Michael Cohen stealing from Trump org 'more serious' than alleged Trump crime: CNN legal analyst

Michael Cohen's admission that he stole from the Trump Organization was worse than former President Trump allegedly falsifying business records, CNN legal analyst Elie Honig said Wednesday.

"The fact that he was ever charged with larceny is important because stealing $60,000 through fraud, which would be larceny in New York State, is more serious of a crime than falsifying business records," he said.

Cohen said during cross-examination Monday that he stole thousands of dollars from the Trump Organization by overstating how much he paid a tech company that provided services for the business.

Honig criticized the prosecution for glazing over it during their questioning of Cohen.

NY V. TRUMP TO RESUME WITH CONTINUED CROSS-EXAMINATION OF MICHAEL COHEN AS TRIAL NEARS CONCLUSION

"Here’s the direct testimony the way Michael Cohen explained what happened: Michael Cohen explained this whole thing, quote ‘That’s what was owed, and I didn’t feel Mr. Trump deserved the difference.’ That’s a lot different than ‘I stole $60,000 from my boss on the transaction at the heart of this case,'" Honig said.

CNN political commentator Tim Parlatore said the prosecution minimized what Cohen said he did during their initial questioning.

"The fact that it was minimized in that way by the prosecution, I think it presents a very good opportunity and closing for — they knew about this. They minimized it, the prosecutor misled this jury," he said.

Cohen told the court last week in New York's case against the former president that he and former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg calculated a $420,000 repayment to Cohen for his $130,000 payment to former pornography star Stormy Daniels. Cohen's payment to Daniels came ahead of the 2016 election to