John Dean, who was a counsel for former President Nixon, stated during an interview on Saturday that the criminal trial in New York involving hush money and former President Trump is “very powerful” as they await the expected testimony this week from Trump’s ex-fixer Michael Cohen.
Dean mentioned in a CNN interview that he has reviewed the trial transcripts and believes the prosecution has presented a compelling case that can stand on its own, without relying on Cohen’s testimony.
“The government has put forth a very strong case in New York,” he said. “They have provided a lot of details and constructed a solid foundation for Michael Cohen to testify.”
“And he’s already been largely supported by other witnesses … who are not biased, as well as documents,” Dean continued. “They have really set the stage for the upcoming week.”
On Monday, Trump’s former personal lawyer came face-to-face with the former president once again in a Manhattan courtroom.
Cohen, the star witness for the prosecution in Trump’s hush money case, has accused Trump of falsifying 34 business records related to a $130,000 hush money payment made to a porn actor to keep her quiet about an alleged affair with the then-2016 candidate.
Efforts to portray Cohen as an unreliable witness have been ongoing, given his expressed desire to see Trump imprisoned. But Dean expressed confidence in Cohen’s credibility as a witness.
Dean remarked on the possibility of Cohen’s testimony being undermined by his grudge against Trump, stating, “Well, that’s up to the jury, obviously, and different people will interpret it differently. Just because there is a personal conflict here doesn’t mean the jury won’t believe him.”
“This will make it more challenging for him to be convincing. But I’ve seen Michael testify in front of the House committee a few years ago — he was very effective as a witness. When the Trump supporters on the panel tried to discredit him, they were not successful. He handled himself well. He has a certain charm,” he added.
“I think he’s showing a lot of courage in his actions, and people will recognize that. It’s not easy to go up against the Trump team, especially during an ongoing campaign,” Dean added.
