Former President Donald Trump was not directly involved in setting up reimbursement payments to his former attorney Michael Cohen, according to witness testimony in the ongoing NY v. Trump case. The trial, which is now in its fourth week, centers around allegations that the Trump Organization falsified business records to conceal payments made to Cohen in connection with hush money paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Jeffrey McConney, the former controller for the Trump Organization, testified that he was directed by former CFO Allen Weisselberg to make monthly payments to Cohen, totaling $420,000. McConney stated that Trump did not personally instruct him to make these payments, and that Weisselberg never indicated that Trump was involved in the process.
The prosecution’s case hinges on proving that Trump falsified records with the intent to commit or conceal a crime, specifically the payment to Daniels to silence her allegations of an affair with Trump. The defense team is working to show that Trump was not directly involved in the reimbursement scheme.
The trial has seen a number of key witnesses, including former Trump Organization employee Hope Hicks and attorney Keith Davidson, who represented both Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal. The proceedings are expected to last at least six weeks, with Trump facing potential jail time if he continues to violate a gag order imposed by the judge.
Despite Trump’s claims that the case is a political “scam,” the trial continues to unfold in Manhattan, with the former president’s future potentially hanging in the balance.
