CNN
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Former President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen testified before a New York grand jury Wednesday afternoon as Investigation into hush money Made for adult film star Stormy Daniels.
“It’s not a question of defense. As I’ve said before, it’s not a question of retaliation … My position is that, at the end of the day, Donald Trump needs to be held accountable for his dirty deeds, and if that’s the case, ” Cohen told reporters after wrapping up his testimony.
Cohen testified for “several hours” Wednesday after giving roughly three hours of testimony on Monday, according to his attorney, Lanny Davis. Arriving to testify earlier Wednesday, Cohen told reporters it was “hopefully” his last appearance before a grand jury.
testimony from trump’s one-time fixer Prosecutors had invited the former president to testify last week in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office investigation as it entered a critical period. The invitation is the clearest sign yet that prosecutors are close to deciding whether to take the unprecedented step of prosecuting the former president, as the law requires potential defendants in New York to be notified and invited to appear before a grand jury to weigh the charges.
Cohen was a key figure in the hush money scheme. He brokered the payment, made it days before the 2016 presidential election, and was reimbursed by the Trump Organization for advancing the money to Daniels. Cohen pleaded guilty to nine federal charges, including campaign finance violations, and was sentenced to three years in prison.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, is investigating Trump’s role in the payments. Trump has denied wrongdoing and the affair with Daniels.
Trump’s attorney, Joe Tacopina, told CNN the former president will not appear before a grand jury.
Meanwhile, Daniels met with prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday. tweet Sent by her lawyer.
“Stormy answered questions and agreed to allow herself to appear as a witness or subject to further investigation if required,” said her attorney, Clark Brewster.
This story has been updated with more details.