As the first criminal case against Donald Trump to go to trial ended in a guilty verdict on Thursday, Michael Cohen, the government’s star witness, reacted sedately, calling it in a statement to The Daily Beast “an important day for accountability and the rule of law.” He continued: “While it has been a difficult journey for me and my family, the truth always matters. I want to thank my attorneys Danya Perry and Joshua Kolb for their invaluable guidance and support throughout this process.” Trump, 77, was convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, part of a scheme to cover up a $130,000 hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels that Cohen had arranged for Trump. Cohen served as Trump’s personal lawyer from 2006 to 2018 before being sentenced to three years in federal prison, having pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws at his boss’ behest. Cohen spent four days on the stand in Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial, and was the final witness called by the prosecution. The defense, who grilled him for hours on the finer points of his testimony, unsuccessfully attempted to paint him as a liar, describing him as the “human embodiment of reasonable doubt” to the jury.