WEBVTT - Inside Michael Cohen's Cross & Menendez Bribery Trial 0:00:03.200 --> 0:00:08.000 This is Bloomberg Law with June Brusso from Bloomberg Radio. 0:00:10.200 --> 0:00:13.480 The last time I appeared before Congress, I came to 0:00:13.600 --> 0:00:17.799 protect mister Trump. Today I am here to tell the 0:00:17.880 --> 0:00:19.239 truth about mister Trump. 0:00:19.560 --> 0:00:23.239 Michael Cohene's testimony in the Trump hush money trial is 0:00:23.320 --> 0:00:27.600 similar to his congressional testimony back in twenty nineteen, in 0:00:27.680 --> 0:00:30.880 that he explained how he went from being Donald Trump's 0:00:31.000 --> 0:00:34.800 lawyer and fixer to being the star witness against him. 0:00:35.159 --> 0:00:38.519 Cohen is testified that the former president signed off on 0:00:38.600 --> 0:00:41.280 a plan to cover up the one hundred thirty thousand 0:00:41.320 --> 0:00:45.480 dollars hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels 0:00:45.800 --> 0:00:48.680 to keep their alleged sexual encounter out of the news 0:00:48.720 --> 0:00:52.920 ahead of the twenty sixteen election. The prosecution has basically 0:00:52.960 --> 0:00:56.240 built its case around Cohen will be the final witness 0:00:56.320 --> 0:00:59.480 for the Manhattan Da, joining me as Bloomberg Legal reporter 0:00:59.520 --> 0:01:02.200 Patricia or Tada, who has been in the courtroom for 0:01:02.320 --> 0:01:05.920 all the testimony. Before we go inside the courtroom, Pat, 0:01:06.560 --> 0:01:11.000 let's talk about how Republicans, including the Speaker of the House, 0:01:11.160 --> 0:01:17.319 Mike Johnson, Alabama Senator Tommy Tubberville, and other Republicans came 0:01:17.360 --> 0:01:21.240 to support Trump on Tuesday and make statements on his 0:01:21.360 --> 0:01:23.160 behalf outside the courthouse. 0:01:23.800 --> 0:01:27.440 Mike Johnson showed up outside the courtroom but never went 0:01:27.520 --> 0:01:30.560 inside the courtroom, so go figure that out. So he 0:01:30.640 --> 0:01:33.080 was there to support Trump but didn't go into the courtroom. 0:01:33.200 --> 0:01:37.400 So the Republican politicians showed up to show the support 0:01:37.480 --> 0:01:40.640 for Trump, and then with the exception of Mike Johnson, 0:01:40.800 --> 0:01:44.520 four of them went in to the courtroom and sat 0:01:44.560 --> 0:01:47.360 in the front row, and then during a break they 0:01:47.480 --> 0:01:50.760 left in the morning and came back late, and they 0:01:50.880 --> 0:01:54.920 arrived just as Michael Cohen was describing to the jury 0:01:55.440 --> 0:02:00.200 how he decided to seek guilty and start cooperating with 0:02:00.200 --> 0:02:02.600 the government. And it was a very heartfelt moment where 0:02:02.640 --> 0:02:06.720 he was describing how he basically had a reckoning with 0:02:06.880 --> 0:02:10.120 his children, his eldest daughter, who was a freshman at 0:02:10.120 --> 0:02:14.200 the University of Pennsylvania, and he said he was protecting 0:02:14.800 --> 0:02:17.519 his family, and then his daughter told him that we're 0:02:17.600 --> 0:02:20.480 your family, they're not your family, and you have to 0:02:20.520 --> 0:02:24.320 think about us, and that's when he decided to be guilty. 0:02:24.480 --> 0:02:28.040 And he's choking up with emotion, and then who comes 0:02:28.080 --> 0:02:32.400 clattering down the center aisle of the courtroom, disrupting proceeding. 0:02:32.919 --> 0:02:35.079 But the Republicans who came to show the support for 0:02:35.160 --> 0:02:38.280 Donald Trump. It was a weird, disjointed moment. I don't 0:02:38.320 --> 0:02:40.520 know if the jury was paying attention. It was kind 0:02:40.560 --> 0:02:42.840 of to those of us, the reporters in the audience, 0:02:42.919 --> 0:02:45.560 it was odd to see people being allowed to walk 0:02:45.600 --> 0:02:48.160 into the courtroom in the middle of trial, in the 0:02:48.160 --> 0:02:50.799 middle of testimony, and no one said a word to 0:02:50.880 --> 0:02:53.320 them that would not be permitted from anyone else. But 0:02:53.480 --> 0:02:57.320 this group and math arrived and clambered down the aisle, 0:02:57.560 --> 0:02:59.760 clonking with their heels and sitting down. 0:03:00.560 --> 0:03:04.959 Has the prosecution complained to the judge about the fact that, 0:03:05.560 --> 0:03:09.320 for example, Mike Johnson in his statement, he's saying almost 0:03:09.480 --> 0:03:13.840 word for word what Trump has said about the trial 0:03:14.040 --> 0:03:19.120 about Michael Cohen. So Trump is using them to avoid 0:03:19.160 --> 0:03:20.520 the gag order he's under. 0:03:21.240 --> 0:03:25.040 Trump yesterday called them his surrogeis and it does appear 0:03:25.080 --> 0:03:27.720 about he's using them as this mouse key surrogates to 0:03:27.880 --> 0:03:31.400 speak and say the things he's not permitted now as 0:03:31.440 --> 0:03:35.080 a descendant. Judge Mershawn, who's presiding over the case, has 0:03:35.120 --> 0:03:38.760 some power and authority over Trump to say, behave and 0:03:38.800 --> 0:03:42.000 don't make comments about the witnesses and the jury. I 0:03:42.040 --> 0:03:44.000 guess this is their way of trying to do an 0:03:44.080 --> 0:03:46.760 end run around the court rolls and around the judge's 0:03:46.800 --> 0:03:49.800 dag order. No one has complained yet, and I don't 0:03:49.840 --> 0:03:53.200 know if Murshawn has any authority to say anything to 0:03:53.360 --> 0:03:57.920 direct members of Congress or former politicians like Visick Rowasani 0:03:58.000 --> 0:03:59.720 to not say anything. 0:04:00.120 --> 0:04:03.040 Like the judge has any control over what they say. 0:04:03.480 --> 0:04:06.920 Let's turn out to Michael Cohen's testimony. Tell us about 0:04:06.920 --> 0:04:09.160 his demeanor on direct examination. 0:04:09.960 --> 0:04:12.720 He mad quite a different presentation than he did when 0:04:12.760 --> 0:04:15.880 he testified as the New York Attorney General civil fraud 0:04:15.920 --> 0:04:20.000 case in October. There, he was harried, he filled out 0:04:20.040 --> 0:04:24.599 his story, He was very anxious, nervous, and he went 0:04:24.720 --> 0:04:28.960 on and gave very long answers that were very disjointed. 0:04:29.120 --> 0:04:32.280 And then when cross examination came up with close examined 0:04:32.360 --> 0:04:36.480 by Alena Haba, Trump's lawyer, she managed to immediately get 0:04:36.560 --> 0:04:41.120 under his skin, ruffle him, unnerved him, and needle him, 0:04:41.760 --> 0:04:45.400 and then he got very combative and defensive. This time, 0:04:45.560 --> 0:04:49.440 he didn't do that his answers on direct examination by 0:04:49.560 --> 0:04:54.880 prosecutor Susan Hoffinger was very methodical, quiet. He gave very 0:04:54.920 --> 0:04:59.359 simple answers, no, ma'am, yes, ma'am. He didn't elaborate or 0:04:59.400 --> 0:05:02.960 get broader any long involved anecdotes. I thought it was 0:05:03.080 --> 0:05:06.719 very effective because basically he told a very simple story. 0:05:07.240 --> 0:05:08.880 And this is a story he's been telling, as we 0:05:08.920 --> 0:05:11.919 all remember, since he completed guilty in August twenty eighteen, 0:05:12.360 --> 0:05:15.600 so for six years he's told this different story, and 0:05:15.640 --> 0:05:19.839 now he got his chance to finally confront Trump. He 0:05:20.000 --> 0:05:22.600 did a couple of times shoot a glance over at 0:05:22.640 --> 0:05:25.960 the defense table, but I did notice whenever he got 0:05:26.040 --> 0:05:28.640 up and to be moved and leave the courtroom, the 0:05:28.680 --> 0:05:32.279 court officer sort of blocked him off from Trumps and 0:05:32.320 --> 0:05:35.800 they basically stopped any confrontation. And that's kind of what 0:05:35.920 --> 0:05:40.760 happened when Madeline Westerhouse testified, she seemed to go on 0:05:40.800 --> 0:05:43.520 to go up to Trump, but the court officers prevented her, 0:05:43.680 --> 0:05:45.560 and Trump seemed to try to go up to Hope 0:05:45.600 --> 0:05:48.279 Hicks and greet her but was against blocked. None of 0:05:48.279 --> 0:05:50.200 this was allowed to happen in front of the jury. 0:05:50.800 --> 0:05:55.919 Explain how he explained the hush money payment to Stormy 0:05:56.000 --> 0:05:59.839 Daniels Trump's connection to the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels. 0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:04.080 A big, seventy thousand foot version is that macro view 0:06:04.200 --> 0:06:07.320 is that they find out after the Acts of Hollywood 0:06:07.320 --> 0:06:10.640 papers come out in October twenty sixteen, weeks before the election, 0:06:11.279 --> 0:06:14.400 they find out that Stormy Daniels is shopping her story. 0:06:14.800 --> 0:06:16.720 And the reason they find this out is because of 0:06:16.760 --> 0:06:20.320 this agreement they have with David Pecker and the National Inquirer. 0:06:20.880 --> 0:06:24.760 Cohen and Trump get alerted about the fallacious story that 0:06:24.839 --> 0:06:27.520 Sterermy Daniels was trying to shop her story. Thorn Star 0:06:27.680 --> 0:06:30.039 says she had sex response in two thousand and six 0:06:30.160 --> 0:06:32.839 and had him and sexual encounter with him. As a 0:06:32.880 --> 0:06:37.160 result of that, he alerts everybody and he starts freaking 0:06:37.240 --> 0:06:41.680 out to Keith Edelman, who's Stormy lawyer, and they discussed 0:06:41.720 --> 0:06:44.200 some kind of payment, and he's discussing this with David 0:06:44.200 --> 0:06:47.279 Pecker as well, who had originally agreed to pay off 0:06:47.320 --> 0:06:50.599 one hundred and fifty thousand dollars to Karen McDougal, the 0:06:50.640 --> 0:06:53.680 Playboy model, to buy her silence for her story that 0:06:53.800 --> 0:06:56.360 early age on this bump, and then the National Inquirer 0:06:56.480 --> 0:06:59.640 paid fifty thousand dollars for a doorman, a Trump Tower 0:06:59.680 --> 0:07:02.839 dorm man, who claimed that Trump had fathered an illegitimate 0:07:03.200 --> 0:07:06.880 child with one of the female Latina employees. So Peckard 0:07:06.880 --> 0:07:10.320 already worked over one hundred and eighty thousand dollars at 0:07:10.360 --> 0:07:14.280 this point. So Pecker consulted with his lawyer and told 0:07:14.440 --> 0:07:17.960 Cohen he wasn't going to pay anymore. And apparently Pecker 0:07:18.000 --> 0:07:21.800 now became concerned that this could be a campaign finance violation, 0:07:22.000 --> 0:07:25.280 so he didn't want to pay. So then Cohen says 0:07:25.320 --> 0:07:28.520 he got very concerned about having to pay this off 0:07:28.600 --> 0:07:33.040 quickly because the election was about will happen, and Trump 0:07:33.080 --> 0:07:36.640 had told him this is terrible, this is quote a 0:07:36.800 --> 0:07:41.040 disaster for the campaign. If I win, it won't matter, 0:07:41.480 --> 0:07:44.760 and if I lose the presidency, I won't care. And 0:07:44.800 --> 0:07:49.640 then Cohen says that Trump was pulling terribly with women, 0:07:50.040 --> 0:07:54.200 so he was worried too. So then the decision comes 0:07:54.280 --> 0:07:58.600 to he's going to pay Stormy off himself. So he 0:07:58.680 --> 0:08:02.680 has this discussion won't pay, He decides to make the payment, 0:08:03.080 --> 0:08:06.000 and he described in great detail a lot of the 0:08:06.040 --> 0:08:11.280 things that jury's already seen. They've seen text between Stormy's 0:08:11.320 --> 0:08:15.600 agent and for a lawyer discussing the payment. They've seen 0:08:15.880 --> 0:08:21.600 emails between Cohen and Stormy's lawyers discussing the payment. They've 0:08:21.600 --> 0:08:25.480 seen bank records where Cohen made the payment, and now 0:08:25.520 --> 0:08:27.800 we hear it from his own words linking him up 0:08:27.840 --> 0:08:31.640 to Trump. What he said, which was very interesting yesterday 0:08:31.960 --> 0:08:35.280 the last day of direct was that he has a 0:08:35.320 --> 0:08:39.600 discussion with Trump after the elections at the White House 0:08:40.120 --> 0:08:43.960 in the Oval office, and Trump asked him, are you 0:08:44.080 --> 0:08:48.199 doing okay? And he says, well, you know. He mentions 0:08:48.240 --> 0:08:51.360 that he hasn't been paid for January and February, which 0:08:51.400 --> 0:08:54.000 would be the start of the payments to the repayment 0:08:54.000 --> 0:08:56.480 of one hundred and thirty thousand dollars that he was 0:08:56.520 --> 0:08:59.800 supposed to get back from Trump. So Trump tells him, 0:09:00.200 --> 0:09:03.640 see Alan Weifelberg and Alan Weifelberg, who was not allowed 0:09:03.679 --> 0:09:07.600 to do anything financially without Trump's approval, and he was 0:09:07.640 --> 0:09:10.360 not aligned to side any check for over a certain 0:09:10.400 --> 0:09:15.640 amount of money without prior permission from Eric Trump, Don Junior, 0:09:15.760 --> 0:09:19.840 or Donald Trump himself suddenly is sending texting it. So 0:09:20.000 --> 0:09:24.360 Don Junior and Eric pay for a seventy thousand dollars installment, 0:09:24.520 --> 0:09:27.679 which is two checks for January and February, and then 0:09:27.760 --> 0:09:31.360 the jury saw another chess sign and then they saw 0:09:31.400 --> 0:09:35.840 the eighth check that he said Donald Trump shigned from 0:09:35.840 --> 0:09:38.480 the White House when Donald Trump was president already in 0:09:38.520 --> 0:09:42.600 twenty seventeen. So every month onward h chess signed by 0:09:42.640 --> 0:09:46.720 Donald Trump personally. And to his testimony that Donald Trump 0:09:46.760 --> 0:09:50.920 has proclaimed in books and in interviews that he wouldn't 0:09:51.000 --> 0:09:53.720 sign any check without knowing exactly what it was for. 0:09:55.000 --> 0:09:58.679 So, Pat, what are the documents that are most supportive 0:09:59.360 --> 0:10:03.400 of his test testimony that corroborate his claims that Trump 0:10:03.520 --> 0:10:05.920 knew and approved the hush money payments. 0:10:06.920 --> 0:10:10.280 The text, there's emails, there's tons of records, and there's 0:10:10.320 --> 0:10:13.480 tons of text messages back and forth. There is a 0:10:13.600 --> 0:10:19.920 handwritten document and it's basically Weifelberg scrapch notes calculating how 0:10:20.080 --> 0:10:23.960 he'd repay coent. It got quote unquote grossed up and 0:10:24.840 --> 0:10:27.720 multiplied up. It was one hundred and thirty thousand dollars. 0:10:28.040 --> 0:10:31.040 Cohen said he was owed of fifty thousand dollars or 0:10:31.120 --> 0:10:33.360 a job he'd done for Trump, and Trump had never 0:10:33.400 --> 0:10:36.520 paid him back. He was expecting to get reimbursed for 0:10:36.640 --> 0:10:39.840 his bonus for twenty seventeen. You know, the December check 0:10:39.880 --> 0:10:42.679 that everybody loves to get for Christmas check is a bonus. 0:10:42.880 --> 0:10:45.720 He didn't get anything like that from Trump. He was 0:10:45.800 --> 0:10:49.280 expecting an additional amounts of money. So dry Solders basically 0:10:49.840 --> 0:10:53.959 scrappad of all the calculations that added up to the 0:10:53.960 --> 0:10:57.480 one hundred and thirty thousand plus fifty thousand, multiplied by 0:10:57.679 --> 0:11:01.880 certain quantifiers. Because Cohen was in a certain tax bracket, 0:11:01.920 --> 0:11:05.800 that ended up being one hundred and eighty thousand dollars payment, 0:11:06.040 --> 0:11:09.840 but doubled because Cohen was in the fifty percent tax bracket, 0:11:10.440 --> 0:11:15.119 that was a four hundred and twenty thousand dollars payment completely, 0:11:15.720 --> 0:11:19.160 So then it said divided by twelve, which ended up 0:11:19.160 --> 0:11:23.080 being thirty five thousands. But you hear the testimony from 0:11:23.280 --> 0:11:28.080 la Cohen saying something like, but what about Melania? Won't 0:11:28.160 --> 0:11:30.679 she be a shet when she finds out about Stormy? 0:11:31.400 --> 0:11:34.480 And Trump said, are you kidding? You think I'm going 0:11:34.520 --> 0:11:38.199 to be on the market long, no problem, not a chance. 0:11:38.760 --> 0:11:41.560 Is that the comment that some man makes when he's 0:11:41.800 --> 0:11:45.200 allegedly worried and concerned about his wife finding out about 0:11:45.200 --> 0:11:46.120 his infidelity. 0:11:46.559 --> 0:11:49.840 I think the prosecutor will probably be bringing that up 0:11:50.040 --> 0:11:53.520 in closing arguments. Pat, stay with me. Coming up, we're 0:11:53.559 --> 0:11:57.880 going to discuss Michael Cohen's cross examination. I'm June Grass. 0:11:57.920 --> 0:12:02.720 When you're listening to Bloomberg. Donald Trump's fixer turned foe, 0:12:02.800 --> 0:12:06.199 will return to the witness stand tomorrow and could face 0:12:06.280 --> 0:12:10.080 a bruising round of questioning from the former president's lawyers. 0:12:10.600 --> 0:12:13.959 Michael Cohen's testimony this week has linked Trump to all 0:12:14.000 --> 0:12:17.680 aspects of a hush money scheme that prosecutors say was 0:12:17.760 --> 0:12:22.360 aimed at stifling stories that threatened his twenty sixteen campaign. 0:12:22.960 --> 0:12:26.280 Cohen is the prosecution's star witness, and they'll end their 0:12:26.320 --> 0:12:29.680 case with him. Then we'll find out whether the defense 0:12:29.720 --> 0:12:32.280 will be putting on a case and if Donald Trump 0:12:32.320 --> 0:12:35.040 will testify in his own behalf. I've been talking to 0:12:35.040 --> 0:12:38.240 Bloomberg legal reporter Patricia Hurtano, who's been in the courtroom 0:12:38.360 --> 0:12:39.520 for all the testimony. 0:12:39.880 --> 0:12:40.120 Pat. 0:12:40.160 --> 0:12:44.200 Before the break, we were talking about the scribblings by 0:12:44.240 --> 0:12:48.960 the former CFO of the Trump organization, Alan Weiselberg, detailing 0:12:48.960 --> 0:12:51.520 how Michael Cohen was going to be paid back, a 0:12:51.640 --> 0:12:56.280 very important document for the prosecution, and in most cases 0:12:56.920 --> 0:13:01.480 the prosecutors would call Weiselberg to the state to testify 0:13:01.520 --> 0:13:05.720 about those scribblings that he made. Alan Weisselberg is not 0:13:05.800 --> 0:13:08.840 going to testify, is he? The jury's going to wonder. 0:13:08.880 --> 0:13:10.079 I think where is he? 0:13:10.960 --> 0:13:15.600 Well? Right now, the DA has no expectations or interest 0:13:15.679 --> 0:13:19.600 in calling Wassilberg. After all, the man is a twice 0:13:19.760 --> 0:13:24.240 convicted felon. He pleaded guilty to tax law charges on 0:13:24.280 --> 0:13:28.040 behalf of the Trump organization, and he played guilty to perjury, 0:13:28.160 --> 0:13:32.199 and he perjured himself when he testified in favor supporting 0:13:32.280 --> 0:13:35.240 Donald Trump at the civil tax flawed case brought by 0:13:35.240 --> 0:13:38.920 the New York State ag So why anybody would call 0:13:39.040 --> 0:13:41.920 such a tainted witness, as anyone's yest, he would not 0:13:42.040 --> 0:13:44.920 be a reliable witness, and he would be still protecting Trump. 0:13:45.240 --> 0:13:48.120 I think the prosecution saying, why would you call somebody 0:13:48.200 --> 0:13:50.640 that's possibly going to give reasonable doubt for a jury 0:13:50.640 --> 0:13:52.719 when the documents speak for themselves and you don't have 0:13:52.760 --> 0:13:55.520 to heed anybody going to translate because it's right there 0:13:55.520 --> 0:13:58.640 in black and white. And they had other Trump witnesses, 0:13:58.880 --> 0:14:02.800 Trump lords witnesses striving with the paperwork, said, so they 0:14:02.840 --> 0:14:05.640 don't need it. The other thing that Cohen said yesterday 0:14:06.080 --> 0:14:09.559 was he had to apologize to the mares and people 0:14:10.080 --> 0:14:13.560 because he helped conceal the information they needed when they 0:14:13.600 --> 0:14:16.520 were selecting a man who was running for the highest 0:14:16.559 --> 0:14:19.960 office in the LAMB. So, I mean, when I heard that, 0:14:20.080 --> 0:14:23.280 it was stunning to hear, because this really is central 0:14:23.360 --> 0:14:26.480 to the DA claim that this is an effort to 0:14:26.640 --> 0:14:31.600 undermine the elections. And Cohen said this would have helped 0:14:31.720 --> 0:14:35.360 citizens understand if they had known the truth about Trump. 0:14:35.840 --> 0:14:39.040 So one thing that I found really interesting was the 0:14:39.080 --> 0:14:43.200 cover up of the cover up where Trump and others 0:14:43.240 --> 0:14:46.080 tried to keep Michael Cohen in line. 0:14:47.160 --> 0:14:50.080 Yeah, that was That's always been this argument that the 0:14:50.360 --> 0:14:54.560 DA had file papers free trial saying there was something 0:14:54.640 --> 0:14:59.320 called the quote unquote pressure campaign, and I assumed it 0:14:59.440 --> 0:15:03.040 just meant be tweaked by Donald Trump. When Michael Cohen 0:15:03.320 --> 0:15:07.560 gets his offices get raided, office and his apartment and 0:15:08.200 --> 0:15:11.280 his hotel, he's extended in a hotel because his apartment 0:15:11.360 --> 0:15:13.960 was being renovated, he says, So when he gets raided. 0:15:14.160 --> 0:15:18.480 In April twenty eighteen, Trump is tweeting, Oh, he's my guy. 0:15:19.000 --> 0:15:21.920 I'm supporting him. He's a good man, a great man, 0:15:22.000 --> 0:15:26.800 a wonderful lawyer. But then the day after Michael Cohen 0:15:27.040 --> 0:15:30.960 pleads guilty, and people may need to remember that the 0:15:31.080 --> 0:15:34.640 day Michael Cohen played guilty in August twenty eighteen is 0:15:34.720 --> 0:15:38.280 the same day that Paul Mannifort got convicted. It was 0:15:38.320 --> 0:15:43.320 a new doubleheader that day, and the next day Donald 0:15:43.320 --> 0:15:47.400 Trump is praising Paul Manifort for being a good American 0:15:47.960 --> 0:15:52.320 but condemning and damning Michael Cohen as a sleave ball 0:15:52.520 --> 0:15:55.720 and a terrible lawyer. And never hired this terrible man. 0:15:56.440 --> 0:15:58.800 So I always thought that was the end of the 0:15:58.840 --> 0:16:02.760 story of the of the pressure campaign. But then he 0:16:02.840 --> 0:16:07.080 saw this other learn named Robert Costello, claimed that he 0:16:07.240 --> 0:16:14.000 had represented Michael Cohen and was basically asserting that Cohen 0:16:14.080 --> 0:16:17.000 had told him a completely different story and was a 0:16:17.040 --> 0:16:19.840 liar and not to be believed. And this happens after 0:16:19.960 --> 0:16:24.000 Michael Cohen plete guilty to federal charges, So it added 0:16:24.040 --> 0:16:28.200 to the Murphy mess around Michael Cohen was he as 0:16:28.320 --> 0:16:32.600 luosy as they claimed. We saw tons of emails yesterday 0:16:32.600 --> 0:16:36.240 that were pretty stocking where Coleen gets introduced the Costello 0:16:36.600 --> 0:16:41.600 and then Costello starts sending him these very kind of insinuating, 0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:46.400 supplicating emails of like, hey, just remember I talked to 0:16:46.440 --> 0:16:50.080 the big guy. He's in your on your side. I 0:16:50.200 --> 0:16:54.040 spoke to our friend, a lawyer, meaning Juliani. So Costello 0:16:54.120 --> 0:16:59.080 is apparently a Juliani ally. And Cohen said he was 0:16:59.120 --> 0:17:03.800 afraid that Costello was just acting with Guliani to find 0:17:03.840 --> 0:17:07.160 out exactly what Coen was going to do. Keep your 0:17:07.160 --> 0:17:10.560 friends close for your enemy's closer kind of idea. And 0:17:10.720 --> 0:17:14.800 you see these constant hollage of emails with Costello is 0:17:15.119 --> 0:17:18.239 haranguing as the first he's supplicating and kissing up to him, 0:17:18.320 --> 0:17:21.040 and then he starts haranguing. I'm like, you don't answer 0:17:21.080 --> 0:17:24.520 my calls and you're not talking and we need to 0:17:24.520 --> 0:17:27.119 discuss it, and why are you thinking of hiring another lawyer. 0:17:27.200 --> 0:17:30.199 I don't like this, and you know, basically accusing of 0:17:30.240 --> 0:17:33.560 all kinds of nefarious substitutes. And Kellen is like, hey, 0:17:33.600 --> 0:17:35.760 I didn't make a decision, you're not my lawyer, and 0:17:36.000 --> 0:17:39.119 then he starts really almost assailing him, And that was 0:17:39.200 --> 0:17:42.320 kind of shocking that Costello and we now know, and 0:17:42.600 --> 0:17:45.840 Costello went on a campaign of his own integrating and 0:17:46.240 --> 0:17:49.320 castigating Cohan. So it's kind of weird that you see 0:17:49.320 --> 0:17:52.040 that that. Cohen said he felt that this was a 0:17:52.119 --> 0:17:57.760 back channel way of Giuliani going between Trump and working 0:17:57.800 --> 0:18:01.280 behind the scenes to keep him in line and keep 0:18:01.359 --> 0:18:04.879 him from pleading guilty and trying to constantly take a 0:18:04.960 --> 0:18:07.840 temperature and find out how close he was to cooperate. 0:18:08.880 --> 0:18:12.679 Let's turn down to the cross examination. Blanche started the 0:18:12.800 --> 0:18:16.520 cross trying to needle Cohen right started off. 0:18:17.000 --> 0:18:19.159 And he said, didn't you call me, you know, a 0:18:19.280 --> 0:18:23.320 stupid little expletive in a twite? And on social media? 0:18:23.440 --> 0:18:26.800 Haven't you said these things? And what he was doing 0:18:27.040 --> 0:18:30.159 was what the defense was complaining Cohen was doing. And 0:18:30.240 --> 0:18:35.200 the defense had complained bitterly that Cohen was integrating and 0:18:35.359 --> 0:18:37.800 saying mean things about Trump and he had to stop. 0:18:38.040 --> 0:18:41.520 And then the judge told the DA, make him stop, 0:18:41.680 --> 0:18:44.160 get them to knock it off. The judge told the DA, 0:18:44.800 --> 0:18:46.720 and they said, as much as we can, We're going 0:18:46.800 --> 0:18:49.320 to try. But controlling Michael Cohen is going to be 0:18:49.320 --> 0:18:53.479 a different story. But then the defense Blanche gets up 0:18:53.480 --> 0:18:55.840 there and it starts repeating the things he was complaining 0:18:55.840 --> 0:18:58.560 Michael Cohen was saying. And then I think the judge 0:18:58.560 --> 0:19:01.920 felt like, okay, to not make it personal between Todd 0:19:02.000 --> 0:19:06.200 Blanche and Michael Cohen, let's talk about why we're here, 0:19:06.320 --> 0:19:08.840 and I think the judge basically shut that down. And 0:19:08.880 --> 0:19:10.920 then he started talking about all the new things he's 0:19:10.960 --> 0:19:14.640 ever said about Trump, including the T shirt of Trumps 0:19:14.840 --> 0:19:18.520 behind bars in an orange jump suit behind bars like 0:19:18.600 --> 0:19:22.440 in the jail cell handcuffs and it says Trump twenty 0:19:22.480 --> 0:19:25.560 twenty four and it's got a little logo on it. 0:19:25.960 --> 0:19:28.560 And then they started quoting from all the things Michael 0:19:28.640 --> 0:19:31.280 Cohen has ever said, and we know there are tons 0:19:31.280 --> 0:19:33.960 of things Michael Cohen has said. We also learned that 0:19:34.000 --> 0:19:37.040 Michael Cohen has made three point four million dollars. 0:19:37.359 --> 0:19:39.920 That was really surprising. Explain how he made. 0:19:39.760 --> 0:19:44.439 You know, well, in two books and podcasts merchandising, but 0:19:44.560 --> 0:19:50.080 it's mainly the book and appearances and speakers speeds, so 0:19:50.200 --> 0:19:52.480 I guess that makes sense. But I mean, if he's 0:19:52.560 --> 0:19:56.040 charging thirty two dollars for a T shirt, Donald Trump 0:19:56.119 --> 0:19:58.200 is charging how much money for a pair of gold 0:19:58.240 --> 0:20:01.879 shoes and one hundred and forty nine dollars, so basically, 0:20:02.080 --> 0:20:05.680 you know, and Stormy Dangels carn't eating, So I mean 0:20:05.840 --> 0:20:09.000 it's kind of crazy. It is a crazy case. I 0:20:09.000 --> 0:20:14.159 mean Todd Blanche accused Cohen of monetizing his hatred of Trump, 0:20:14.800 --> 0:20:16.879 which you know the jury is going to have to 0:20:17.000 --> 0:20:20.240 assess whether he's credible or not. I mean, helping their 0:20:20.440 --> 0:20:24.400 and their decision. Is this wrap of documents that may 0:20:24.400 --> 0:20:26.679 seem like just a bunch of boring pieces of paper, 0:20:26.840 --> 0:20:29.920 but there is a paper trail that, if the jury 0:20:29.960 --> 0:20:32.439 wants to look at it that way, could corroborate the 0:20:32.480 --> 0:20:34.240 story that Michael Cohen says. 0:20:34.400 --> 0:20:37.080 I mean, you said that Weiselberg would be a tough 0:20:37.400 --> 0:20:40.600 witness and not believable. Michael Cohen has more baggage, it seems, 0:20:40.600 --> 0:20:41.440 than Weiseelberg. 0:20:42.320 --> 0:20:45.000 He does, but he does have an essential story to 0:20:45.040 --> 0:20:48.040 tell that does have the ring of truth in white 0:20:48.160 --> 0:20:51.520 of all these documents and in light of prior testimony, 0:20:51.560 --> 0:20:55.879 I mean, historian Pecker's story are at hire seamlessly. The 0:20:56.080 --> 0:21:00.320 only difference in their testimony is David Pecker he was 0:21:00.359 --> 0:21:03.080 taking credits for Donald Trump getting the big idea of 0:21:03.160 --> 0:21:06.560 running for president, that he had done this poll or 0:21:06.600 --> 0:21:08.639 he had seen a poll, and he took us to Trump. 0:21:08.840 --> 0:21:12.040 And then Cohen said in his testimony, which was a 0:21:12.040 --> 0:21:15.800 little tet dish controvitory, that he had seen the poll 0:21:16.040 --> 0:21:18.080 and he took it to Donald Trump, and that he 0:21:18.240 --> 0:21:20.800 convinced Donald Trump to run for president. So both of 0:21:20.800 --> 0:21:23.680 them were trying to claim the big chance. The only 0:21:23.720 --> 0:21:27.800 difference is that David Pecker never severed his relationship with 0:21:28.160 --> 0:21:33.520 Trump and so supirely of him. Meanwhile, Michael Cohen, he 0:21:33.640 --> 0:21:37.200 went to prison for him. So that's where the ill 0:21:37.240 --> 0:21:38.200 wills comes from. 0:21:38.520 --> 0:21:42.199 You can tell a lot on cross if the witness's 0:21:42.200 --> 0:21:43.760 demeanor changes. 0:21:43.760 --> 0:21:47.760 And it did not. He stayed very calm. The questions 0:21:47.960 --> 0:21:52.919 were not as needling as Olena habs. I mean, he 0:21:52.960 --> 0:21:56.000 may come back with more firepower on Thursdays. 0:21:55.720 --> 0:21:59.040 Because I noticed that, for example, the question of whether 0:21:59.119 --> 0:22:01.600 or not he wanted to Trump convicted, the answer is 0:22:01.640 --> 0:22:04.240 pretty obvious. He's the star witness against him, but it 0:22:04.320 --> 0:22:08.560 took Blanche question after question after question after question for 0:22:08.640 --> 0:22:09.639 Cohen to admit it. 0:22:09.880 --> 0:22:14.960 Look, I've covered tons of trials, tons of criminal trial, murder, racketeering, 0:22:15.520 --> 0:22:20.920 financial flaught, you name it, and I've seen plenty across examination. 0:22:21.760 --> 0:22:25.080 It was fine, it was working like and co Winner 0:22:25.160 --> 0:22:30.240 is a lawyer, and I think that the fundamental part 0:22:30.240 --> 0:22:33.119 of his story you should say, there's animus and I 0:22:33.119 --> 0:22:35.399 guess that's what Blanche was trying to depict him as 0:22:35.400 --> 0:22:39.760 being like a tody who was constantly insinuating himself to 0:22:39.840 --> 0:22:42.560 Donald Trump and a loyal acolyte, and then he became 0:22:43.040 --> 0:22:47.560 a vicious trumpeting guy who basically was bent on revenge 0:22:47.600 --> 0:22:49.200 and then on making money off Trump. 0:22:49.760 --> 0:22:53.399 So this is the last prosecution witness. What has the 0:22:53.440 --> 0:22:56.280 defense said about a defense? Will they put on a defense? 0:22:56.760 --> 0:23:00.080 They have not said. They had answered the possibility of 0:23:00.200 --> 0:23:05.000 being allowed to call a witness about elections finance, election fraud, 0:23:05.680 --> 0:23:10.240 and I believe originally that Mershawan is strictly limited what 0:23:10.320 --> 0:23:13.560 that person could stay or bring basically as an expert witness. 0:23:13.840 --> 0:23:17.720 And they also told Mershawn yesterday they haven't decided what 0:23:17.760 --> 0:23:20.359 they're going to do, including whether or not they're going 0:23:20.400 --> 0:23:23.520 to call Trump as a witness, and we're going to 0:23:23.560 --> 0:23:26.800 have to wait and see. I don't think cross will 0:23:26.920 --> 0:23:31.080 end tomorrow because we're ending early at three for the weekend, 0:23:31.119 --> 0:23:34.480 and we're not going to have trial on Friday because 0:23:34.520 --> 0:23:38.879 Trump wants a campaign and attend Bearn Trump's high school graduations. 0:23:39.440 --> 0:23:44.000 So I expect that the redirect will continue into Monday. 0:23:44.040 --> 0:23:47.280 Of Cohen and then I guess we'll see what's going 0:23:47.320 --> 0:23:49.000 to happen with the rest of the week. But the 0:23:49.000 --> 0:23:52.080 defense said they're going to review what the judges previously ruled. 0:23:52.200 --> 0:23:55.760 So the trial is winding down, but there still could 0:23:55.800 --> 0:23:58.199 be a lot happening in the next week, depending on 0:23:58.240 --> 0:24:03.120 the defense. Thanks so much. That's Patricia Hertado, Bloomberg Legal reporter. 0:24:03.680 --> 0:24:07.280