As Cohen Testifies, Trump Gets More High-Profile Support

Donald Trump's trial is becoming a must-attend event for his A-list supporters. As Michael Cohen continued his testimony Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson showed up at the Manhattan courthouse and denounced the case as a "sham," reports the AP. Also in attendance were North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills (both of Florida), and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, per the Washington Post. On Monday, Sens. JD Vance of Ohio (a possible running mate) and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama were in attendance, and Sen. Rick Scott of Florida attended previously.

As for Cohen, he continued to answer questions about the $130,000 hush-money payment he made to Stormy Daniels and said he discussed reimbursement with Trump himself in the Oval Office in 2017, per the Wall Street Journal. "I was sitting with President Trump, and he asked me if I was OK," Cohen testified. "He asked me if I needed money." The president eventually directed Cohen to deal with Trump Organization finance chief Allen Weisselberg to receive a check, he said.

Cohen also spoke of getting a phone call from Trump after the FBI raided Cohen's residence in 2018. "He said to me, 'Don't worry. I'm the president of the United States. There's nothing here. Everything's going to be OK.'" Cohen testified, per NBC News. He also spoke of lying to Congress and "misleading" the Federal Election Commission to protect his former boss. Prosecutors may finish their questioning of the star witness Tuesday, at which point the defense will start its cross-examination. (More Trump hush-money trial stories.)