Former President of the United States: Trump Investigations – Ex-Attorney Cohen Testifies, Even Former Staffer Meadows Cooperates

As of: 10:45 am | Reading Time: 3 minutes

DFormer US President Donald Trump is under increasing pressure from former allies who are cooperating with the Justice Department in proceedings against him. US television station ABC reported Tuesday evening (local time) that Trump’s former chief of staff, Mark Meadows, has spoken several times with the team of special investigator Jack Smith in the federal case against Trump for influence peddling in 2020. Meadows also testified before a presidential grand jury. He was promised immunity in the case in exchange for testifying under oath.

Meadows told federal investigators that he repeatedly told Trump in the weeks after the election that his claims about large-scale voter fraud were baseless. According to the report, Meadows also accused Trump of being “dishonest” with the public by claiming he had won the election. Such incriminating statements could harm Trump in the trial, which is set to begin in March 2024.

Trump is the first former president in US history to face impeachment. He was indicted federally in Washington for his efforts to alter the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Trump lost the election to Democrat Joe Biden, but he has not admitted his defeat to this day. Instead, Trump later tried to change the outcome of the election in various ways. His campaign against the election result culminated in an unprecedented, violent attack by his supporters on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

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In the state of Georgia, Trump and 18 other defendants were also charged with attempted election interference. Meadows is among those charged. He, like Trump, has pleaded not guilty.

In the case in Georgia, four co-defendants and former Trump supporters recently struck a deal with state prosecutors there: They pleaded guilty to avoid prosecution. This means they could testify against co-defendants in the future, and therefore against Trump. This is a huge victory for the Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Cohen, a former attorney, testified in the New York fraud trial against Trump

Meanwhile, Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen has testified against his former boss in a fraud trial in New York. According to US media reports, Trump continued to consult with his legal team periodically in court in Manhattan on Tuesday without revealing the lawyer’s statement. Cohen repeated earlier statements that Trump hired him to make his company’s assets appear to be higher than they actually were.

Before the day of the hearing began, Trump called Cohen a “proven liar” and Cohen spoke of a “very special reunion.” The fraud investigation includes allegations by the Attorney General’s Office that the former president, his sons and employees manipulated the value of the Trump Organization over the years to obtain cheap loans and insurance contracts. Trump, a Republican, has not been threatened with a prison sentence or a direct impact on his presidential bid, but a conviction could cause major business damage to him.

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“Judge who hates Trump”

Cohen worked for Trump for more than a decade and was a central figure on many issues involving the Republican Party. He was often described as Trump’s “cleaner” — until a rift broke out between the two.

The attorney is also a key witness in the case against Trump over the hush payments. Cohen admitted to paying porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to stop her from speaking out about an alleged affair she had with Trump during the 2016 election campaign. Cohen was eventually sentenced to three years in prison, but was allowed to serve part of the sentence under house arrest due to the coronavirus pandemic. Trump sued Cohen for $500 million a few months ago, alleging he breached his legal obligations.