#Trump has his posse again. Today it’s more #Republican elected officials. Today, Trump will be joined by the #House speaker, #MikeJohnson, as well as #NorthDakota’s governor, #DougBurgum, a contender to be Trump's running mate. Also present will be Representatives #ByronDonalds & #CoryMills of Florida, & #VivekRamaswamy, who was one of Trump's primary rivals this year. Both Donalds & Ramaswamy are longshot hopefuls to be Trump's running mate.
Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, Speaker #MikeJohnson just accused prosecutors of advancing a “sham” trial against “one president to provide cover for another.” His comments come 1 week after Johnson escaped being removed as speaker of the #House by Rep #MarjorieTaylorGreene, who criticized him of not doing enough to defend #Trump. Guess this is penance to the false idol.
#Hoffinger reviews #MichaelCohen’s testimony from yesterday about “monetizing” his role as #Trump’s personal atty by using it to attract other clients. Cohen confirms. This is inoculation against cross-examination.
Trump turns & whispers to his lawyer Emil #Bove as Cohen talks about how much money he made by monetizing his relationship w/him. Trump clearly mouths “four?” And Bove clearly mouths back: “$4 million.”
#MichaelCohen said that he made sure to tell #Trump that he got the denial from #StormyDaniels “to get credit that I was continuing to ensure he was protected.” He wanted Trump to know that he had “stayed loyal.”
Prosecution shows texts that Cohen was trying to get Daniels booked on #SeanHannity’s #FoxNews show on 18 Jan, 2018, to deny that she'd had an affair w/Trump.
Prosecution shows that as #MichaelCohen continued his denial tour in regard to the #HushMoney, he was texted by Jay Sekulow, a lawyer for #Trump. The text says “Client says thanks for what you do.” Cohen leaves no doubt in his testimony that “client” in the text refers to Trump, thanking Cohen for the denials.
Cohen testified earlier that he had shared his misleading statement about reimbursements w/Sekulow.
#MichaelCohen testifies that it was his understanding that #Trump wanted him to refrain from cooperating w/the government — you know the one he was in charge of — & “certainly not to provide information or flip.”
We still haven’t had anything directly tying #Trump to the structure of the false business records outside of #MichaelCohen’s testimony on the stand, which the defense will aggressively challenge. But the risk for the defense is that the jury holds Trump accountable for all of the various mucky conduct that is being described here, & has been described throughout the trial.
Prosecutors can argue that if #Trump knew about the false records & did not stop them, as #MichaelCohen says, then he aided the #crime.
The synchronization of the Trump tweets & Robert #Costello's outreach to Cohen helps to reinforce the idea that Trump was no longer communicating w/ Cohen directly, but he was still trying to make sure that his embattled fixer was under his thumb.
As #MichaelCohen repeats that he worked w/David #Pecker & others at his company to do so, he again repeats that he took action at #Trump’s direction. The prosecutors use that testimony to lead into Cohen’s #guilty pleas in the federal case against him in 2018. Some of the charges against him were related to the #HushMoney payment.
#MichaelCohen testifies about his 2019 testimony before the #House of Representatives, one hearing of which was televised. During that hearing, he sealed his split w/ #Trump, calling him a #racist & a #ConMan who was #unfit for office.
Cohen recaps his apology to the public during that testimony. Cohen is one of the only Trump allies or advisers who actually served time in #prison.
#MichaelCohen’s testimony at the Congressional hearing is certain to come up during cross-examination, including his assertion that he didn’t want a job in the WH.
Cohen is now discussing his meetings w/ Robert #Mueller, the special counsel investigating the #Trump campaign's ties to #Russia.
#MichaelCohen is asked, over an objection by the defense, about how he was sent home on furlough from federal #prison in 2020, during the height of the COVID pandemic.
He was ultimately returned to prison bc he was planning to publish a book later that year & refused to sign a letter from #Trump AG Bill Barr saying he wouldn’t publish. A judge later called the move “retaliatory” by the federal govt, & he was freed.
#MichaelCohen, for only the second time this trial, is getting angry as he remembers what he clearly sees as an #injustice. He testifies that not only was he sent back to #prison, he was put in #solitary confinement.
In 2023, during #MichaelCohen’s testimony at #Trump’s #civil#fraud trial, the defense was able to trip him up while asking him about one of his federal guilty pleas. There, he seemed to suggest that he wasn’t actually #guilty of one of the #crimes he had pleaded guilty to. Ever since, Trump’s lawyers have accused him of perjury.
#Hoffinger is going through a lengthy list of all that #MichaelCohen has lost financially. This is similar to something #StormyDaniels said, when pushed on cross-examination about whether she had money to gain by telling her story about #Trump. She said that she had also lost a lot.
Cohen also acknowledges that he has been #disbarred.
Trump is back in court after lunch, carrying a stack of papers. His entourage of elected ofcls appears to have mostly left, though #VivekRamaswamy, remains.
#Trump is seated at the defense table reading through his stack of papers, which are usually positive news articles about him or negative ones about President #Biden. [pacifiers]
#Blanche asks #MichaelCohen if he’s been following the trial. Cohen says yes, to some extent. Blanche asks if he knows details about the jury selection process.
Objection from prosecution, & it's sustained.
Blanche asks Cohen if he recalls saying on TikTok, while David #Pecker, the fmr publisher of The #NationalEnquirer, was on the stand, that Pecker was corroborating everything he'd been saying for 6 yrs.
#MichaelCohen has so far remained calm, sitting w/his hands clasped in his lap.
He's taking a beat before answering his questions & appears to be choosing his words carefully. #Trump is sitting w/his eyes closed at the defense table.
#Blanche is almost certainly trying to get under Cohen's skin.
#Blanche gets to his point: that #MichaelCohen says he doesn't "recall" having had multiple conversations w/the DA's office about not going on TV, but he can recall w/pristine detail conversations he said he had w/ #Trump in 2016.
"I remember all the phone conversations w/Mr. Trump at the time, yes," Cohen says.
FYI, Cohen is under no obligation to “recall” anything. He is not on trial.
#MichaelCohen continues to testify about the times prosecutors have warned him not to talk about the trial.
#Trump smiles at one of his lawyers, Susan #Necheles, who smiles back.
#Blanche is now making it clear that Cohen defied prosecutors’ wishes by talking to reporters. The idea, again, is to show Cohen is capable of going off on his own & doing what he wants, which the defense will likely say he did while working w/Trump.
#Blanche asks #MichaelCohen if he has gone on TV several dozen times. “I have gone on television,” Cohen says. Blanche asks him if it’s >20 times. “It could be,” Cohen concedes. Blanche asks him if he has any doubt that he has gone on television >20 times, & Cohen allows, that no, he has no doubt he has gone on television >20 times.
After testifying about these appearances & his podcast, #Blanche asks #MichaelCohen if it’s fair to say he talks about #Trump in every single appearance & episode. Cohen says yes.
Blanche goes into Cohen’s podcast schedule, tallying up 4 podcasts a week for many months, suggesting he’s done hundreds in which Trump has been a steady refrain.
Cohen says he’s been making TikToks for about 6 weeks, about 6 days a week.