‘I hope he rots’: Trial hears audio of Michael Cohen celebrating Trump’s indictment

Donald Trump’s lawyers questioned Michael Cohen’s reliability during cross-examination on Thursday, playing podcast audio of the former lawyer hoping Mr Trump faces prison time and highlighting how Cohen previously lied under oath.

Todd Blanche, Mr Trump’s lawyer, attempted to undermine Cohen’s role as the prosecution’s main witness to jurors, painting the former lawyer and one-time fixer as a revenge-seeking liar because he served jail time in 2018 for crimes related to the hush-money payments.

The defense played audio from an October 2023 episode of Cohen’s podcast Mea Culpa, in which he excitedly said he, “Truly f***ing hope” that Mr Trump “ends up in prison” and, “Revenge is a dish best served cold.”

“You better believe I want this man to go down and rot for what he did to me and my family,” Cohen said on his podcast.

Cohen pled guilty to charges of tax evasion, making false statements and campaign finance violations and served three years in jail. He testified on Thursday that he did not believe he should have been charged for those crimes.

This is a developing story, more follows…