Michael Cohen, the estranged personal lawyer of former US president Donald Trump, is set to take stand as a key prosecution witness in the hush money trial involving porn star Stormy Daniels.&nbsp;

His insider knowledge could provide jurors a crucial perspective on the alleged campaign finance violations. But legal troubles in the past raise questions about his credibility.

He served as personal attorney to Trump until his practice came under federal investigation. That led to a&nbsp;prison sentence for Cohen but no charges against Trump, who was in White House by then.

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Cohen, who is said to have arranged the payment to Daniels to keep her sexual relationship with Trump a secret,&nbsp;is expected to take the stand on Monday (May 13).

He will have the opportunity to present himself to the jury as someone who has openly acknowledged his past wrongdoing and faced consequences.

The expelled lawyer had pleaded guilty to lying to Congress and a bank.

But he said recently, under oath, that he wasn’t truthful even in admitting to some of those falsehoods.

As Trump's trial commenced, prosecutors made efforts to depict Cohen as just one element of their evidence against Trump.

But Trump and his legal team have branded Cohen a liar who currently earns a livelihood by disparaging his former employer.

<h2>Ally becomes opponent</h2>

Cohen was a condo board member in a Trump building and got involved on Trump’s side of a residents versus management dispute.

Trump soon brought Cohen into his company.

Cohen's career spanned from personal injury law to running a taxi business with his father-in-law.

As a lawyer for Donald Trump, Cohen had earned a reputation for his fierce loyalty in his heyday.

Cohen’s breakup with Trump came in 2018 after the FBI raided him home and office and Trump began to distance himself from the attorney.

Cohen promptly informed a federal court that he assisted Trump in utilising the National Enquirer tabloid as a platform to praise him, discredit his adversaries, and suppress scandalous allegations about his personal life.

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In his testimony at the trial, he will need to explain his prior disavowals of key aspects of the hush money arrangements.

He will have to convince jurors that this time around, he is telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

In the course of Daniel’s case, Cohen had told The New York Times that he had not been reimbursed, but later acknowledged repayment.

Cohen also admitted to tax evasion, arranging illegal campaign contributions in the form of hush money payments, and lying to Congress about his work on a possible Trump real estate project in Moscow.

He also pleaded guilty to signing off on a home equity loan application that understated his financial liabilities.

Cohen admitted to lying to the judge who accepted his guilty plea, though he maintained he wasn't entirely guilty of the original charges.

While a fraud trial judge deemed Michael Cohen's testimony credible due to supporting evidence, a separate judge raised concerns about perjury, suggesting Cohen lied either during his testimony or when pleading guilty.&nbsp;

Since his break with Trump, Cohen has acknowledged his history of dishonesty.

(With inputs from agencies)

Michael Cohen, the estranged personal lawyer of former US president Donald Trump, is set to take stand as a key prosecution witness in the hush money trial involving porn star Stormy Daniels.

Michael Cohen, the estranged personal lawyer of former US president Donald Trump, is set to take stand as a key prosecution witness in the hush money trial involving porn star Stormy Daniels. His insider knowledge could provide jurors a crucial perspective on the alleged campaign finance violations. But legal troubles in the past raise questions about his credibility. He served as personal attorney to Trump until his practice came under federal investigation. That led to a prison sentence for Cohen but no charges against Trump, who was in White House by then. Also read: Sergey Shoigu sacked as Russian Defence Minister as Putin begins fifth term Cohen, who is said to have arranged the payment to Daniels to keep her sexual relationship with Trump a secret, is expected to take the stand on Monday (May 13). He will have the opportunity to present himself to the jury as someone who has openly acknowledged his past wrongdoing and faced consequences. The expelled lawyer had pleaded guilty to lying to Congress and a bank. But he said recently, under oath, that he wasn’t truthful even in admitting to some of those falsehoods. As Trump's trial commenced, prosecutors made efforts to depict Cohen as just one element of their evidence against Trump. But Trump and his legal team have branded Cohen a liar who currently earns a livelihood by disparaging his former employer. Ally becomes opponent Cohen was a condo board member in a Trump building and got involved on Trump’s side of a residents versus management dispute. Trump soon brought Cohen into his company. Cohen's career spanned from personal injury law to running a taxi business with his father-in-law. As a lawyer for Donald Trump, Cohen had earned a reputation for his fierce loyalty in his heyday. Cohen’s breakup with Trump came in 2018 after the FBI raided him home and office and Trump began to distance himself from the attorney. Cohen promptly informed a federal court that he assisted Trump in utilising the National Enquirer tabloid as a platform to praise him, discredit his adversaries, and suppress scandalous allegations about his personal life. Also read: Seven killed in Ukrainian missile strike on residential building in Belgorod In his testimony at the trial, he will need to explain his prior disavowals of key aspects of the hush money arrangements. He will have to convince jurors that this time around, he is telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. In the course of Daniel’s case, Cohen had told The New York Times that he had not been reimbursed, but later acknowledged repayment. Cohen also admitted to tax evasion, arranging illegal campaign contributions in the form of hush money payments, and lying to Congress about his work on a possible Trump real estate project in Moscow. He also pleaded guilty to signing off on a home equity loan application that understated his financial liabilities. Cohen admitted to lying to the judge who accepted his guilty plea, though he maintained he wasn't entirely guilty of the original charges. While a fraud trial judge deemed Michael Cohen's testimony credible due to supporting evidence, a separate judge raised concerns about perjury, suggesting Cohen lied either during his testimony or when pleading guilty. Since his break with Trump, Cohen has acknowledged his history of dishonesty. (With inputs from agencies)

Who is Michael Cohen, key witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial? What you should know

Donald Trump accused his former lawyer of perjury on Friday, saying Michael Cohen's scathing testimony to Congress this week contradicted a manuscript he wrote last year that complimented the US president.

"Wow, just revealed that Michael Cohen wrote a 'love letter to Trump' manuscript for a new book that he was pushing," Trump tweeted Friday.

"Book is the exact opposite of his fake testimony, which now is a lie!"

The president called on Congress to demand the transcript, given to publishers a short time ago and yet to go on sale.

"Michael Cohen's book manuscript shows that he committed perjury on a scale not seen before," Trump added.

Cohen, who worked for the president for a decade as his top "fixer" at the Trump Organization, assailed his ex-boss as "a racist... a conman... a cheat" in testimony Wednesday to the House Oversight Committee.

In a book proposal, Cohen sent to publishers in early 2018 -- before he was sentenced to three years in prison, partly for crimes related to his work for Trump -- the attorney promised a glowing picture of the real estate billionaire.

The manuscript was entitled "Trump Revolution: From the Tower to the White House, Understanding Donald J. Trump" -- and according to the Daily Beast, it was aimed at offsetting books deeply critical of the president.

The proposal was pulled back after FBI agents raided Cohen's home and offices in April 2018 in an investigation probing the attorney's taxes and hush payments he arranged for women who claimed affairs with the president.

"Sometime in early 2018, Mr Cohen was offered a substantial advance for a proposal regarding a book on understanding Donald Trump," Cohen's lawyer Lanny Davis said.

"Mr Cohen ultimately elected not to proceed."

In the months after the raids, Cohen went from being a close ally of Trump to a foe, providing testimony in a plea deal with prosecutors that the president ordered him to make one hush payment and reimbursed him.

Trump scorned him as "a rat."

Cohen eventually pleaded guilty to felony charges of misuse of campaign funds in the hush payment, tax evasion and lying to Congress.

In five hours of testimony Wednesday, he compared employment with Trump to working for a "mobster."&nbsp;

Republican lawmakers however attacked Cohen as an unreliable witness, citing his earlier false testimony, and accused him of trying to cash in on his work for Trump with book and film deals.

Cohen said there were no deals in the works, but confirmed he had been approached and was open to the idea.

Donald Trump accused his former lawyer of perjury on Friday, saying Michael Cohen's scathing testimony to Congress this week contradicted a manuscript he wrote last year that complimented the US president.

Donald Trump accused his former lawyer of perjury on Friday, saying Michael Cohen's scathing testimony to Congress this week contradicted a manuscript he wrote last year that complimented the US president. "Wow, just revealed that Michael Cohen wrote a 'love letter to Trump' manuscript for a new book that he was pushing," Trump tweeted Friday. "Book is the exact opposite of his fake testimony, which now is a lie!" The president called on Congress to demand the transcript, given to publishers a short time ago and yet to go on sale. "Michael Cohen's book manuscript shows that he committed perjury on a scale not seen before," Trump added. Cohen, who worked for the president for a decade as his top "fixer" at the Trump Organization, assailed his ex-boss as "a racist... a conman... a cheat" in testimony Wednesday to the House Oversight Committee. In a book proposal, Cohen sent to publishers in early 2018 -- before he was sentenced to three years in prison, partly for crimes related to his work for Trump -- the attorney promised a glowing picture of the real estate billionaire. The manuscript was entitled "Trump Revolution: From the Tower to the White House, Understanding Donald J. Trump" -- and according to the Daily Beast, it was aimed at offsetting books deeply critical of the president. The proposal was pulled back after FBI agents raided Cohen's home and offices in April 2018 in an investigation probing the attorney's taxes and hush payments he arranged for women who claimed affairs with the president. "Sometime in early 2018, Mr Cohen was offered a substantial advance for a proposal regarding a book on understanding Donald Trump," Cohen's lawyer Lanny Davis said. "Mr Cohen ultimately elected not to proceed." In the months after the raids, Cohen went from being a close ally of Trump to a foe, providing testimony in a plea deal with prosecutors that the president ordered him to make one hush payment and reimbursed him. Trump scorned him as "a rat." Cohen eventually pleaded guilty to felony charges of misuse of campaign funds in the hush payment, tax evasion and lying to Congress. In five hours of testimony Wednesday, he compared employment with Trump to working for a "mobster." Republican lawmakers however attacked Cohen as an unreliable witness, citing his earlier false testimony, and accused him of trying to cash in on his work for Trump with book and film deals. Cohen said there were no deals in the works, but confirmed he had been approached and was open to the idea.

Trump accuses ex-lawyer Michael Cohen of perjury, citing unpublished book

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Who is Michael Cohen, key witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial? What you should know

Trump accuses ex-lawyer Michael Cohen of perjury, citing unpublished book