Donald Trump was closely involved in every part of a plan to stop stories about his sexual encounters from damaging his 2016 campaign, according to his former lawyer. Michael Cohen, now a key witness for the prosecution in Trump’s hush money trial, testified matter-of-factly on Monday, providing crucial details.
“Mr. Trump had to approve everything,” Cohen said, highlighting Trump’s central role in the scheme.
During his testimony, Cohen portrayed Trump as deeply engaged in efforts to keep the stories quiet. Trump allegedly agreed to reimburse Cohen for funds used in the scheme and stayed updated on efforts to prevent damaging stories from surfacing, particularly concerning a sexual encounter with Stormy Daniels that could impact his support among female voters.
Donald Trump is seen in New York City (Via Donald Baker/Getty Images)
Cohen also described a similar incident involving Playboy model Karen McDougal, where he informed Trump about her allegations and Trump instructed him to prevent their release. McDougal was paid $150,000 as part of an agreement that Trump was fully briefed on.
“All my actions were at the direction and for the benefit of Mr. Trump,” Cohen affirmed during his testimony.
Trump has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Cohen’s testimony, although less dramatic than Daniels’ recent appearance, directly connected Trump to the payments and provided clarity on evidence such as text messages and phone records previously shown to the jury.
