Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz criticized former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen following his initial day of testimony in the former president’s hush money case, asserting that Cohen, not Trump, committed legal violations during his testimony.
Dershowitz, a liberal known for his frequent defense of President Trump, claimed during a Fox News segment that Cohen perjured himself when he testified that his ex-boss instructed him to discreetly resolve rumors surrounding an affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels. Prior to the 2016 election, Cohen clandestinely recorded Trump discussing a payment to Daniels aimed at quashing an impending story about their alleged affair. Subsequently, the tape was handed over to former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, violating attorney-client confidentiality statutes.
“I’ve been doing this 60 yrs and I can’t find the crime, but today I could find the crime committed today in the courtroom by Michael Cohen! Lies occurring right in front of us directly to the jury!” Dershowitz told host Sean Hannity Monday night. “Good lawyers don’t put people on the stand who they know are going to lie… we’re going to see lie after lie after lie on cross [examination]… I hope the lawyers on this jury see through it and realize he’s trying to sell this jury a bill of goods.”
Cohen, previously incarcerated for providing false testimony to Congress, has portrayed himself as a former Trump associate turned truth-seeker. However, trial evidence suggests he might have also been motivated by personal and financial grievances. Following President Trump’s 2016 victory, incoming chief-of-staff Reince Priebus offered Cohen a position as assistant White House counsel.
The offer reportedly irked Cohen, who believed he deserved a higher-ranking role and deemed it “solely about ego,” according to Politico. Cohen’s frustration intensified after he personally paid $130,000 to Daniels, with months passing without reimbursement and witnessing a significant reduction in his bonus while working for Trump. Dershowitz added that the American public deserves to witness Trump’s trial to decide for themselves if Cohen is trustworthy, something they can’t get from “biased reporting.”
“If you watch CNN, if you read the New York Times, this was the most compelling testimony you’ve ever seen in your life. And that’s why these trials should be on television – so we can decide for ourselves who’s telling the truth instead of having to understand this evidence through the prism of biased reporting,” he said.
After two weeks of testimony, Dershowitz predicted the odds of a hung jury are “fairly high,” and even “some chance of an acquittal.” The charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg are expected to be the only ones to go to trial and reach a verdict before Election Day. However, legal experts have pointed out that these charges may be among the weakest among the four criminal trials brought against Trump.
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