CNN’s Elie Honig Says Michael Cohen Stealing from Trump Is ‘More Serious of a Crime Than Falsifying Business Records’
CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig said on Monday that Michael Cohen, the prosecution’s star witness in the criminal trial of Donald Trump in New York, committed a “more serious crime” by stealing from Trump than Trump allegedly did by falsifying business records.
On Monday morning in court, Cohen, who used to represent Trump as one of his lawyers, admitted to stealing $60,000 from the Trump Organization, the former president’s flagship business.
Honig knocked the prosecution for gliding over that fact during its own time with Cohen on the witness stand before comparing it unfavorably to Trump’s alleged wrongdoing.
“The way this was raised and addressed on direct is what Julia Louis-Dreyfus would call ‘Yada yada yada,'” began Honig. Here’s the direct testimony the way Michael Cohen explained what happened. Michael Cohen explained this whole thing, quote ‘That’s what was owed and I didn’t feel Mr. Trump deserved the difference.’ That’s a lot different than ‘I stole $60,000 from my boss on the transaction at the heart of this case.'”
“And by the way, the fact that he was ever charged with larceny is important because stealing $60,000 through fraud, which would be larceny in New York State, is more serious of a crime than falsifying business records,” he continued.
Trump was indicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records pertaining to efforts to pay off porn star Stormy Daniels, Playboy‘s Karen McDougal, and a Trump Tower Doorman by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg last year.
“The People of the State of New York allege that Donald J. Trump repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal crimes that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election,” argued Bragg at the time. “Manhattan is home to the country’s most significant business market. We cannot allow New York businesses to manipulate their records to cover up criminal conduct.”
Watch above via CNN.
