In a moment that seemingly crystallized the prosecution’s assertion that Trump was complicit in paying hush money to Daniels, Cohen said Trump ordered him to do it before the 2016 election after consulting with some “very smart people.”
“He expressed to me, ‘Just do it,’” he said, adding, “I was doing everything and more to protect my boss.”
Cohen isn’t done: Direct testimony will continue tomorrow, with what is expected to be a robust cross-examination to follow. But unlike Daniels’s first day on the stand — when the judge reprimanded her for straying off topic, and she seemed to be speeding through some of her testimony — Cohen was noticeably more relaxed in nearly six hours of testimony.
