Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former lawyer, took the witness stand to provide testimony against his former boss in a New York fraud case.
The legal team representing Trump wasted no time in questioning Cohen about his financial gains from hosting podcast episodes and writing books, consistently criticizing Trump's actions.
Michael Cohen Earns From Criticizing Donald Trump
Michael Cohen earned around $3.4 million from the sales of two books he authored about Donald Trump, according to testimony in the former president's hush money trial on Tuesday.
It occurred as the president's attorneys attempted to portray Cohen, the trial's key witness, as motivated by money and revenge.
Cohen also insulted Trump on social media, calling him a "dictator douchebag" and a "Cheeto-dusted cartoon villain."
The debut book, 'Disloyal: A Memoir: The True Story' of the former personal attorney to Trump, gained immense popularity, remaining on the New York Times' best-seller list for four consecutive weeks. According to Circana BookScan, a reliable source for publishing data, Disloyal has managed to sell an impressive 290,000 print copies.
Another Cohen's book, 'Revenge: How Donald Trump Weaponized The Department of Justice Against His Critics,' had a successful run on the best-seller list, selling 23,600 print copies in just one week.
According to Forbes, if Cohen had standard book contracts for both of his books, he would have made approximately $1 million from their sales, including audiobooks and e-books.
"It is irrelevant," Cohen stated, clearly hesitant to discuss the details of his personal finances.
However, when questioned about any potential financial motivations to speak negatively about his employer, Cohen acknowledged the possibility.
Trump's legal team aggressively questioned Cohen, attempting to cast doubt on his claims that the ex-president approved a payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in order to keep her quiet.
Michael Cohen's Testimony on Donald Trump's Hush Money Trial
During the questioning, Trump attorney Todd Blanche confronted Cohen about his behavior on social media, including the derogatory remarks he made.
A former associate of the former president, Cohen, provided extensive testimony to prosecutors over the course of two days, totaling approximately nine hours.
During his testimony, he provided a thorough account of how Trump directed him to make a payment to Daniels in 2016. The purpose of the payment was to ensure her silence regarding an alleged sexual encounter in 2006, with the aim of safeguarding Trump's presidential campaign.
However, Cohen's controversial past became a focal point for Trump's lawyers, who extensively questioned him on Tuesday afternoon.
Cohen was incarcerated in a federal prison for multiple offenses, including the payment of hush money, and has openly admitted to perjury, Daily Mail reported.
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