Lanny Davis, a former attorney to Michael Cohen, confidently stated on Monday that the evidence against former President Trump in his criminal hush money trial could potentially lead to his conviction. Despite concerns about Cohen’s credibility, Davis dismissed them as the trial reaches its final stages with closing arguments and jury deliberations scheduled for this week.
In an MSNBC interview with guest host the Rev. Al Sharpton, Davis argued that the jury can reach a conclusion even without Cohen’s testimony.
“The testimony and documents speak volumes,” he confidently stated. “During the testimonies, Donald Trump’s loyalists and associates, including David Pecker and Hope Hicks, confirmed that the money directed by Trump to Michael Cohen was indeed intended to silence Stormy Daniels, an adult film star, prior to the election.”
Trump is currently facing 34 felony counts for falsifying business documents in a landmark case that represents the first criminal trial involving a sitting or former president. Prosecutors assert that Trump unlawfully concealed hush money payments that were made to adult film actor Stormy Daniels just weeks before the 2016 election, in an attempt to ensure her silence regarding an alleged previous affair, which he vehemently denies.
There have been lingering doubts about the credibility of Cohen’s testimony, considering his previous conviction for perjury and the intense cross-examination by Trump’s legal team. Davis, who served as Cohen’s attorney in the case, revealed that he advised Cohen to confess to lying in 2019.
Davis explained that in February 2019, he advised Michael to take ownership of his lies and publicly admit them on national television under oath before Congress. According to Davis, Michael followed his advice and took the necessary steps to be believed.
According to the speaker, Michael Cohen went through a lengthy process that involved being cross-examined by prosecutors and defense attorneys similar to those who represented his former employer, Donald Trump. He further mentions that Cohen was also subjected to cross-examination in the case brought by the New York Attorney General, Tish James, and the judge in that case found him to be credible and truthful.
According to Davis, the crucial piece of evidence in this case is not Cohen’s testimony, but rather the evidence provided by former Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg. Weisselberg’s signed documents, which detail the reimbursement payments from Trump to Cohen for his role in keeping Daniels silent, serve as the undeniable “smoking gun.”
If convicted, Trump could potentially face up to four years in prison and be labeled as a felon. Davis characterized the allegations against the ex-president, who is also the likely Republican candidate for the presidency, as a threat to our democracy.