During the initial day of testimony in Donald Trump’s hush money trial, Michael Cohen, Trump’s former “fixer,” revealed a pivotal strategy employed by the Trump campaign in 2016: the utilization of delay tactics.
Cohen, Trump’s former attorney, testified that he was instructed to delay payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who was paid $130,000 in exchange for her silence about her affair with Trump in 2006. This strategy, Cohen said, was aimed at pushing the payments beyond the 2016 election.
Cohen’s testimony provided a glimpse into the inner workings of the Trump campaign and its legal strategies, which appear to remain unchanged even today.
The “delay” strategy was not limited to the hush money payments, according to Cohen. He testified that Trump also used delay tactics to avoid paying vendors for his Trump University venture, renegotiating bills and reducing payments to just 20% of the original amount.
Cohen Sheds Light on Trump’s Tactics to Evade Consequences
Eight years later, Trump and his legal team seem to be relying on the same delay tactics to keep him out of courtrooms before the 2024 presidential election. In the hush money case, Trump’s lawyers requested an adjournment of the trial start date by over 30 days, citing the religious celebration of Passover.
They also sought to delay the trial until after the US Supreme Court rules on Trump’s “presidential immunity” argument. Similarly, in a separate criminal case involving the mishandling of classified documents, Trump’s attorneys cited the hush money case as a reason to push back the deadline for reviewing classified evidence.
These delay tactics have been successful in some cases, with the federal judge in the classified documents case postponing the trial indefinitely. However, in the hush money trial, Cohen’s testimony is expected to continue, with the former fixer returning to the stand on Thursday.
As the trial progresses, it remains to be seen whether Trump’s legal team will continue to rely on delay tactics or if the court will push for a swift resolution. One thing is certain, however: the hush money trial is likely to be Trump’s only trial to start before Election Day.
