STORY: Prosecutors in the first-ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president rested their case on Monday after defense attorneys finished an intense cross-examination of the state's star witness: Donald Trump's one-time personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.
Cohen admitted to stealing money from Trump's company, pocketing funds owed to a tech firm unconnected to Trump's trial. The admission by Cohen could chip away at his credibility with jurors.
Cohen described the act as a form of "self-help," claiming he did it because he was upset about his annual bonus being cut despite his fronting $130,000 of his own money to buy the silence of porn star Stormy Daniels - who alleged to have a 2006 sexual encounter with Trump.
Trump is charged with falsifying business records to cover up the payment ahead of the 2016 election.
He has pleaded not guilty and denies ever having sex with her.
Cohen was the final and most important witness for New York prosecutors as they seek to convince a jury that Trump broke the law by covering up the payment to Daniels.
But as a convicted felon and admitted liar, jurors may be skeptical of Cohen's account.
Prosecutors have tried to shore up his testimony with documentary evidence, while Trump's lawyers have tried to undermine Cohen's credibility through his cross-examination.
Meanwhile, it is still unclear whether Trump himself will take the witness stand.
"It's always risky to testify in a criminal case as a defendant."
Neama Rahmani is a former federal prosecutor and president of West Coast Trial Lawyers.
"Trump has testified twice before, in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case, the second case, and, of course, in the New York civil fraud case, and both times, it cost him dearly....in a case like this, when it really comes down to the defendant's credibility, whether the affair happened and whether the payments were actually for legal expenses as opposed to reimbursement for hush money, all eyes will be on Donald Trump, not just in the courtroom, but across America."
Trump's attorneys called their first witness after Cohen finished.
At the outset of Monday's session, the judge said he expected the prosecution and the defense to wrap up their presentations this week and make their closing arguments next week followed by jury deliberations.
