Donald Trump Had 'No Legal Strategy'—Michael Cohen

Michael Cohen says Donald Trump didn't have a legal strategy in play when the former president testified during his civil fraud trial.

Trump took the stand on Monday in New York Attorney General Letitia James' $250 million civil fraud lawsuit against him, his adult sons, and the Trump Organization, in which they're accused of misrepresenting assets for financial benefits.

In September, Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that the defendants had committed fraud. The trial will determine the penalties Trump will have to pay for the financial fraud and address the other six claims, including falsifying business records, issuing false financial statements, insurance fraud, and conspiracy. Along with the $250 million in damages, James is seeking the revocation of Trump's business licenses.

Trump, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the case, clashed with Engoron during his November 6 testimony, who told the former president's lawyers to control him. Trump called the trial a "witch hunt" and said: "I'm sure the judge will rule against me because he always rules against me."

When asked by Jen Psaki on MSNBC if Trump was attempting to get an appeal or "provoke the judge to do something that would help him" with his testimony, Cohen disagreed.

"There is no legal strategy here, and he didn't ask the lawyers what their opinions are," he said. "He told them what he was intending to do, and again, being the sycophantic followers that they are, they just acknowledged it."

He added that Trump, who is the current frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is the only one who can "see a victory," along with his lawyers.

Newsweek reached out to representatives for Trump and Cohen via email for comment.

Cohen, who served jail time after pleading guilty in 2018 to charges related to hush-money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election, also testified in the fraud trial on October 24 and October 25.

He initially said he was directed to inflate numbers by the former president before backtracking, saying Trump spoke like "a mob boss" and that he "tells you what he wants without specifically telling you."

Commenting on the cross-examination, Cohen previously told Newsweek: "While [Trump] didn't specifically say go inflate the numbers on his [statement of financial condition], he raised the net worth number and directed myself and [Trump Organization former Chief Finance Officer Allen Weisselberg] to go and figure it out. He knows he will be held accountable, and the disgorgement will bankrupt him and his eponymous company."

Cohen told Psaki that Trump "corroborated" his evidence from his testimony and "placed himself into the center of the scenario, acknowledging that he knew what he was doing and that he's the one who signed off on it."

Trump's eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, who previously served as an executive vice president of the Trump Organization, was initially listed as a defendant in the civil fraud case but is now set to testify as a witness on Wednesday.