Trump was 'frugal' and a 'penny pincher' who paid Michael Cohen DOUBLE to cover up his 'affairs' prosecution tells court

Prosecutors in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial made an interesting case against the former president, saying the billionaire is actually a 'penny pincher' who paid his attorney Michael Cohen double to cover up his 'affairs.'

The counterintuitive argument came up during opening statements in the case Monday morning by District Attorney Alvin Bragg's team.

Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo told a captive jury that Trump was a 'very frugal businessman' who ran the Trump Organization with 'total control.'

‘He believed in punching pennies, in watching every dollar, in negotiating every bill.'

At the center of the case is a $130,000 payment to pornstar Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about an alleged affair with Trump immediately before the 2016 election. 

Therefore, when Cohen received more than double the amount for a total of $420,000, it was in order to 'disguise' it as income - and not a pay-off.

Trump had a ‘relentless’ focus on the bottom line but ‘when it came time to pay Michael Cohen back he didn’t negotiate the price down, he doubled it so they could disguise it as income,' Colangelo said. 

The fee showed ‘Just how important it was to hide the true nature of Michale Cohen’s illegal payment to Miss Daniels and the election conspiracy they launched in August of 2015,' Colangelo said 

Former President Donald Trump's attorney rejected claims by the prosecution in his criminal hush money case that payments to pornstar Stormy Daniels were made to help him win the 2015 election

Trump's defense rejected claims by the prosecution in his criminal hush money case that payments to pornstar Stormy Daniels were made to help him win the 2016 election 

President Donald Trump has estimated his Mar-a-Lago, Florida, home to be worth close to $1 billion but a Manhattan judge said it is worth a fraction of that at $18 million

Prosecutors said Trump inflated the value of his Manhattan penthouse in Trump Tower by about $200 million when he valued it at $327 million

In 2012, the property was valued by the Trump Organization at more than twice the value given by outside appraisers.

Such a deal ‘might be the only time it ever happened,' Colangelo told the jury.

The fee showed ‘Just how important it was to hide the true nature of Michale Cohen’s illegal payment to Miss Daniels and the election conspiracy they launched in August of 2015,’ Colangelo said.

Donald Trump has long touted his vast real estate empire, and his estimated net worth is over $4 billion.

But the future of the embattled former president's property holdings remains unclear after the former president was ordered to pay more than $350 million in the blockbuster civil fraud trial and banned from doing business in New York for three years.

Located on Fifth Avenue, Trump Tower is perhaps the most recognizable property carrying the former president's name and is headquarters of the Trump Organization.

Prosecutors said Trump inflated the value of his Manhattan penthouse in Trump Tower by about $200 million when he tripled the estimate of the square footage from 11,000 square feet to 30,000 square feet. 

Trump had valued the apartment at $327 million, which Attorney General Letitia James called 'absurd.'

President Donald Trump has estimated his Mar-a-Lago, Florida, home to be worth close to $1 billion but a Manhattan judge said it is worth a fraction of that at $18 million - still a substantial sum.

He has other massive properties worth millions of dollars to fill out his real estate portfolio.

Trump's defense rejected claims by the prosecution in his criminal hush money case that payments to pornstar Stormy Daniels were made to help him win the 2016 election.

Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche also made the case that Trump, being a 'frugal' penny pincher, would never have overpaid his 'obsessed' personal attorney Michael Cohen and attempted to discredit Daniels, saying she fabricated their affair.

Trump defense attorney Todd Blanche claimed that the $35,000 paid to Cohen each month was because he was working as his personal lawyer while he was in office.

Blanche tried to turn the prosecution argument about Trump being stingy on its head.

He said: 'President Trump did not pay Mr. Cohen back $130,000. President Trump paid Michael Cohen $420,000.'

'In the same breath the people told you he is known as a frugal businessman.'

'Ask yourself: would a frugal businessman, would a man who pinches pennies repay a $130,000 debt to the tune of $420,000?'

According to Blanche, Trump had 'nothing to do' with the invoices being processed, the checks being generated or the entries on the ledger, all of which were done by Trump employees

There was a 'complete lack of knowledge or intent' from Trump, Blanche said.

'There's nothing wrong with trying to influence an election. It's called democracy. They put something sinister on this idea as if it's a crime.

'It's not,' he continued.

'Michael Cohen paying Stormy Daniels $130,000 for her agreeing not to publicly spread false claims about President Trump is not illegal.'

When her claims emerged to 'embarrass President Trump and embarrass his family' he 'fought back to protect his family, his reputation and his brand, which is not a crime', Blanche said.

Turning to Cohen, Blanche said that he tried to 'blame President Trump for virtually all of his problems'

Cohen is 'obsessed with President Trump, even to this day', Blanche said, noting Cohen has written books and runs two podcasts about Trump.

'Michael Cohen paying Stormy Daniels $130,000 for her agreeing not to publicly spread false claims about President Trump is not illegal,' said Trump's attorney

Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche also made the case that Trump, being a 'frugal' penny pincher, would never have overpaid his 'obsessed' personal attorney Michael Cohen and attempted to discredit Daniels, saying she fabricated their affair 

Cohen served time after pleading guilty to campaign finance crimes and lying to Congress

Only last night Cohen appeared online saying he wanted to see Trump in an 'orange jumpsuit,' Blanche said.

Cohen 'cannot be trusted' because 'his entire financial livelihood depends on President Trump's destruction, he went on.