Michael Cohen, the former lawyer and fixer of Donald Trump, admitted on his last day of testimony that he stole thousands of dollars from the former president's company.
According to BBC, this revelation came as Trump's legal team sought to expose Cohen's alleged past misconduct.
Michael Cohen Admits to Stealing Thousands of Dollars From the Company of Donald Trump
During questioning by lead defense lawyer Todd Blanche on Monday, Michael Cohen admitted taking tens of thousands from the Trump Organization.
After Blanche asked him if he stole from Donald Trump's company, Cohen replied, "Yes, sir," without hesitation. The criminal hush money trial is the first against a former US president. It is nearing its end, as closing statements are expected next week.
Trump, who pleaded not guilty in April, is facing 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide the reimbursement of the $130,000 hush money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels by Cohen.
Cohen allegedly arranged the payment days leading up to the 2016 election to silence Daniels about a sexual encounter she said she had with Trump in 2006, which the former president denied.
Michael Cohen Reimbursement Request for $50,000
Throughout the trial, Todd Blanche has concentrated on discrediting Michael Cohen's credibility as the prosecution's key witness.
Although Monday's testimony lacked sensational revelations, it did illuminate a specific reimbursement incident involving Cohen's confession to submitting a reimbursement request for $50,000 regarding a payment to the tech company RedFinch.
Cohen revealed that Donald Trump owed RedFinch $50,000 to end a dispute, but he said he paid the company only $20,000.
When asked by prosecutor Susan Hoffinger why he did it, Cohen said he was "angry" that the former president had slashed his yearly bonus in 2016 despite his work getting the former president's salacious stories being killed.
"It was almost like self-help," Cohen noted, as NBC News reported.
Join the Conversation