Donald Trump New York civil trial:  former fixer and personal lawyer Michael Cohen comes face to face with president during dramatic testimony

Donald Trump faced off with Michael Cohen on Tuesday as his former fixer took the stand at his $250million fraud trial in New York. 

In their first face to face meeting in five years, the former president stared intently at Cohen, who confidently walked into the Manhattan courtroom, briefly glancing in Trump's direction. 

He stood up to be sworn in at the stand and gave his name and address.

Speaking to the court, Cohen affirmed that he used to be a lawyer in New York but was disbarred in 2019. 

He confirmed he pleaded guilty to eight counts related to campaign finance violations and lying to Congress that year which led to him being jailed for three years.

He said that he breached campaign finance laws with a hush money payment to former Playmate Karen McDougal to 'ensure Mr. Trump was protected'.

Asked who he was working for during his crimes, Cohen said: 'Donald J. Trump.'

The highly anticipated testimony marks the first time the two former allies have been seen in the same room since their relationship deteriorated in 2018. 

Michael Cohen came face to face with former client and friend Donald Trump as he took the stand in the former president's $250million fraud trial Tuesday 

Speaking to the court, Cohen said he breached campaign finance laws with a hush money payment to former Playmate Karen McDougal to 'ensure Mr. Trump was protected'

The highly anticipated testimony marks the first time the two former allies have been seen in the same room since their relationship deteriorated in 2018

Speaking to reporters as he arrived at earlier this morning, Trump noted that Cohen served prison time after pleading guilty to tax evasion, lying to Congress, and campaign finance violations.

'He's a proven liar,' said Trump, who is expected to testify later in the trial.

The disbarred attorney, 57, was seen leaving his Park Avenue apartment Tuesday morning and heading to New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan for the fourth week of proceedings in the $250million fraud trial. 

'This is about accountability, plain and simple,' Cohen told reporters as he entered the courthouse, adding that it was up to the judge to make any determinations in the case. 

On the stand Cohen said that in 2018 when he was first accused by prosecutors there was an 'overwhelming amount of misinformation' out there about him.

He said that he had 'acknowledged my complicity' with regards to the $130,000 hush money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels which was made weeks before the 2016 election.

Cohen said there was a 'second campaign finance violation' with regards to the $150,000 paid to McDougal for her silence about her relations with Trump.

According to Cohen he was 'tasked to review documents to ensure Mr. Trump was protected.'

The money paid to McDougal was directed through the National Enquirer, Cohen told the court.

Cohen said that his admission he lied to Congress was for claiming that he spoke to Trump three times about a failed project to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, whereas in fact they spoke 10 times.

Speaking to reporters as he entered the courtroom, Trump took aim at Cohen, noting that he had served prison time after pleading guilty to tax evasion, lying to Congress and campaign finance violations

A grinning Michael Cohen, 57, was seen arriving at court for the fourth week of Trump's $250million fraud trial

Before proceedings could begin, Trump's lawyers attempted to delay the trial citing an 'outbreak' of Covid-19 among lawyers from both sides

Cohen told the court: 'I did that at the direction of and for the benefit of Mr Trump'.

Cohen said there was a 'whole group of people' involved in the formation of his comments including Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.

Cohen said that he was introduced to Trump by his son Don Jr after he helped to remove the board and replace it with one which was more favorable to him.

In March 2007 Cohen accepted an offer from Trump to become his executive vice president and special counsel

Cohen said: 'I reported to and only handled work for Mr. Trump and so I was his special counsel. Whatever issues he had, whatever created ire for him, he'd bring it to me to resolve'.

Cohen talked the court through how the Trump Organization was set up and who were the senior people.

Trump's three children Ivanka, Eric - who was sitting in the public gallery - and Don Jr were also executive vice presidents, Cohen said.

So close was Cohen with the Trump family that he was on the board of the Eric Trump Foundation, which supported hospitals and other good causes.

Colleen Faherty, the prosecutor, asked Cohen what work he did on the Trump Organization's statements of financial condition, which were given to insurance companies and banks to decide about policies and loans.

Cohen said: 'I was tasked by Mr. Trump to increase the total assets based upon a number that he arbitrarily elected and my responsibility along with Allen Weisselberg (former Trump Organization chief financial officer) was to reverse engineer the various different asset classes, increase those assets in order to achieve the number that Mr. Trump had tasked us with'.

Faherty asked what kind of numbers they were talking about.

'Whatever number Mr. Trump told us to', replied Cohen.

Faherty asked if Trump's own net worth was determined by those numbers and Cohen said it was.

As Cohen left for lunch he briefly glanced over in Trump's direction but Trump did not look back.

Eric Trump (left) was seen arriving in court alongside his father on Tuesday before taking a seat in the public gallery 

Trump - who is not required to attend proceedings - skipped his usual campaign haunts to appear in the Manhattan courtroom for the confrontation. 

Trial proceedings were adjourned on Monday because of issues related to an apparent COVID-19 exposure. 

And on Tuesday Trump's lawyers sought to delay the trial further, citing an 'outbreak' of Covid-19 among lawyers from both sides.

Attorney Christopher Kise took a dramatically different tone about the pandemic than Trump did while in office as he asked the judge to pause the trial.

Kise said that the New York State Attorney General's office knew one of its staff had Covid last Wednesday but only told them about it on Saturday.

Since then four Attorney General's lawyers had tested positive and one lawyer from Mr. Trump's team, the court heard.

Kise said it was 'beyond irresponsible' not to have told the Trump team earlier. He accused New York Attorney General Letitia James of being 'really hypocritical' because she sued Amazon over its Covid practices and publicly stated that protecting people's health was a priority.

Kise said that Trump was the 'leading candidate for President of the United States' and that the prosecution was 'exposing' him to Covid.

Another of Trump's lawyers called the infections an 'outbreak' and that it was 'incredibly problematic' to continue the trial.

Judge Arthur Engoron said that masks were available and that he would move ahead with the trial.

Alina Habba, another of Trump's lawyers, said she would refuse to use the same microphone as lawyers from the Attorney General's office in case they were 'contaminated'. 

Former U.S. President Donald Trump watches as Assistant Attorney General Alex Finkelstein questions William Kelly - the attorney for Trump's longtime former accounting firm, Mazars USA -  while defense lawyer Christopher Kise objects

At one point during Kelly's cross-examination, a frustrated Trump became irate, blurting: 'This is a disgrace'

During his presidency Trump refused to wear a mask despite contracting Covid, reportedly because he didn't like seeing his bronzer on the mask. He also hosted multiple parties in the White House which were regarded as 'super spreader' events where numerous people contracted Covid.

The trial proceeded with testimony from William Kelly, the attorney for Trump's longtime former accounting firm, Mazars USA. The firm cut ties with Trump last year after James's office raised questions about the reliability of his financial statements.

At one point during Kelly's cross examination, a frustrated Trump shook his head before blurting out: 'This is a disgrace.' 

Trump's lawyer Jesus Suarez was questioning Kelly when prosecutors objected, prompting another Trump lawyer to interject. Trump calmed down and the witness continued to testify.

Cohen, who has become one of Trump's most vocal critics after serving as his personal lawyer and fixer for years, was originally scheduled to testify last week but had to delay his appearance for health reasons.

Tuesday's face-off is the first between the two since 2018 - when the president's staunch defender famously turned against Trump amid a federal investigation that sent Cohen to federal prison.

Cohen is also set to serve as a major prosecution witness in Trump's separate Manhattan hush-money criminal case, which is scheduled to go to trial next spring. 

New York State Attorney General, Letitia James, a Democrat, has credited Cohen as the impetus for her civil investigation, which led to the fraud lawsuit being decided at the trial. 

Cohen was seen leaving his Park Avenue apartment ahead of his highly anticipated court appearance 

The testimony marks the latest chapter in Cohen's transition from Trump's most loyal confidant - who once declared he'd 'take a bullet' for the president - to his sworn enemy

She is seeking $250million and to effectively put Trump's real estate business out of operating in New York state for allegedly inflating the value of its empire by more than $2billion a year.

During opening statements, Trump's lawyers called Cohen a 'serial liar,' citing his two guilty pleas in 2018 on felony charges including tax evasion and lying to Congress during a probe of Trump's Russia ties.

A judge has already ruled that fraud did occur and the trial is to determine what the penalty should be.

The testimony marks the latest chapter in Cohen's transformation from a man who, as he once put it, would 'take a bullet for Mr. Trump' into one of his greatest tormentors.

Cohen worked as Trump's lawyer for more than a decade during which time he was deeply involved in his personal affairs and his real estate business.

He sometimes acted like a mob henchman and once threatened to do 'something f****** disgusting' to a journalist who was writing about his former boss.

But Cohen split from Trump in 2018 when he cooperated with prosecutors investigating the former President's $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Media and camera crews are seen setting up outside the courthouse ahead of the highly anticipated proceedings 

New York Attorney General Letitia James is seen arriving at New York State Supreme Court Tuesday morning

He was jailed for three years in 2019 after pleading guilty to tax crimes, campaign finance violations and lying to Congress.

As Cohen walked into the court in New York, Trump, who was sitting with his lawyers

Cohen's testimony before Congress in 2019 was the spark for the New York state Attorney investigation as he claimed that Trump inflated the value of his properties to get better interest rates on loans and insurance.

In his testimony before a House committee, Cohen said his 'blind loyalty' to Trump took him down a 'path of darkness instead of light'.

He said: 'I am ashamed of my weakness and misplaced loyalty - of the things I did for Mr. Trump in an effort to protect and promote him.

'I am ashamed that I chose to take part in concealing Mr. Trump's illicit acts rather than listening to my own conscience'.

Cohen wrote a memoir titled 'Revenge' in which he continued to mock Trump as a 'cheat, a liar, a fraud, a bully, a racist, a predator, a con man'.

In July Trump settled a $1.3million lawsuit brought by Cohen against him for legal fees stemming from when he still worked for the former President.

Defense attorney, Alina Habba (left) cited covid concerns in a bid to delay the trial Tuesday and objected to sharing a 'contaminated microphone with members of the attorney general's office

Cohen claimed that Trump stopped paying his legal bills when he began cooperating with prosecutors.

Since then Trump has sued Cohen for $500million for allegedly violating attorney-client privilege in his frequent media appearances and on his podcast.

Ahead of the hearing Cohen mocked Trump by posting on social media site Threads: 'It appears that I will be reunited with my old client @realDonaldTrump when I testify this Tuesday, October 24th at the @NewYorkStateAG civil fraud trial'.

In a Trumpian flourish, he added: 'See you there'.

Trump has attended the trial numerous days even though he is not expected to be there and has made frequent statements outside the court.

Last week the judge overseeing the case fined him $5,000 for posting online about his clerk, which he expressly forbade the week before.