In a packed Manhattan courtroom, the ongoing hush money trial involving former President Donald Trump’s ex-lawyer, Michael Cohen, reached a pivotal moment as the defense relentlessly cross-examined him. Todd Blanche, representing Trump, meticulously dissected Cohen’s credibility before a riveted jury.
Today’s session saw Blanche not just question but systematically dismantle the veracity of Cohen’s account, particularly concerning a crucial October 2016 phone call he claims was about a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels. On CNN, Anderson Cooper did not shy away when discussing the trial on his show.
“I think it’s devastating. Absolutely,” Cooper remarked. “If I were a juror in this case watching that, I would think this guy is making it up as he’s going along, or he’s making that this particular story up.”
“It was just so well crafted and just point by point walking through this story which at first seemed… why this seems like a ridiculous story,” Cooper said. “All morning long, he’s been pointing out inconsistencies in Michael Cohen’s testimony, or at least questionable aspects of Michael Cohen’s testimony. But nothing that you would necessarily, as a juror, think, ‘Okay, that’s clearly a lie.’ Maybe that’s just a misunderstanding, or he was bragging, or whatever,” Cooper said.
WATCH:
Anderson Cooper on Michael Cohen: "I think if I was a juror in this case watching that, I would think this guy is making it up as he's going along." pic.twitter.com/4Pfp5MQctG
— MAGA War Room (@MAGAIncWarRoom) May 16, 2024
Throughout his testimony, Cohen detailed an alleged scheme to silence the adult film actress with a $130,000 payment, purportedly at Trump’s direction, to prevent damage to his 2016 presidential campaign. The testimony aimed to bolster the prosecution’s claims that Trump engaged in illegal activity by falsifying business records to both reimburse Cohen and conceal the payment. Trump, maintaining his innocence, has pleaded not guilty and denies any affair with Daniels.
In Thursday’s testimony, Cohen disclosed the existence of 95 “secret recordings” on his phone, which included a variety of conversations, from interactions with journalists to a notable discussion with former CNN President Jeff Zucker. Cohen admitted to recording approximately 40 conversations with reporters, a tactic he employed until the conclusion of the 2016 presidential election. He elaborated on the legal backdrop of his actions, claiming that recording conversations is permissible under New York law as long as one party consents, thereby legitimizing his recordings. He highlighted his particularly strong relationship with New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman.
On Monday, Cohen recounted in his testimony that he had contacted Keith Schiller, using him as an intermediary to communicate with Trump. However, contrasting evidence was presented in court today by Todd Blanche, who displayed a series of text messages between Cohen and Schiller. These messages indicated that Cohen’s intent was to discuss a 14-year-old who had been prank-calling him, with no reference to Daniels.
Cohen explained according to CNN, “Part of it was the 14-year-old but I know that Keith was with Mr. Trump at the time and there was more potentially than this.” Blanche, seeking to discredit Cohen, pressed him by asserting, “That was a lie, you did not talk to President Trump — you talked to Keith Schiller, you can admit it.” Cohen, remaining calm, countered, “No sir, I don’t know that it’s accurate.”
As Blanche continued his questioning, visibly agitated and pacing, he challenged the feasibility of Cohen’s claim, saying, “A 1:36 phone call and you had enough time to update Schiller about all the problems you were having and also update President Trump about the status of the Stormy Daniels situation because you had to keep him informed.”
Cohen insisted, “I always ran everything by the boss immediately and in this case, it would have been saying everything has been taken care of, it’s been resolved.” Blanche further questioned the authenticity of Cohen’s testimony, suggesting it was heavily reliant on documents rather than memory.
Cohen acknowledged this, stating, “Yes, that refreshed my recollection.”
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