‘That was a lie!’ Trump attorney blows up at Michael Cohen during hush money trial
Michael Cohen has completed his second day of intense cross-examination by Todd Blanche, former President Trump’s attorney, with the proceedings in the hush money trial growing increasingly heated while the defense attempted to paint Cohen as a liar.
Cohen is expected to be the prosecution’s last witness in the historic trial, which has stretched into its fourth week. Cross-examination is expected to wrap-up on Monday morning, the next time the trial will be held.
Attorneys indicated before the trial broke for the day on Thursday that each side could rest its case as soon as next Tuesday. There still is no word on whether Trump himself plans to testify.
Follow below for a recap from New York.
Current witness: Michael Cohen, Trump’s ex-fixer and personal attorney
Attorney questioning: Todd Blanche, Trump attorney
Prosecutors reiterated to the judge that Michael Cohen is their final witness just before court broke for the day. Trump’s attorneys indicated they expect to be finished with cross examination by Monday’s morning break, and prosecutors said they expect to conduct a redirect examination of their star witness for about an hour.
Trump attorney Todd Blanche also indicated that, other than their possible expert witness, anyone else they call would be able to be on and off the stand by the end of the day Monday. He did not indicate whether Trump himself plans to testify.
“Please be prepared to begin summations on Tuesday if we do wrap it up on Monday,” Judge Juan Merchan told Trump’s attorneys and prosecutors with the Manhattan district attorney’s office.
— Zach Schonfeld and Ella Lee
Court adjourned Thursday afternoon at about 4:15 p.m. There will be no trial on Friday due to Trump attending his son’s high school graduation.
The defense is expected to resume their cross-examination of Cohen on Monday.
– Lauren Sforza
The judge has excused the jury for the day, about 40 minutes earlier than usual so one of the jurors can attend another commitment.
Cross examination will continue Monday.
Before ending for the day, the court is expected to hold a hearing about the permissible scope of Trump’s expert’s testimony, if he chooses to take the stand.
— Zach Schonfeld
Trump attorney Todd Blanche has repeatedly questioned Cohen about how he can vividly remember certain phone conversations during the hush money negotiations in 2016.
“You have a specific recollection of that phone call on June 16, 2016?” Blanche asked at one point, sounding skeptical.
Earlier, Blanche had noted that Cohen answered “I don’t recall” about certain more recent events.
Cohen rebutted the accusation by noting he has been publicly discussing certain matters related to the case for years.
— Zach Schonfeld
Cohen testified during the cross examination that he recorded people without them knowing, many of them journalists.
He noted that it was not illegal for him to record others in a conversation, adding that New York is a one-party consent state.
He said he recorded 40 separate conversations with journalists. Some of the people he recorded included Jeff Zucker and Trump, he testified.
He confirmed there were 95 “secret recordings” stored on his phone when asked by Blanche.
–Lauren Sforza
Blanche pressed Cohen about his relationship with the press and whether he recorded phone calls with journalists and others.
He described how he had close relationships with many reporters, who he would reach out to at times if he wanted to get a positive story written about him or Trump.
When asked if he recorded his calls with journalists, Cohen said he did. He said he recorded calls with reporters about 40 separate times.
He said he would not tell people he was recording them. Cohen noted that he also recorded Jeff Zucker and Trump at times.
— Lauren Sforza
Cohen is back on the stand after the lunch break.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) returned with Trump, but the other lawmakers who were present earlier did not.
— Zach Schonfeld
The court took its lunch break shortly before 1 p.m. EDT. Blanche’s cross-examination of Cohen is expected to continue after the break.
– Lauren Sforza
Todd Blanche is accusing Cohen of lying during his testimony earlier this week when he claimed he spoke to Trump and finalized the Stormy Daniels hush money deal.
Phone records show the call was placed to Trump’s bodyguard, but Cohen says the phone was passed to the former president.
“That was a lie! You did not talk to President Trump on that night,” Blanche said, getting the most heated he’s been so far this trial, suggesting Cohen instead had talked to the bodyguard about harassing phone calls.
Cohen insisted he had told the truth.
— Zach Schonfeld
Jeffrey Clark, a Trump-era Justice Department official who faces charges in Georgia alongside the former president for allegedly entering a conspiracy to subvert the state’s 2020 presidential election results, said he is observing the proceedings in New York.
Clark is also an unindicted co-conspirator in Trump’s federal election subversion case in Washington, D.C.
“I’m live at the New York County Supreme Court today for the Trump trial, but which today has really converted over into the Michael Cohen trial,” Clark wrote on the social platform X.
“I had to come to see this farce for myself. And to be another voice in support of President Trump. Todd Blanche is tearing up Michael Cohen today. Exposing lie after lie after lie,” Clark continued.
Earlier in the day, Clark appeared on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” show.
— Zach Schonfeld
Blanche repeatedly asked Cohen whether he hoped he would be offered a position in the White House once Trump took office in 2017.
Blanche asked Cohen twice whether he “really wanted” to work in the White House, to which Cohen responded “no sir.”
“You hoped that you would be named the White House chief of staff, not just be considered, but be named the White House chief of staff?” Blanche said.
“No, sir,” Cohen responded.
— Lauren Sforza
Most of Trump attorney Todd Blanche’s cross-examination has comprised him bringing up instances where he believes Cohen has lied over the years.
But Blanche has not asked Cohen any questions today so far about the hush money deals or the alleged reimbursement scheme at the center of Trump’s case.
— Zach Schonfeld
Following the morning break, prosecutor Matthew Colangelo asked the judge provide the jury an instruction to correct “misleading” questioning of Cohen by Trump attorney Todd Blanche.
Colangelo took issue with how Blanche suggested Cohen learned of the indictment before it was unsealed, saying it left an impression that something was improper.
Judge Juan Merchan agreed that it needed correction, but he urged the parties to clear it up in their questioning later today and said he would only consider giving an instruction from the bench afterward if needed.
— Zach Schonfeld
After shutting his eyes for much of Cohen’s testimony earlier this week, Trump’s eyes have mainly been open during Thursday’s proceedings.
He is leaning back in his chair, his head turned slightly to face toward Cohen on the stand.
Cohen, meanwhile, has kept his cool on the stand but appears increasingly as if he wants to lash out at Trump’s attorney.
— Zach Schonfeld
Since breaking from Trump and pleading guilty to federal crimes, Cohen has repeatedly said he “accepted responsibility” for his actions.
Todd Blanche, Trump’s attorney, has asked a series of questions suggesting that Cohen was only doing so by continuing to lie, noting that Cohen has since suggested he lied to his judge when he entered his plea.
“When you got the credit at sentencing for accepting responsibility, you got that credit even though you lied!” Blanche said. “You lied to the judge when you pled guilty!”
The attorney eventually got Cohen to concede that his sentencing judge “would have” wanted to know he was lying.
— Zach Schonfeld