Donald Trump’s ex-lawyer Michael Cohen reveals why he flipped on him

The star witness in the criminal case against Donald Trump has explained why he turned on him, as the former president’s political allies arrived at the trial to attack his credibility.

Donald Trump’s fixer who arranged a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels says the then-president reassured him after he was raided by the FBI that “everything’s going to be okay”.

But Michael Cohen – the star witness in the case against the former president – said it was the last time they spoke as his family convinced him to stop lying out of loyalty to Mr Trump.

His explosive testimony continued in the Manhattan Criminal Court as several candidates to be Mr Trump’s vice presidential pick for this year’s US election attended the trial, auditioning for the job as they attacked Mr Cohen.

“I do have a lot of surrogates and they are speaking very beautifully,” Mr Trump told reporters outside the courtroom.

“They think this is the biggest scam they’ve ever seen.”

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy support Donald Trump at his criminal trial. Picture: Justin Lane (AFP)

He is charged with falsifying business records over the $US130,000 ($A196,000) payment Mr Cohen made to Ms Daniels on the eve of the 2016 election to cover up her claim of a brief affair with Mr Trump.

Mr Cohen – who was later sentenced to three years in jail for crimes including campaign finance violations over the hush money – said he last spoke to Mr Trump after he was raided by the FBI in 2018.

“Don’t worry. I’m the president of the United States,” Mr Cohen said Mr Trump told him.

“There’s nothing here. Everything’s going to be okay. Stay tough. You’re going to be okay.”

As Mr Cohen faced public and private pressure to stay loyal to Mr Trump, he said his family said to him: “What are you doing? We’re supposed to be your first loyalty.”

Donald Trump’s former lawyer arrives to give evidence against him. Picture: Michael Santiago (AFP)

He then pleaded guilty in the federal case against him and co-operated with prosecutors in the unprecedented case against Mr Trump brought by the Manhattan District Attorney.

In a key piece of evidence, Mr Cohen said the invoices he submitted to Mr Trump after the 2016 election falsely referred to payment for a legal retainer agreement that did not exist, and were instead for him to be paid back for the hush money he paid to Ms Daniels.

During a fiery cross-examination by the former president’s lawyers, Mr Cohen acknowledged that he had called Mr Trump a “Cheeto-dusted cartoon villain”, a “boorish cartoon misogynist” and a “dictator douchebag”.

When asked if he wanted to see his old boss convicted, Mr Cohen said: “Sure.”

Mr Trump has been barred from criticising Mr Cohen during the trial by a gag order, although he has violated it several times and been fined.

The former president was also largely alone in court during the first weeks of the trial as he privately grumbled that “no one is defending me”, according to NBC News.

But four vice presidential candidates filtered through the court this week, including Ohio senator JD Vance, who blasted Mr Cohen as a “convicted felon”.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks outside the Manhattan Criminal Court. Picture: Alex Kent (AFP)

Former Republican presidential candidates Doug Burgum and Vivek Ramaswamy and Florida congressman Byron Donalds also attended on Tuesday (local time), alongside Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson.

“These are politically motivated trials and they are a disgrace. It is election interference,” Mr Johnson said outside the courthouse, as he also attacked Mr Cohen as being “on a mission for personal revenge”.

‘A total disaster’: Trump’s fear over Stormy saga

Donald Trump’s one-time fixer has laid bare his secretive dealings before the 2016 US election to prevent two women going public about their claims of affairs with the billionaire.

Michael Cohen, the star witness in the former president’s criminal trial, testified that Mr Trump told him porn star Stormy Daniels was “a beautiful woman” but that her allegation that they slept together would be “a total disaster” for his first presidential campaign.

Former US president Donald Trump outside court. Picture: AFP

Michael Cohen arrives at his home after leaving Manhattan Criminal Court. Picture: AFP

“Just take care of it,” Mr Trump said, according to his former fixer and personal lawyer.

Mr Cohen told the Manhattan Criminal Court that when he asked him how his wife Melania was coping with the saga, Mr Trump replied: “How long do you think I’ll be on the market for? Not long.”

“He wasn’t even thinking about Melania. This was all about the campaign,” Mr Cohen said.

Donald Trump before Michael Cohen took the stand in his criminal trial. Picture: Sarah Yenesel/AFP

Mr Trump – the presumptive Republican nominee for this year’s election – is charged with falsifying business records to cover up $US130,000 ($A196,000) paid to Ms Daniels before the 2016 poll.

Mr Cohen made that payment on his behalf, as part of what prosecutors have alleged was a criminal conspiracy that violated election campaign finance laws.

Former US president Donald Trump looks on during his criminal trial. Picture: AFP

Mr Trump’s ex-lawyer, in his long-awaited appearance on the stand, detailed his interactions with Australian journalist Dylan Howard – who was the editor of the National Enquirer – to buy and bury the stories of Ms Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.

In a text message previously revealed by this masthead, Mr Howard told Mr Cohen of a planned deal with Ms McDougal: “Understand I’ve got this locked down for you. I won’t let it out of my grasp.”

Mr Cohen said Mr Trump described her as “really beautiful”. He testified that Mr Trump told him – after learning she was planning to go public about their alleged 10-month sexual affair – to “make sure it doesn’t get released”.

Donald Trump with Stormy Daniels in 2006. Picture: MySpace

“What I was doing was at the direction and for the benefit of Mr Trump,” Mr Cohen said.

He even recorded himself speaking to his boss about Ms McDougal’s agreement that was negotiated by Mr Howard, with Mr Trump asking on the tape if they would have to pay $US150,000 ($A226,000) and if they could “pay in cash”.

Ms McDougal received the money from American Media, Inc., the tabloid empire run by David Pecker which published the National Enquirer and employed the Australian journalist.

On the eve of the election, when Ms Daniels threatened to go public about her tryst with Mr Trump, Mr Pecker refused to pay and told Mr Howard to tell Mr Cohen to buy her story.

The lawyer said that when he relayed this to his boss, Mr Trump fumed that it would be “a total disaster” for his presidential run if her claim became public.

“Women will hate me. Guys, they think it’s cool. But this is going to be a disaster for the campaign,” Mr Trump said, according to Mr Cohen.

The former fixer testified that despite reaching a $US130,000 hush money agreement with Ms Daniels’s lawyer, Mr Trump had told him to delay payment “as long as you can”.

“Just get past the election, because if I win it will have no relevance because I’m president, and if I lose, I don’t even care,” Mr Trump allegedly said.

Mr Cohen eventually paid the money to Ms Daniels, taking it out of his own home loan, before negotiating to be reimbursed with Mr Trump and his company’s chief financial officer.

Those monthly payments to Mr Cohen in 2017 – marked as “legal services rendered” – are now the business records which the former president is accused of falsifying.

Mr Trump appeared to doze off to sleep during Mr Cohen’s testimony, while occasionally muttering and shaking his head. Mr Cohen had been one of his most loyal advisers, only to turn on Mr Trump as authorities pursued him after the 2016 election.

Michael Cohen arrives at the Manhattan Criminal Court to give evidence. Picture: Angela Weiss/AFP

In 2018, the lawyer was sentenced to three years behind bars over federal crimes including campaign finance violations over the hush money deals with Ms Daniels and Ms McDougal.

Mr Cohen later pleaded guilty to lying to Congress, which he said he did so out of loyalty to Mr Trump.

During the former president’s unprecedented criminal trial, he has been fined several times for breaching a gag order – designed to stop him commenting on witnesses and jurors – by attacking Mr Cohen as a convicted liar.

Speaking outside the courtroom after Mr Cohen’s evidence, Mr Trump raised his voice as he ranted about the “corrupt judge” overseeing the trial.

“He ought to let us go out and campaign and get rid of this scam,” he said.