New York

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. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

Since his break with Trump, Cohen has acknowledged his history of dishonesty.

(With inputs from agencies)