Michael Cohen on Friday showed up for a deposition in Manhattan by Donald Trump’s lawyers in a fraud suit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office against the embattled former president and his company.
Cohen — Trump’s one-time personal attorney and “fixer” — was being questioned under oath by lawyers for Trump’s camp at a Third Avenue office.
Cohen’s lawyer Jeffrey Levine confirmed “our attendance” in an email filed Thursday in the AG’s case, and Cohen arrived around 10 a.m.
Last year, James filed a $250 million civil fraud case against Trump, the Trump Organization, Trump’s three eldest children — Ivanka, Eric and Don Jr. — and others, alleging Trump inflated company assets for years to get better loan and insurance terms. Cohen is not a party in the AG’s case.
Alina Habba, an attorney for the 76-year-old former president, claimed in court papers earlier this month that Cohen refused to show up for the questioning at two prior scheduled times — and asked a judge to order Cohen to comply with the deposition.
Habba argued that since James’ office had already interviewed Cohen during its probe into Trump, their side should also be afforded the opportunity to question Cohen.
Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen is set to be deposed Friday by Trump’s team in the New York attorney general’s civil fraud case. REUTERS
Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba (right) earlier this month said they needed Cohen’s deposition to help fight the civil case. Alina Habba
Cohen was questioned by AG Letitia James during her probe of Trump. REUTERS
Cohen is slated to head to a Manhattan office Friday morning to be questioned. REUTERS“Mr. Cohen claims to have intimate first-hand knowledge about the alleged acts that are the basis of the complaint in this case, as a witness and as active participant in those acts,” Habba wrote at the time.
Cohen ended up agreeing to sit for the interview without any intervention by the judge.
James launched her investigation in 2019 following Cohen’s testimony in Congress implicating the president.
Trump faces a slew of other legal woes including his recent criminal indictment related to allegations of hush-money payments to former porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal to keep them quiet about their claims of having affairs with him.
Cohen — who served prison time after pleading guilty to lying to Congress and facilitating the payment to Daniels — is expected to be the prosecution’s star witness in the criminal case.
A civil rape trial based on a complaint by writer E. Jean Carroll against Trump is also underway in a federal courthouse, with Carroll taking the witness stand Wednesday and Thursday to speak about the alleged 1996 attack by Trump in a Bergdorf Goodman fitting room. That trial is on pause Friday.
Carroll is set to continue her testimony Monday.
