CNN
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Donald Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche kicked off a showdown with Michael Cohen on Tuesday by throwing the former fixer's words back in his face.
Blanche admitted that the two had never spoken, but that Cohen “cried and called me an asshole on TikTok” shortly before the trial began, making her question who he was. I asked him if he already knew.
Mr. Cohen, Mr. Trump's former lawyer and fixer, replied: “That's what I would say.”
This question set the tone for the Manhattan district attorney's cross-examination of a key witness in the hush money trial against the former president. For about two hours, Blanche began cross-examining Cohen in an effort to discredit his claims against Trump.
But after the initial fireworks over Cohen's TikTok posts, much of Tuesday's cross-examination was more gentle, with Branch repeating the many compliments he gave Trump when he was still a staunch fixer. , asked about the money Cohen has made from his books and podcasts since his conversion. I'm against him. Mr. Cohen did not budge as his offensive remarks were read out to him, and Mr. Trump barely reacted to his lawyers' questioning.
Still, there is a long way to go. Blanche indicated that cross-examination would continue most of the day Thursday when court resumes.
Over two days, Mr. Cohen detailed a hush-money scheme involving adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election, explaining to jurors the $130,000 he paid at Mr. Trump's direction. , explained his rift with the former president. Mr. Cohen's testimony is tied to prosecutors' claims that Mr. Trump violated the law by paying Mr. Cohen and falsifying his business records to conceal the payments. Mr. Trump has maintained his innocence and denied his relationship with Mr. Daniels.
Prosecutors appear poised to abandon their case against Trump once Cohen leaves the witness stand on Thursday. Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass acknowledged Tuesday to Judge Juan Marchan that Mr. Cohen is the prosecution's last witness.
Here are the highlights from the 17th day of the Trump hush money trial:
Blanche's opening question was a series of Cohen questions that Blanche presented to the jury in an attempt to paint Cohen as someone who hates Trump and is hell-bent on revenge while trying to make money off the former president and get prison time. This was just the first question in a series of colorful quotes. He reviewed the sentence.
Blanche had a lot of material to work with. Cohen has written two books, “Disloyal'' and “Revenge,'' recorded hundreds of podcasts, and admitted to mentioning Trump in every episode of “Mea Culpa.'' .
On Cohen's first podcast of 2020, Blanche asked if he called Trump a “vile comic misogynist.”
“Sounds like something I would say,” Cohen replied again.
Blanche then asked if Cohen called Trump a “cheat-laced cartoon villain.”
“That sounds like something I said, too,” Cohen said.
Blanche had another line at Cohen, asking if he had said in a 2020 podcast that he “really hopes Donald Trump goes to jail.”
“'Mea culpa' is closer to my word,” Cohen replied.
Blanche then asked Cohen to listen to the podcast, and Cohen, the judge, the lawyers and Trump all put on headphones and listened.
Blanche went on to ask Cohen how much money he made from his book, his podcast, and his TikTok account, which he launched six months ago.
The interrogation concluded that Mr. Cohen has made a living attacking Mr. Trump after pleading guilty in 2018 to charges including campaign finance violations related to the hush-money scheme and having his law license revoked. It was something.
Cohen tried to put a new spin on it. When I asked him what his goal was for posting TikToks almost every night, he replied: “To grow an audience, to build a community, to really vent. I have a hard time sleeping, so I found an outlet.”
The tug-of-war over Mr. Cohen's statements is sure to continue into Thursday, with Mr. Blanche trying to persuade jurors to discredit Mr. Cohen's claims related to the incident itself.
02:46 – Source: CNN
Trump lawyers criticize Michael Cohen's past TikToks
Blanche walked Cohen through the evolution of the former fixer's feelings toward Trump, pinpointing the shift from admiration to hatred that occurred in the summer of 2018, when Cohen rebelled against his former boss.
Asked if he was “obsessed” with Trump, Cohen replied, “I can't say I'm obsessed.” I had a lot of respect for him. ”
He continued, “I don't remember ever using that word. I'm not saying it's wrong.”
Mr. Cohen also tried to use his accolades to explain his change, saying in response to a series of questions about the good things he had said about Mr. Trump, “At the time, I was knee-deep in Donald Trump worship.'' “Yes,” he replied.
Blanche read aloud a list of compliments that Cohen publicly gave Trump in 2015 and 2016, including calling him a “good person,” “a man who cares deeply about his family,” and “an honest person who takes matters seriously.” It also included people who said “people who say things.”
Throughout his cross-examination, Mr. Branch asked Mr. Cohen pointed questions about when he was telling the truth and when he was lying about Mr. Trump.
“You were telling the truth, weren't you?” Blanche asked about the compliment Cohen gave Trump.
“That's how I felt, too,” Cohen said. “I expressed my feelings, so it must be true.”
Cohen acknowledged that his feelings toward Trump have changed since the summer of 2018, when Trump pleaded guilty in a federal case.
Mr. Trump's lawyers have questioned Mr. Cohen's motives since accusing the former president, suggesting that Mr. Cohen may now be motivated by revenge and money.
Blanche told him, quoting an excerpt from Cohen's book Disloyalty. “I wanted everything: power, the good life, public opinion, fame, big deals, fast cars, private airplanes, excess and glamor, and zest for life.”
“Those are my words, yes,” Cohen admitted.
There were no fireworks from Mr. Trump or Mr. Cohen during cross-examination Tuesday afternoon.
President Trump's former fixer remained cautious during more than two hours of questioning by Branch. Mr. Trump, on the other hand, had little involvement in Mr. Cohen's testimony. When Blanche started speaking, he initially turned to Cohen, but spent most of the time with his eyes closed, appearing to zone out and at several points leaving his mouth open. was.
At times, when asked whether Cohen lied to special counsel Robert Mueller's office in 2018, Trump looked in Cohen's direction and tilted his head.
By mid-morning, prosecutors finished questioning Cohen, saying that when he pled guilty to federal charges in 2018, he would end his loyalty to Trump and stop lying for him. He explained his decision in detail.
Mr. Cohen lied to Congress on Mr. Trump's behalf during the 2017 Russia investigation, and in a 2018 letter told the Federal Election Commission about a $130,000 payment to Mr. Daniels. He said the content was misleading.
Mr. Cohen testified that after sending the letter to the FEC in February 2018, Mr. Trump's then-lawyer Jay Sekulow sent him a message saying, “My client appreciates your work.” Mr. Cohen confirmed that his client was Mr. Trump.
In his testimony explaining the events leading up to his guilty plea, Cohen said Trump's allies and Trump's tweets had shown him that he was praised for his loyalty and was reassured that Trump should not be “flipped.” I described how I got the feeling.
“I received a call from President Trump,” Cohen testified after the FBI seized his cellphone and records with a search warrant in 2018. “I obviously wanted him to know what was going on. And he told me, 'Don't worry.' I'm the president of the United States. There's nothing here. Everything will be fine. Stay strong. ”
Cohen said that was the last time they spoke.
Ultimately, Cohen said a conversation with his family in August 2018 persuaded him to change his tune, plead guilty and tell the truth about Trump.
“Based on my conversations with my family, I have once again decided that I will no longer lie for President Trump.”
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger used several questions to flip through Cohen's past statements on issues such as federal tax charges, and cross-examination to ensure that these inconsistencies remained in focus. I tried to get ahead of myself. She finished her questioning of Mr. Cohen, asking whether she regretted her past relationship with Mr. Trump.
“I regret doing things for him that I shouldn't have done, like lying and bullying people to achieve his goals,” Cohen said. “I don't regret working with the Trump Organization. As I've said before, it was a very interesting, great time. But I have no regrets about staying loyal and doing what he asked me to do. Because of this, I broke my moral code and was punished as well as my family.”
President Trump's Manhattan courtroom is like New York's hottest club for aspiring Republican politicians.
Joining Trump in court last week was Florida Sen. Rick Scott. On Monday, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio was seated two rows behind the former president.
On Tuesday, the largest group of politicians and at least one vice presidential candidate went to the 15th floor of a Manhattan courthouse to show their support for Trump.
The list includes Trump's former presidential rival-turned-vice presidential candidate Doug Burgum of North Dakota, as well as House Speaker Mike Johnson and Florida's Reps. Byron Donald and Cory Mills. , and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. All sat behind Trump for much of the day except for Johnson, who appeared with Trump in the hallway during a morning news conference but did not enter the courtroom. (The Louisiana Republican Party's office said he went into an overflow room before giving a press conference outside the courthouse.)
Lara Trump, President Trump's daughter-in-law and new co-chair of the Republican National Committee, and Trump's son Eric Trump, who has become a near-regular presence in court over the past two weeks. attended court on Tuesday.
At one point, after holding a press conference outside before lunch, politicians re-entered the courtroom, and the judge looked at Cohen with an irritated look on his face as they took their seats in the middle of testifying. Ta.
At a news conference outside, Republican politicians, just as their predecessors had done, denounced the legal proceedings they had witnessed.
“I learned a lot by actually going there,” Ramaswamy said. “This is one of the most depressing places in my life, which is fitting because the only thing more depressing than that courtroom environment is what's actually going on there.”
President Trump acknowledged Tuesday morning that he was grateful for the show of support.
“I have a lot of surrogate mothers, and they speak very beautifully,” Trump said before entering the courtroom.
This story has been updated with additional details.
