Michael Cohen is last witness to testify in Donald Trump's hush money trial, says prosecution

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: In the ongoing hush money trial of former president Donald Trump, Michael Cohen, once a close associate of Trump, is set to be the last witness for the prosecution.

This development was revealed in a court transcript on Tuesday, May 14 with the prosecution team led by Joshua Steinglass informing Judge Juan Merchan of their decision.

Will Donald Trump testify in his hush money trial? 

Cohen, who continued his testimony for the second day on Tuesday, is being cross-examined by Trump's attorneys.

Defense attorney Todd Blanche has anticipated that their cross-examination of Cohen will extend until the end of Thursday, May 16, as per the court transcript reported by CNN.

Notably, no cameras are allowed inside the Manhattan courtroom where Donald Trump's hush money trial is underway

The defense also said it is "not clear" whether Trump will testify in the trial.

Michael Cohen expressed regret for doing things for Donald Trump

Cohen, who once worked closely with Trump, testified about his role as Trump’s “fixer,” managing negative stories against him while maintaining loyalty.

He expressed regret for his actions, stating, “I regret doing things for him that I should not have."

He said this was, "lying, bullying people in order to effectuate a goal." He continued, "I don’t regret working with the Trump Organization."

Cohen now has a new career in the world of “media and entertainment.” He now hosts a podcast, 'Mea Culpa', where he discusses “news of the day” and Trump.

He admits to earning money from 'Mea Culpa' and another podcast published through the media arm of the liberal political action committee MeidasTouch.

Cohen has also written two books, one of which, 'Disloyal', he wrote in prison to pass the time. “Time management is very important when you are in prison,” he said. “It helps the time go by quicker.”

How did Michael Cohen and Donald Trump fall apart?

Cohen was given a three-year prison sentence, but he spent most of that time at home.

In August 2018, he admitted to breaking several laws, including ones about campaign finance because he was involved in paying two women to stay quiet about their claims of having affairs with Donald Trump.

Cohen also said he was guilty of other crimes that had nothing to do with Trump, like not paying his taxes.

Later, he also admitted he lied to Congress about a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, and he said he did it because he was loyal to Trump.

But in 2018, when legal trouble wrangled Cohen and Trump didn’t support him, Cohen’s loyalty changed.

Since getting released from prison in 2020, Cohen has been very against Trump, trying to fix the mistakes he made while previously following Trump’s orders.

He even spoke against Trump in court last year in New York in Trump’s civil fraud trial. Cohen said Trump told him to change financial records to make Trump seem richer than he was. He also said Trump acted like a “mob boss.”

Internet mockingly says it's 'poetic' to end trial with Michael Cohen, one who is convicted of perjury

The Internet has mixed reactions over Cohen being the last prosecution witness to testify against Trump.

Some criticized the prosecution for ending the witness testimony with a man convicted of perjury by writing, "Ending a fraudulent case with a man convicted of dishonesty. Poetic."

"lol. The case is a joke." "Are they not calling Trump?" asked one. "I can almost feel the tension in the air as everyone gears up for what could be a major turning point in the case," wrote another user. 

"Good call. The longer the trial, the longer the chance for trouble," observed one. "So in other words, they have no case and have not shown any federal crime committed," wrote another user.

"Well he did wrap it all up in a fancy bow," remarked one more while another added, "Who gives a fig if Michael Cohen makes money on TikTok?"

"It’s about time!!" wrote one more."It's not a hush money case. It's an election interference case," wrote one.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online