As someone who has used people who have lied initially and then turned to a state’s witness in a criminal trial, I am always concerned about his credibility. Prosecutors will want to have objective and hard evidence to back up the witness’s claims that will bolster that witnesse’s credibility. These witnesses almost always turn to get less time on their sentence. That is how prosecution works. If you are going to catch a criminal, most likely, you will use some criminals that are around him and know him and the details of the business and or crimes.
The thrust of Cohen’s testimony is that Trump committed campaign finance fraud. He paid hush money on behalf of Trump to two women. Trump clearly lied in a interview when he was on air force one that he even knew Stormy Davis, never mind paying her off. Meanwhile, Cohen backs up Stormy Davis’s story and then adds in and show checks written by Trump himself. Boy oh boy, from a prosecutor point of view that is solid. Now, I don’t think this is enough to impeach Trump. It should be. But it won’t.
What bolsters Cohen’s credibility is that he doesn’t know for sure about Russia. He had suspicions but nothing concrete. Finally, there is not a time a cooperating witness got on the stand and did not get tripped up on some small fact that is really collateral to his testimony.
You can continue to pick apart a cooperating witness story, but do you have any reasonable doubt in your mind that
1) Trump paid off these women through Cohen
2) Trump paid them off in order for this news not to be released
3). He did not want this news out there because it could harm the Presidential election.
