(Yahoo) Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen‘s admission in court Monday that he stole from the Trump Organization further damaged the disbarred attorney’s credibility, and could lead at the very least to a deadlocked jury that cannot reach a verdict, a legal expert told Fox News Digital.
“I think after last week’s cross-examination, Michael Cohen’s credibility as a witness had already pretty much been eviscerated,” Heritage Foundation senior legal fellow Zack Smith told Fox News Digital in a phone interview. “If there were any lingering doubts in the minds of any jurors, I suspect today’s testimony was even more damaging.”
“It does make you wonder two things: One, did the prosecution not know about this before they put Michael Cohen on the stand? I find that doubtful. But if they didn’t, that’s its own issue. But if they knew about this, and chose to put Michael Cohen on the stand regardless, that in some ways is even more shocking. Because it really it begs the question of what kind of credibility can Michael Cohen be expected to have, given that even he admitted to stealing from the Trump Organization for his own benefit,” Smith continued.
Cohen admitted in testimony Monday that he stole $30,000 from the Trump Organization by overstating how much he paid a tech company that provided services for the Trump Organization. Cohen said he told former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg in 2017 that he had paid tech firm Red Finch $50,000 out of his own pocket, and that he still needed to be reimbursed for the payment.
Michael Cohen, ex-lawyer for former President Donald Trump, continued his testimony on Monday.
Weisselberg and Cohen in 2017 calculated a $420,000 repayment to Cohen for his $130,000 payment to former pornography star Stormy Daniels, as well as the alleged $50,000 payment to Red Finch. Cohen’s payment to Daniels came ahead of the 2016 election to quiet her claims of an alleged affair with Trump.
Cohen said Monday before the court, however, that he only paid Red Finch $20,000 – meaning he pocketed $30,000 when he was reimbursed.
“You stole from the Trump Org, right?” Trump attorney Todd Blanche asked Cohen Wednesday morning.
“Yes, sir,” Cohen responded.
He testified that the Trump Organization thought he paid the full amount, for which he was still reimbursed despite not having actually paid it.
Former President Trump listens as Michael Cohen is cross-examined by defense lawyer Todd Blanche in Manhattan state court in New York City, May 16, 2024, in this courtroom sketch.
“You lied to Weisselberg about how much you needed for Red Finch?” Blanche asked Cohen, with Cohen confirming he had.
“Have you paid back the Trump Organization for the money you stole from them?” Blanche also asked.
“No, sir,” Cohen responded.
Later Monday, Cohen said taking the $30,000 was “almost like self help,” claiming he took the funds because he was “angry” about his bonus getting slashed.
“I was angry because of the reduction in the bonus and I just felt like it was almost like self help,” Cohen said.
“To have my bonus cut by 2/3 was very upsetting to say the least,” he later added.
Smith continued in his comment to Fox News Digital that the admission in court could potentially impact the jury’s verdict in the case.
