Quote:

---

Michael Cohen says he believed that Keith Davidson's side had leaked the story about Karen McDougal.
Davidson issued a statement denying the story. "That was the way he was going to appease me. More importantly, to appease Mr. Trump," Cohen says.
Davidson was the former attorney of Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels.

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen had several calls with Dylan Howard of the National Enquirer that evening.
He says he "was expressing to him in a rather angry manner" that Karen McDougal was now part of his team and "you need to get ahold of this" and also issue denials.

---

Quote:

---

The court is taking a short break. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger said her direct examination would go into tomorrow.

---

Tomorrow? Really going to stretch this one out.

aggiehawg said:

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen testifies that on the two October 26, 2016, calls with Donald Trump, he was "laying out exactly what was going to happen in order to ensure the (Stormy Daniels) story didn't get sold to Daily Mail or somebody else. "

Cohen says he told Trump he was going across the street to the bank to open the account for the LLC that would wire the money to Daniels.

---

Some of this is in direct contradiction to emails with Davidson that are in evidence. Cohen was complaining he could not reach Trump as he was on the campaign trail and he (Cohen) would just "do it" himself.

---

Yep, I remember them harping on that already. Good call.

aggiehawg said:

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen says he believed that Keith Davidson's side had leaked the story about Karen McDougal.
Davidson issued a statement denying the story. "That was the way he was going to appease me. More importantly, to appease Mr. Trump," Cohen says.
Davidson was the former attorney of Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels.

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen had several calls with Dylan Howard of the National Enquirer that evening.
He says he "was expressing to him in a rather angry manner" that Karen McDougal was now part of his team and "you need to get ahold of this" and also issue denials.

---

Quote:

---

The court is taking a short break. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger said her direct examination would go into tomorrow.

---

Tomorrow? Really going to stretch this one out.

---

Lots of questions left..."Mr. Cohen, please show us on this doll where the mean Mr. Trump has hurt you"

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen testified Monday afternoon about why he agreed to pay $130,000 of his own funds for Stormy Daniels' story: Because Donald Trump told him to.
On October 17, 2016, Daniels' attorney, Keith Davidson, emailed Cohen to say the deal was off because the agreed-upon $130,000 payment had not yet been made. Cohen testified he didn't send the payment because he was stalling, per Trump's directions.
Cohen called Trump that day and left a voicemail saying that the agreement was off, he testified. Trump then directed Cohen to speak with ex-Trump Org. CFO Allen Weisselberg to resolve the issue, according to Cohen.

Quote:

---

"He stated to me that he had spoken to some friends, some individuals, smart people, and that, 'It's $130,000. You're a billionaire, just pay it. There's no reason to keep this thing out there, so do it,'" Cohen said. "He expressed to me, 'Just do it. Meet up with Allen Weisselberg and figure this whole thing out.'"

---

Cohen and Weisselberg agreed that Cohen would pay the $130,000 upfront and then would be reimbursed later, and they spoke to Trump about the plan. "He stated to me, 'Don't worry, you'll get the money back,'" Cohen testified.
Cohen testified he did not do this for his own benefit. "I would not lay out $130,000 for an NDA (nondisclosure agreement) needed by somebody else," he said.
He said he used a home equity line of credit (HELOC) to obtain the funds because there was no paper trail from that account and so his wife wouldn't find out. Cohen had two phone calls with Trump on the morning of October 26 to confirm the plan before he went to the bank and made a $130,000 payment to Davidson.

Quote:

---

"I wanted to ensure that once again he approved what I was doing because I require approval from him on all of this," Cohen testified. "Everything required Mr. Trump's sig- off. On top of that I wanted the money back."

---

Cohen gave false documents about Essential Consultants LLC to the bank in order to hide the true purpose of the payment, he testified. Once Cohen had the signed agreement from Daniels, Cohen said he "immediately" told Trump.
On October 28, Cohen called Trump and said, "This matter is now completely under control and locked down."

---

Quote:

---

Donald Trump is back in the courtroom as we prepare for the final stretch of today's testimony.
Judge Juan Merchan is also back.
Cohen walks to the witness stand and avoids looking at Trump's table after the judge directed security to get "Mr Cohen."
Trump is reading a sheet of paper and did not lift his eyes when Cohen walked by.
The jury has entered.

---

AustinAg2K said:

---

This is how I would start the cross:

"Mr. Cohen, you've admitted to lying to Congress, you've admitted to lying under oath, you've admitted to lying as part of your job with Trump. Would you say you lie a lot?"

---

Answer: At one time, I lied a lot to help Mr. Trump.



That is not the best way to phrase the question.

They will establish his past lies, but they are not going to leave any opening for him to explain.

aggiehawg said:

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen says he believed that Keith Davidson's side had leaked the story about Karen McDougal.
Davidson issued a statement denying the story. "That was the way he was going to appease me. More importantly, to appease Mr. Trump," Cohen says.
Davidson was the former attorney of Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels.

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen had several calls with Dylan Howard of the National Enquirer that evening.
He says he "was expressing to him in a rather angry manner" that Karen McDougal was now part of his team and "you need to get ahold of this" and also issue denials.

---

Quote:

---

The court is taking a short break. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger said her direct examination would go into tomorrow.

---

Tomorrow? Really going to stretch this one out.

---

And the more they talk about it broadens the target for cross

Give them an extra shovel and chant "dig mutherf***er dig"

Quote:

---

The prosecution's questions resumed with text messages between Michael Cohen and Hope Hicks on November 5, 2016, the day after the Wall Street Journal story came out.
The text messages said:

Quote:

---

Cohen: "So far I see only six stories. Getting little to no traction."
Hicks: "Same"
Hicks: "Keep praying!! It's working!"

---

Cohen testifies they were concerned "this story would explode into a massive issue and we were monitoring to see the type of traction the story was getting from other news sources."

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen texted Hope Hicks about the reaction to the Wall Street Journal story.

"Even CNN not talking about it. No one believes it and if necessary, I have a statement by Stormy (Daniels) denying everything and contradicting the other porn stars statement. I wouldn't use it now or even discuss with him as no one is talking about this or cares!"

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen was asked if he would continue to work for the Trump Organization after the 2016 presidential election.
"No, because my service was no longer necessary. I was special counsel to Mr. Trump and he was now president-elect," Cohen testified.
Trump nodded with his eyes closed as Cohen said this.

---

Quote:

---

Cohen is testifying that he was disappointed that he wasn't considered for chief of staff at the White House after Trump was elected president although Cohen acknowledges he was not "competent" for the job.
"I just wanted my name to have been included," Cohen says. "I wanted to at least be considered. It was more about my ego than anything,' he added
As Cohen mentions his ego, Trump opens his eyes to look at Cohen briefly.

---

Quote:

---

Donald Trump shakes his head when Michael Cohen says he was disappointed he wasn't considered for the position of White House chief of staff.

---

Foreverconservative said:

---

aggiehawg said:

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen says he believed that Keith Davidson's side had leaked the story about Karen McDougal.
Davidson issued a statement denying the story. "That was the way he was going to appease me. More importantly, to appease Mr. Trump," Cohen says.
Davidson was the former attorney of Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels.

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen had several calls with Dylan Howard of the National Enquirer that evening.
He says he "was expressing to him in a rather angry manner" that Karen McDougal was now part of his team and "you need to get ahold of this" and also issue denials.

---

Quote:

---

The court is taking a short break. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger said her direct examination would go into tomorrow.

---

Tomorrow? Really going to stretch this one out.

---

And the more they talk about it broadens the target for cross

Give them an extra shovel and chant "dig mutherf***er dig"

---

And the longer it goes, the less time they have to cross on Tuesday. That gives them all day Wednesday to slow down and review the details and come back on Thursday and really go after him.

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen says he wanted to be personal attorney to the president but he really wanted to be "consultant" so he could stay in New York.

Quote:

---

"Every president has a personal attorney. So my thought was that way I could continue to protect him, to do the things he needed with these other matters. And he would be protected," Cohen says.

---

Cohen said being personal attorney to the president "opens up a tremendous amount of doors for people who are trying to understand the mind of Trump."
Cohen is looking at the jury directly as he's explaining his pitch to Trump.

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen is looking directly at the jury as he explains his pitch to be Donald Trump's personal attorney.
"Mr. Trump was an enigma. He was a businessman no one knew what his position was," he says.
Cohen says he thought he could monetize the position and knowledge of Trump. "Because of my close proximity to him for a decade, I did understand him," Cohen says.
Cohen says he brought in an attorney who helped him pitch the idea to Trump.
He presented Trump with a 3-page memo explaining why Trump needed a personal attorney and why it should be Cohen. They met for about an hour about it, Cohen testifies.

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen is now being shown text messages he exchanged with his daughter after the 2016 election.

He says he explained to her his role would not be in government, but it would be "a hybrid" with access to Trump while being able to monetize his relationship with various companies.

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen said he didn't expect to be compensated by Donald Trump for being his personal attorney as president because he understood he'd make money from the companies that would pay him for insights on Trump.

---

AustinAg2K said:

---

This is how I would start the cross:

"Mr. Cohen, you've admitted to lying to Congress, you've admitted to lying under oath, you've admitted to lying as part of your job with Trump. Would you say you lie a lot?"

---

How I would start cross:

TexAg1987 said:

---

Foreverconservative said:

---

aggiehawg said:

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen says he believed that Keith Davidson's side had leaked the story about Karen McDougal.
Davidson issued a statement denying the story. "That was the way he was going to appease me. More importantly, to appease Mr. Trump," Cohen says.
Davidson was the former attorney of Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels.

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen had several calls with Dylan Howard of the National Enquirer that evening.
He says he "was expressing to him in a rather angry manner" that Karen McDougal was now part of his team and "you need to get ahold of this" and also issue denials.

---

Quote:

---

The court is taking a short break. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger said her direct examination would go into tomorrow.

---

Tomorrow? Really going to stretch this one out.

---

And the more they talk about it broadens the target for cross

Give them an extra shovel and chant "dig mutherf***er dig"

---

And the longer it goes, the less time they have to cross on Tuesday. That gives them all day Wednesday to slow down and review the details and come back on Thursday and really go after him.

---

Made that same mistake with Stormy. This prosecution team does not think strategically, at all.

aggiehawg said:

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen says he wanted to be personal attorney to the president but he really wanted to be "consultant" so he could stay in New York.

Quote:

---

"Every president has a personal attorney. So my thought was that way I could continue to protect him, to do the things he needed with these other matters. And he would be protected," Cohen says.

---

Cohen said being personal attorney to the president "opens up a tremendous amount of doors for people who are trying to understand the mind of Trump."
Cohen is looking at the jury directly as he's explaining his pitch to Trump.

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen is looking directly at the jury as he explains his pitch to be Donald Trump's personal attorney.
"Mr. Trump was an enigma. He was a businessman no one knew what his position was," he says.
Cohen says he thought he could monetize the position and knowledge of Trump. "Because of my close proximity to him for a decade, I did understand him," Cohen says.
Cohen says he brought in an attorney who helped him pitch the idea to Trump.
He presented Trump with a 3-page memo explaining why Trump needed a personal attorney and why it should be Cohen. They met for about an hour about it, Cohen testifies.

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen is now being shown text messages he exchanged with his daughter after the 2016 election.

He says he explained to her his role would not be in government, but it would be "a hybrid" with access to Trump while being able to monetize his relationship with various companies.

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen said he didn't expect to be compensated by Donald Trump for being his personal attorney as president because he understood he'd make money from the companies that would pay him for insights on Trump.

---

---

Not sure if this line of questioning is helping the prosecution. It really shows his greedy mindset and that he was looking to exploit the Trump relationship. I'd think a guy like that would be capable of putting up $130K of his own money as a "down payment" on his future payday and then when it didn't happen, have a motive for revenge by testifying against Trump.

Quote:

---

Not sure if this line of questioning is helping the prosecution. It really shows his greedy mindset and that he was looking to exploit the Trump relationship. I'd think a guy like that would be capable of putting up $130K of his own money as a "down payment" on his future payday and then when it didn't happen, have a motive for revenge by testifying against Trump.

---

Or blackmail him. As that deal was structured, Cohen, alone possessed the rights to Stormy's story. He could do with those rights as he wanted.

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen testifies that he was angry, beyond angry" because Donald Trump had slashed his bonus by two-thirds.
Cohen says after fronting "$130,000 on his behalf to protect him, it was insulting that the gratitude that was shown back to me was to cut the bonus by two-thirds."
Trump provided bonuses in an annual Christmas card to his staff. "Right after opening it I actually had to take a double take," Cohen says.
He immediately went to (CFO Allen) Weisselberg's office "and in some colorful language expressed to him how truly pissed off and angry I really was. This makes no sense at all."
Trump laughs to himself and nods as Cohen testifies about how angry he was about the bonus cut.
Cohen's tone is still very even and measured.
He says, with a smirk, "I was even for myself unusually angry."

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen says he also spoke with David Pecker about his unhappiness with the bonus.
"Can you believe this after all of this and laying out $130,000 to protect him, this is the best that I get?" Cohen recalls telling Pecker.
"I couldn't believe it. It wasn't even so much about the number as much as it was about the disrespect that came with it. I was just personally insulted," Cohen says.

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen said Donald Trump called him right before New Year's while he was on vacation with his family.
On the call, Trump told him next year he should come to Mar-A-Lago an said "don't worry about that other thing, I'm going to take care of it when I get back," Cohen said referencing his bonus.
Trump looked in Cohen's direction briefly as he recounted his phone conversation with Trump before New Year's.

---

Quote:

---

The jury is shown the First Republic wire transfer document with Allen Weisselberg's handwriting.
Cohen confirms he provided the First Republic Bank statement. The jury again sees the copy that Weisselberg took handwritten notes on calculating what Trump owed Cohen based on their conversations.
Cohen said he was in the room when Weisselberg wrote on the document.

---

Quote:

---

After the new year, Michael Cohen said he went to former Trump Org. CFO Allen Weisselberg about getting repaid for the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels.
"He said to me 'let's do it,'" Cohen said.
Weisselberg asked for a copy of the statement reflecting the $130,000 transfer, Cohen said.

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen was asked about former Trump Org. CFO Allen Weisselberg's understanding about taxes.
Cohen said Weisselberg is not a CPA but he has been Trump's chief financial office for decades. "He certainly knows more than I do," Cohen said.
Cohen said when asked about the accounting being used, "I didn't really think about it. I just wanted to get my money back."
After the meeting, Cohen said he and Weisselberg went to Trump's office to speak to him about it.

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen says he thought he'd get the $420,000 back in one lump sum.
But during the conversation in Donald Trump's office, Allen (Weisselberg) turned around and said to me while we were talking about this, 'We're going to pay you over 12 months,'" Cohen says.
It would be recorded "as like a legal service rendered since I was then going to be given the title of personal attorney to the president," Cohen says.

---

Quote:

---

On Jan. 17, 2017, Cohen texted the operator of his yellow cab medallion business.

"Thank you. I leave tomorrow for D.C. And just between us, I will be personal counsel to Pres Trump."

---

Quote:

---

Cohen says he doesn't remember exactly when Trump told him he'd be his personal counsel.

But Cohen pins it around this text and his appearance on Sean Hannity announcing his position on January 18.

---

So wasn't one of the "theories" of a predicate crime the possible "tax evasion" of a discrepancy between the $130k paid to Stormy, and the amount that was paid to Cohen?

Seems as if Cohen might have explained the discrepancy right there. Trump was "taking care" of the short Christmas bonus to Cohen.

So much for theory #3...

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen says Allen Weisselberg told him the repayments would begin in February.
"What he stated to me is, 'Each month just send an invoice to us. And just mark down for legal services rendered pursuant to the agreement, and we'll get you a check out,'" Cohen says Weisselberg told him.
According to Cohen, Weisselberg explained that with moving Trump to Washington, DC, "it's going to just take a little bit of time to get things moving" and encouraged him to "just be patient."

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen says he wanted to be Donald Trump's personal attorney for the title and didn't expect to be paid.

Quote:

---

"He gave me this title. I was proud to accept that title, which I wanted, so I knew there would be no compensation for any other work," Cohen says.

---

Cohen said he would be paid by companies he signed consulting agreements with.
He says he never put together a retainer agreement for any future work for Trump. "No ma'am," he says, in response to prosecutor Susan Hoffinger. "Because I knew there was going to be no compensation."
Cohen says this was not related to the $420,000 payment he was receiving from the Trump organization.

---

Quote:

---

The court is breaking for the day and the jury is leaving the courtroom.

Donald Trump's ex-attorney Michael Cohen is expected to continue to be questioned by prosecutor Susan Hoffinger tomorrow.

---

aggiehawg said:

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen says Allen Weisselberg told him the repayments would begin in February.
"What he stated to me is, 'Each month just send an invoice to us. And just mark down for legal services rendered pursuant to the agreement, and we'll get you a check out,'" Cohen says Weisselberg told him.
According to Cohen, Weisselberg explained that with moving Trump to Washington, DC, "it's going to just take a little bit of time to get things moving" and encouraged him to "just be patient."

---

---

Lucky for Cohen that Trump did not decide to bully him down to 20 cents on the dollar!

bobbranco said:

---

aggiehawg said:

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen says Allen Weisselberg told him the repayments would begin in February.
"What he stated to me is, 'Each month just send an invoice to us. And just mark down for legal services rendered pursuant to the agreement, and we'll get you a check out,'" Cohen says Weisselberg told him.
According to Cohen, Weisselberg explained that with moving Trump to Washington, DC, "it's going to just take a little bit of time to get things moving" and encouraged him to "just be patient."

---

---

Lucky for Cohen that Trump did not decide to bully him down to 20 cents on the dollar!

---

Good Lord.

Quote:

---

As Judge Juan Merchan gives his daily instructions to the jury, Donald Trump is stacking up his papers and whispering with attorney Todd Blanche.
His hands are folded on the table and he then flips through the papers one more time.
Michael Cohen, for his part, pans the courtroom and then looks down at his hands for a while Merchan is speaking.
Cohen gives a small smile and nods toward the jurors as Merchan dismisses them for the day.

---

I'm wondering if the cross will take longer than the direct whenever it happens?

SwigAg11 said:

---

Im Gipper said:

---

Quote:

---

What crime or fraud?

---

Asked & answered.

---

At this point, I'm guessing the crime that the prosecution will try to get a conviction on is improper campaign finances (not disclosing the payment) based on Cohen stating that the NDA was solely for the campaign.

Is that a crime? I genuinely don't know at this point; I'm just a simple engineer that likes concrete facts and analyses.

---

That's a federal crime that a state attorney general has no jurisdiction over. Period.

If that's the crime, the indictment is completely unconstitutional.

Quote:

---

Cohen said he would be paid by companies he signed consulting agreements with.

He says he never put together a retainer agreement for any future work for Trump. "No ma'am," he says, in response to prosecutor Susan Hoffinger. "Because I knew there was going to be no compensation."

---

Does that sound like Cohen's plan was to sell access to Trump while he was POTUS? Why else would anyone pay Cohen for consulting services? Consulting services on what?

aggiehawg said:

---

I think Cohen has lost track of the timeline here. Earlier today he said he set up Essential Consultants to handle the McDougal matter not Stormy's NDA.

---

Which is why courts don't deal with misdemeanors eight years after they happened.

Maroon Dawn said:

---

Are we going to ever get to anything that is actually a crime?

---

That was never actually in the script.

Keeping Trump off the campaign trail and allowing the witnesses to smear a presidential candidate and giving MSM pundits the chances to make their O faces while speculating about Trump being in prison is all this has ever been about.

A conviction is just icing on the cake.

Reality Check said:

---

aggiehawg said:

---

I think Cohen has lost track of the timeline here. Earlier today he said he set up Essential Consultants to handle the McDougal matter not Stormy's NDA.

---

Which is why courts don't deal with misdemeanors eight years after they happened.

---

I remember being confused when Cohen said that about an LLC being set up for McDougal's deal with AMI, which included a personal services contract for future articles, like a book advance, I guess. What that means is that AMI had other avenues for a return on that investment, as opposed to merely a reimbursement.

The McDougal stuff was in the summer of 2016 and the Stormy stuff was in the fall of 2016. The LLC was formed in October 2016, IIRC.

So Cohen was off track early on.

Maroon Dawn said:

---

I'm still waiting for the prosecution to present the only evidence that matters:

Trump specifically saying "be sure to pay her off with campaign money

---

AND record it as a legal expense to ensure we affect the outcome of the election regardless of whether my family hears about it."

Stat Monitor Repairman said:

---

This case seems all over the place. Have they put together the jury charge yet? Seems like a good 2-3 days right there.

---

Merchan: Go find him guilty.

TexAg1987 said:

---

Foreverconservative said:

---

aggiehawg said:

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen says he believed that Keith Davidson's side had leaked the story about Karen McDougal.
Davidson issued a statement denying the story. "That was the way he was going to appease me. More importantly, to appease Mr. Trump," Cohen says.
Davidson was the former attorney of Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels.

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen had several calls with Dylan Howard of the National Enquirer that evening.
He says he "was expressing to him in a rather angry manner" that Karen McDougal was now part of his team and "you need to get ahold of this" and also issue denials.

---

Quote:

---

The court is taking a short break. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger said her direct examination would go into tomorrow.

---

Tomorrow? Really going to stretch this one out.

---

And the more they talk about it broadens the target for cross

Give them an extra shovel and chant "dig mutherf***er dig"

---

And the longer it goes, the less time they have to cross on Tuesday. That gives them all day Wednesday to slow down and review the details and come back on Thursday and really go after him.

---

They're off Wednesday and no court Thursday/Friday for Barton's graduation.

Reality Check said:

---

TexAg1987 said:

---

Foreverconservative said:

---

aggiehawg said:

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen says he believed that Keith Davidson's side had leaked the story about Karen McDougal.
Davidson issued a statement denying the story. "That was the way he was going to appease me. More importantly, to appease Mr. Trump," Cohen says.
Davidson was the former attorney of Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels.

---

Quote:

---

Michael Cohen had several calls with Dylan Howard of the National Enquirer that evening.
He says he "was expressing to him in a rather angry manner" that Karen McDougal was now part of his team and "you need to get ahold of this" and also issue denials.

---

Quote:

---

The court is taking a short break. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger said her direct examination would go into tomorrow.

---

Tomorrow? Really going to stretch this one out.

---

And the more they talk about it broadens the target for cross

Give them an extra shovel and chant "dig mutherf***er dig"

---

And the longer it goes, the less time they have to cross on Tuesday. That gives them all day Wednesday to slow down and review the details and come back on Thursday and really go after him.

---

They're off Wednesday and no court Thursday/Friday for Barton's graduation.

---

I knew about Wednesday. That gives the Defense time to slow down and strategize.
I had heard about Friday, but didn't know about Thursday.
Even better. They can carry the cross over to Monday.

Also going to give Trump some good campaign days.