by Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen called the former president a “loser man” after offering two days of testimony in a fraud trial in New York state.
Trump was found guilty of fraud in New York in a summary judgment in the case last month. The trial – including Cohen's testimony – will determine the extent of sanctions against Trump.
In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to charges of tax evasion, making false statements to a federally insured bank and campaign finance violations. He admitted paying two women — including Stormy Daniels — to prevent them from publicly discussing their affairs with Trump and disrupting his 2016 campaign.
He ended up spending a little over a year in prison and an additional year and a half under house arrest.
After his second day of testimony, Cohen and his attorney, Dania Perry, addressed the crowd outside the courthouse.
Cohen told the press that he and Trump – who was in court – made direct eye contact “several times” during his testimony.
In his trial testimony, Cohen accused Trump of acting like a “mob boss” by using intimidation to pressure his employees to fraudulently inflate his wealth and assets on his behalf without explicitly ordering them to do so.
Trump walked out of the courtroom after his lawyers failed to persuade Judge Arthur Engoron to rule in Trump's favor, arguing that Cohen's credibility issues hurt the case. His abrupt exit drew gasps from the audience as he mumbled on his way out.
Cohen also told the crowd outside court that Trump seemed “resigned” during the hearing.
Former US President Donald Trump appears on trial for political fraud in New York
(REUTERS)
“I saw a defeated man,” Cohen said. “I saw someone who knows it's the end of the Trump Organization: He's already been found guilty of fraud, the license will eventually be taken, and now this whole case is just about how much. [New York Attorney General Letitia James] will seek.”
Mr Cohen said Mr Trump's dramatic behavior likely reflected the former president's frustration at having to face “accountability” for his actions.
“You may have seen Mr. Trump storm out,” Cohen said. “There was a firestorm because they wanted to make a motion to dismiss the case. To which the judge said, ‘yeah, absolutely not.'
Earlier Wednesday, Trump was fined $10,000 for violating the trial order for a second time after his comments outside the courtroom appeared to target the judge's chief clerk.
His lawyers have vowed to appeal the sanctions.
