Michael Cohen said he had a “heck of a reunion” Tuesday with his former boss Donald Trump when he testified against the former president at his New York civil fraud trial.
With Trump sitting feet away, Trump’s one-time lawyer and fixer described how he manipulated Trump’s financial statements – “reverse-engineering” them to hit an arbitrary net worth. Cohen explained how he would inflate the value of Trump’s properties along with the Trump Organization’s chief financial officer.
Once Trump’s lawyer began questioning Cohen, things quickly got heated, as he sneered at the questions and loudly objected to one line of questioning.
Cohen and Trump didn’t have any direct interactions on Tuesday, but both are expected to be back in court again Wednesday, when Trump’s lawyers will continue to cross-examine Cohen.
Here’s what to know about the dramatic day in court:
Trump and Cohen meet for the first time in 5 years
When Cohen walked into the Manhattan courtroom Tuesday morning, it was the first time he and Trump had been in the same room in five years.
Cohen once said he’d “take a bullet” for Trump, but turned against him after pleading guilty to federal crimes in 2018. Quickly he became one of Trump’s chief antagonists even as he prepared to go to prison, testifying against him before Congress and writing books critical of the former president.
Trump didn’t react to Cohen’s entrance, though he watched intently while Cohen began testifying, staring directly ahead with his arms folded at his former attorney.
The two didn’t make eye contact when Cohen left the courtroom at breaks. Outside the courtroom, however, Trump attacked Cohen, saying he “has a horrible record.”
“It’s not going to end up very good for him. We’re not worried at all about…
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