– People’s 35 is a one-page bank statement from October 2016 for Essential Consultants, revealing hush money payments.
– Prosecutors argue that it connects Trump to a hush-money conspiracy.
– Defense claims that Trump is innocent and not involved in any falsified documents scheme.
People’s Exhibit 35 is a one-page bank statement from October 2016 for “Essential Consultants,” an LLC controlled by Michael Cohen. This document is the key piece of evidence in the case against former President Trump. It highlights the $130,000 payment made by Cohen to Stormy Daniels’ lawyer just before the 2016 election, which constitutes hush money. The charges against Trump are based on a conspiracy to falsify business records for Cohen’s reimbursement, outlined on this page.
The document is considered crucial as it allegedly proves Trump’s involvement in the hush-money scheme. Cohen testified that he personally presented this document to Trump in Trump Tower just before the inauguration in 2017, and Trump approved the payments. However, the defense argues that Trump was not involved in the scheme, with Cohen and Weisselberg taking the lead in orchestrating the reimbursements.
The chart outlines Cohen’s repayment plan, detailing the $180,000 owed to him, including the $130,000 hush money and a $50,000 outlay to a tech company working for the Trump campaign. Prosecutors assert that the reimbursements were falsified as legal fees for Cohen to evade taxes. The defense claims that Cohen and Weisselberg handled the financial dealings without Trump’s direct involvement.
Jury deliberations are set to begin soon, and depending on whether the jury believes Cohen’s testimony and the authenticity of People’s 35, Trump faces potential prison time. The case revolves around Trump’s knowledge and approval of the hush money paid to Stormy Daniels, as detailed in this document.