, Cohen’s testimony has faced intense scrutiny and has raised doubts about the credibility of the case against Trump. The former president’s defense team has been successful in highlighting inconsistencies and falsehoods in Cohen’s testimony, casting doubt on the validity of the case against Trump.
