Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche, who made the closing statement in the “hush money” trial against former US President Donald Trump, claimed that the key witness in the case, Michael Cohen, is “the biggest liar of all” and said, “Donald Trump is innocent. He has not committed any crime and the prosecution has not met its burden of proof.”
As the trial of former US President Donald Trump on charges of paying “hush money” to Stormy Daniels, the adult film actress with whom he had an affair, during the 2016 presidential election draws to a close, closing arguments began today at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York. Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche accused the prosecution, saying, “Donald Trump is innocent. He has not committed any crime and the prosecution has not met its burden of proof. That’s it,” he said. Reiterating his claim that the “hush money” case serves a conspiracy against Trump, Blanche emphasized that Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen, who is seen as one of the prosecution’s strongest witnesses and admitted to paying Daniels as instructed, is a liar. Questioning Cohen’s credibility as a witness, Blanche said, “Cohen is the biggest liar, even the master. He lies constantly. He lied in his testimony to members of Congress. He lied to prosecutors. He lied to his family and business associates. You cannot convict anyone based on Michael Cohen’s words,” he said.
“Cohen is the most important person”
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass sought to allay jurors’ concerns about the credibility of witnesses, emphasizing that Cohen is the central witness in the case. “It’s not whether you like Michael Cohen or not. It’s not whether you want to do business with Michael Cohen. It’s whether Cohen can give you useful and reliable information about what’s going on in this case,” Steinglass said, adding, ‘The truth is that Cohen is in the most important position to know what’s going on in this case.’
Steinglass added that Cohen’s and Daniels’ testimony is full of details that corroborate the prosecution’s claims.
Trump could face jail time
In the case, also known as the “hush money” case, Trump is accused of paying “hush money” to Stormy Daniels, an obscene movie actress with whom he had an affair, before the 2016 presidential election and falsifying official records to cover up the payment. It is stated that Trump could be sentenced to up to 4 years in prison at the end of the case, which is important because Trump is the first former US President to be tried in a criminal case in US history.
