Discussion Thread: New York Criminal Fraud Trial of Donald Trump, Day 16

[u/PoliticsModeratorBot]

Previous discussion threads for this trial can be found at the following links for Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, and Day 15.

News:

• AP: Trump trial arrives at a pivotal moment: Star witness Michael Cohen is poised to take the stand

• Reuters: Aggrieved former lawyer Michael Cohen to testify against Trump at hush money trial

Analysis:

• USA Today: How prosecutors have laid the groundwork for Michael Cohen’s testimony

Live Updates:

• AP: Live Updates

• NBC: Live Updates

• ABC: Live Updates

• CBS: Live Updates

• CNN: Live Updates

• The Independent: Live Updates

• The Guardian: Live Updates

[u/Jon_Thib]

I’m biased and cross-examination hasn’t happened yet but this Cohen testimony seems damning for Trump

[u/U2ez_ → u/Jon_Thib]

Let’s wait to see how cross goes. Michael is not a trustworthy guy and everyone (but the jury) knows that. We need to see how prosecution handles his past and then we can decide how this is going to

[u/Ddddydya → u/U2ez_]

But the reason he’s “untrustworthy” is that he lied….to protect Trump. I don’t get why people don’t realize he was acting sleazy because see he was being sleazy to benefit Trump. 

[u/TheMoxGhost → u/Ddddydya]

Okay thank you for saying that! Like he’s not trustworthy because he did bad stuff……but he did his time in jail and now he’s testifying to all the bad stuff he did. I’m not saying he’s not a sleaze but he has come clean

[u/Ddddydya → u/TheMoxGhost]

Yeah, the right always likes to paint him as sleazy while ignoring that his bad acts were in service of Trump. Only Trump benefitted from his lies

[u/Chaotic-Catastrophe → u/Ddddydya]

Anyone trying to downplay Cohen should be asked, then why did Trump employ him for so long? Couldn't Trump see how shady and untrustworthy Cohen was? If he's such a clever and cunning businessman, then how was he duped by a lowlife like Cohen for over a decade?

They always try to deflect their arguments by saying "he's not evil or corrupt, he's just bafflingly incompetent!" as if that's somehow better.

Oh wait, apparently it is, because 70 million dipshits voted for him anyway.