‘The third man in the room’: Is Allen Weisselberg the ‘missing piece’ in Trump’s trial?

As Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial enters its final phase with closing arguments on Tuesday, the jury’s verdict is expected to largely hinge on their opinions of the prosecution’s star witness: Michael Cohen.

On the stand, Mr Trump’s former attack dog described the moment he met with his boss on the 26th floor of Trump Tower in Manhattan in January 2017 to agree a $420,000 deal for his reimbursement for a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. Cohen testified that he made the payment on Mr Trump’s behalf to ensure Ms Daniels’ silence about an alleged sexual encounter that had the potential to derail his bid for the White House had it come to light.

But there was a third man in the room during the crucial meeting that day – a man who the jury has not heard from: Allen Weisselberg, the long-time chief financial officer to the Trump Organization.

Mr Trump’s former “fixer” Cohen testified that he had initially met with Weisselberg, 76, to agree the terms of the repayment before they went together to present the deal – which amounted to 12 instalments of $35,000 – to their boss Mr Trump in his office in Trump Tower, just days before his presidential inauguration.

Mr Trump approved the deal on the understanding that the payments would be recorded as a legal expense arising from a “retainer” agreement, Cohen said.

These 34 fraudulent records account for the 34 charges of falsifying business records that Mr Trump is currently facing in court in Manhattan.

While Weisselberg would be uniquely qualified to confirm or deny Cohen’s version of events, he has not taken the stand to testify for either side in the criminal trial.

There is one simple reason for this: Weisselberg is currently serving time in Rikers Island