As the much-anticipated cross-examination of ex-convict and former Trump associate Michael Cohen unfolds in Donald Trump’s so-called hush money trial, the jury is faced with a fundamental question: Whom to believe, Trump or Cohen? As expected, Trump’s defense team aggressively questioned Cohen’s credibility, given his numerous liabilities and his open desire to see Trump in prison, as evidenced by his recent podcast featuring a T-shirt picturing Trump behind bars. And yet, as the trial progresses, Cohen is free to voice his claims, while Trump remains under a gag order, five weeks into the trial.
Even if all the jurors take Cohen at his word, the next question is whether the common practice of non-disclosure agreements offering money in return for silence – during a political campaign or any other time — even constitutes any sort of crime. Until now, it has not. But…
