"I just felt it was almost like self-help," Cohen explains why he took higher pay back for Red Finch
Michael Cohen was asked why he took a $50,000 pay back from former Trump Org. CFO Allen Weisselberg for Red Finch, even though he only paid the guy $20,000.
"For a long time, I had been telling him about the 50,000 so that I could collect it for the president of Red Finch," Cohen said.
"I was angered because of the reduction in the bonus, and so I just felt it was almost like self-help. I wasn’t going to let him have the benefit (of) this way as well. I wasn’t going to correct the conversation I was having with Allen about it. I had not only protected him to the best that I could, but I had also laid out money to Red Finch a year and a half earlier and again $130,000 to have my bonus cut by two-thirds was very upsetting to say the least," Cohen continued.
Hoffinger then asked, "but you admitted on cross that it was wrong."
"It was," Cohen says.
Cohen explains what Red Finch did for Trump and why he did not initially pay the tech company
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asked Michael Cohen what Red Finch did for Trump.
Cohen said Trump was polling low in the CNBC poll.
"And it upset him,” Cohen says."And he had me come to his office and provide me a sheet of paper that showed it."
"I reached out to Red Finch who assured me he was able to go through the acquisitions of IP addresses to create an algorithm that would ensure Mr. Trump would rise and rise significantly into this poll,” Cohen added.
Cohen is now looking directly at the jury as he's answering Hoffinger's question to explain the Red Finch situation. Cohen said Trump wanted to be number one in the poll but after Red Finch's work, he ended up at nine.
The former Trump fixer said"despite cheating" Trump felt he didn't get his money's worth for the work.
Cohen added that Trump did not pay Red Finch because CNBC ended up not moving forward with this poll, "and so he didn’t feel he had gotten the benefit" for the services they had provided.
Cohen confirms he didn't send a retainer agreement to Weisselberg
Michael Cohen was asked if he ever sent Allen Weisselberg a retainer agreement.
"No ma’am because there was no legal work that I was to be paid for. There was no representation agreement within which to send," Cohen explained.
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger followed up and asked if the $420,000 owed as reimbursem*nt had anything to do with a retainer agreement.
"No, ma'am," Cohen said.
Hoffinger asked Cohen if hewas everpaid, or billed Trump, for the work he did for him or Melania Trump.
"No ma'am," Cohen said.
She also asked if the $420,000 he was paid in 2017 covered any of that work.
"No ma'am," Cohen said.
The key points from Michael Cohen's final answers on cross-exam
From CNN's Eric Levenson
Michael Cohen testified about his ongoing financial interests in the trial before the end of his cross-examination Monday morning. Here are the key points from his final stint on cross-exam.
Financial interests: Cohen said he helped pitch a TV show about his life called “The Fixer,” is considering a run for Congress and may write a third book. He also said he has a financial stake in the trial because he talks about it on his podcasts and on TikTok.
“Whether Mr. Trump is ultimately determined innocent or guilty is not going to affect whether I speak about it or not," Cohen said.
"It’s better if he’s not (found guilty), for me, because it gives me more to talk about in the future," he added.
Cohen admits he lies: Cohen again admitted he has lied. "It's true that you will lie out of loyalty, correct?" defense attorney Todd Blanche asked.
"Yes sir," Cohen responded.
Prosecution asks Cohen if it's possible he spoke to Trump about Stormy Daniels in October 2016
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asked Michael Cohen if it was possible he talked to Donald Trump about the Stormy Daniels issue in October 2016 as well as the other matters proposed by defense attorney Todd Blanche on cross-examination.
Cohen confirms.
Hoffinger notes that the defense counsel brought up how busy he was in October 2016, asking if he was busy all the time. Cohen confirms he was.
"Were you too busy in October 2016 to finalize the Stormy Daniels payoff with Mr. Trump?" Hoffinger asks.
"No ma'am," Cohen says.
"Were you too busy to get his approval to make that payoff?" Hoffinger asks.
"No ma'am," Cohen says.
Prosecutor corrects Cohen's testimony about when he said he lied to Congress
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger corrects Michael Cohen's testimony when he said he lied to Congress in 2019. Cohen says he lied in 2017, not 2019.
Prosecutor now questions Cohen
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger is now questioning Michael Cohen following the defense's cross-examination.
Cohen has been on the stand for nearly 16 hours over the course of four days.
Defense wraps up cross-examination with Cohen agreeing he will lie out of loyalty
"It's true that you will lie out of loyalty, correct?" Trump attorney Todd Blanche asked.
"Yes sir," Cohen responded.
Blanche ended Cohen's cross-examination with this exchange.
The defense's cross-examination wrapped up after 8 hours over three days.
Cohen says "it's better" if Trump is not found guilty because it would give him more to talk about
Attorney Todd Blanche continues to press Michael Cohen on whether it would benefit him financially if Trump is found guilty.
"It’s better if he’s not, for me, because it gives me more to talk about in the future," Cohen says.
Blanche confirmed with Cohen he'd like to get revenge on Trump and has said "revenge is best served cold." Cohen confirms he meant it when he said it on his own podcast and now again in court.
