Michael Cohen, a convicted perjurer, a former lawyer and one-time political fixer for Donald Trump, is set to testify on Monday against his ex-boss in the first-ever criminal trial of a U.S. president.

Cohen, 57, worked for Trump, a New York real estate magnate since the early 2000s, before Trump became a politician.

Cohen once called himself Trump’s “designated thug” and estimated in congressional testimony that over the years he had made 500 threats to people at Trump’s behest.

Trump — as recently as 2017 — in the first year of his presidency, described Cohen as “a very talented lawyer” and “a good lawyer at my firm.”

All that is in the past, however, and now they are facing off in a high-stakes match with considerable consequences, Trump’s personal freedom and Trump’s standing as the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential candidate in the November election. He is likely to face President Joe Biden, the Democrat who defeated him in 2020.

Trump is accused in a 34-count indictment of falsifying his Trump Organization business ledgers to hide reimbursement payments to Cohen for a $130,000 hush money payment Cohen made to porn film star Stormy Daniels. The payment was to keep her from talking about her claim of a one-night tryst with Trump in 2006 just as voters were headed to the polls to elect Trump president in 2016.

Trump has denied Daniels’ claim of a liaison at a Lake Tahoe celebrity golf tourney in the Western state of Nevada. He said the 2017 reimbursements to Cohen were for his legal work. Trump also has denied all the criminal charges he faces.

Michael Cohen, a convicted perjurer, a former lawyer and one-time political fixer for Donald Trump, is set to testify on Monday against his ex-boss in the first-ever criminal trial of a U.S. president.

Cohen, 57, worked for Trump, a New York real estate magnate since the early 2000s, before Trump became a politician.

Cohen once called himself Trump’s “designated thug” and estimated in congressional testimony that over the years he had made 500 threats to people at Trump’s behest.

Trump — as recently as 2017 — in the first year of his presidency, described Cohen as “a very talented lawyer” and “a good lawyer at my firm.”

All that is in the past, however, and now they are facing off in a high-stakes match with considerable consequences, Trump’s personal freedom and Trump’s standing as the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential candidate in the November election. He is likely to face President Joe Biden, the Democrat who defeated him in 2020.

Trump is accused in a 34-count indictment of falsifying his Trump Organization business ledgers to hide reimbursement payments to Cohen for a $130,000 hush money payment Cohen made to porn film star Stormy Daniels. The payment was to keep her from talking about her claim of a one-night tryst with Trump in 2006 just as voters were headed to the polls to elect Trump president in 2016.

Trump has denied Daniels’ claim of a liaison at a Lake Tahoe celebrity golf tourney in the Western state of Nevada. He said the 2017 reimbursements to Cohen were for his legal work. Trump also has denied all the criminal charges he faces.

Source: VOA

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