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Michael Cohen is being asked to explain why his testimony during Trump's civil fraud trial in New York, in which he said he lied when he pleaded guilty

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"What I was saying is I was going to take responsibility, because the underlying fact I never disputed, but it goes back again to the issue that I was given 48 hours to accept their plea offer or they were going to file an 80-page indictment that included my wife and I was going to protect my wife," Cohen explains

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Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger clarifies that when Cohen said he lied to the federal judge, he was not saying he falsely pleaded guilty to the campaign finance crimes tied to Trump.

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Michael Cohen says about his work now "predominantly, it's media and entertainment."

Cohen is explaining his podcast, "Mea Culpa." He says he frequently discusses Trump on the podcast, which he describes as being about "news of the day."

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In February 2021, Michael Cohen invited Stormy Daniels on his podcast, "Mea Culpa," Cohen testifies.
Cohen says he apologized to her on the podcast. It was the first time they had spoken, he says.

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Michael Cohen wrote two books. His first is "Disloyal which is a memoir," he says.
"I wrote that while I was in prison. While you're in prison, time management is very important it helps the time go by quicker."
His second book "Revenge," he says, is "a forensic dissection of the corrupt prosecution, or the weaponization of the Justice Department against a critic of the president."
Some jurors are taking notes. Trump opened his eyes and glared up at Cohen when he described his book.

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Michael Cohen is confirming that Trump brought a lawsuit against Cohen for half a billion dollars that the former president eventually dropped.

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Michael Cohen is now being asked if he regrets his past association with Trump
"I regret doing things for him that I should not have lying, bullying people in order to effectuate a goal. I don't regret working with the Trump Organization," Cohen says.
"As I expressed before, some very interesting great times. But to keep the loyalty and to do the things that he had asked me to do, I violated my moral compass and I suffered the penalty, as has my family," Cohen adds.

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The court is taking a break for lunch. The jury has left the courtroom.

Michael Cohen nodded at the court security officer as he left the courtroom.

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Donald Trump's attorneys will begin their cross-examination of Michael Cohen after the lunch break.

The prosecution said they had no further questions.

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I think the prosecution had Cohen do the only thing that could possibly resonate with the jury: apologize for everything and attempt to blame Trump for it all.

Cross will be spicy.

SwigAg11 said:

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I think the prosecution had Cohen do the only thing that could possibly resonate with the jury: apologize for everything and attempt to blame Trump for it all.

Cross will be spicy.

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I thin Blanche had a lighter court load so he could prep for Cohen. So now the strategy as the dark dark and one other full day of testimony this week on Thursday.

Curate your cross for the afternoon to hit on some high spots and use Wenesday to prepare more in depth? Or just follow a time line in walking him through his history so when he resumes on Thursday he can start where he left off so the jury is reminded and then in the time period to follow along going forward?

Back to the prosecution opening the door for FEC investigations, I'm going to assume Merchan will rule they did not and the defense won't get to bring it up.

However, question I have, can the defense "trap" Cohen into going into the FEC investigations? Or would he just cut them off? Could he then stop cross examination over that?

Gyles Marrett said:

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jrdaustin said:

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Stat Monitor Repairman said:

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Don't see how this jury ain't under tremendous pressure to convict. Theres money to be made for them on a conviction. Not so much if they the ones that let Trump get away and have to resume life in one of the most blue counties in the US. If they fail to convict, they know the media will give them an enema.

After 4+ weeks they probably tired of all this and ready to go home. The luster has worn off by now.

They may not understand the basis for the conviction but will assume that within all the mush thrown at 'em that Trump's probably guilty even if they cant articulate why they reached their decision.

The fact that there is two lawyers on the jury is also a problem in that the jury will fall in line with whatever they say. These two lawyers ain't gonna want to go back to work in NY being known as the lawyer that let Trump off the hook.

Would think it unlikely we don't see a conviction here on that basis.

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I think that's a reasonable analysis.

I'm reminded of the gag business card that went around years ago for the firm Dewey, Cheatum & Howe. Underneath the title was the phrase: "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull****."

That's apparently the tactics of Bragg, with the full cooperation of Cohen. They're making it so muddy and confusing, most on the jury will have the opportunity to think "that was so complicated, I have no idea what they were trying to communicate there. But, I hate Trump, and he must have been doing something wrong, so I'll vote to convict."

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"We the jury find the defendant Donald J. Trump guilty of....just guilty, he's guilty that's all we know. Thank you your honor, can we go home?"

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aggiehawg said:

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But not this jury. No cohesion among members at all that she could see. No cliques, no groupings, barely even look at one another walking in and out of the courtroom. Does that mean anything momentous? Maybe not but if they are not that comfortable with each other after four weeks, the possibility of a hung jury increases exponentially, in my view.

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Oh, to have just one lunch with that jury!

Perhaps, they have already divided into factions after "telling" discussions about other issues… knowing they are in for a long haul deliberation resulting in being hung? Just a wild, speculative thought.

Having recently served on an impartial, cordial jury (assault/Travis Co), I find it difficult to believe that they don't know a bit about other jurors belief systems after four weeks? Popcorn!

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Michael Cohen testified under direct examination for eight hours over the span of two days.

He will be questioned by the defense under cross-examination after the break.

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He's going to be tired. His level of concentration will be less. Before he had a script that he was following and knew where Hoffinger was headed for the most part. He got his timelines confused at times.

But Blanche will able to lead him, establishing time frames in the intro to the questions. Danger there is the tendency to wind up asking a compound question by accident.

UAS Ag said:

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Gyles Marrett said:

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jrdaustin said:

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Stat Monitor Repairman said:

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Don't see how this jury ain't under tremendous pressure to convict. Theres money to be made for them on a conviction. Not so much if they the ones that let Trump get away and have to resume life in one of the most blue counties in the US. If they fail to convict, they know the media will give them an enema.

After 4+ weeks they probably tired of all this and ready to go home. The luster has worn off by now.

They may not understand the basis for the conviction but will assume that within all the mush thrown at 'em that Trump's probably guilty even if they cant articulate why they reached their decision.

The fact that there is two lawyers on the jury is also a problem in that the jury will fall in line with whatever they say. These two lawyers ain't gonna want to go back to work in NY being known as the lawyer that let Trump off the hook.

Would think it unlikely we don't see a conviction here on that basis.

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I think that's a reasonable analysis.

I'm reminded of the gag business card that went around years ago for the firm Dewey, Cheatum & Howe. Underneath the title was the phrase: "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull****."

That's apparently the tactics of Bragg, with the full cooperation of Cohen. They're making it so muddy and confusing, most on the jury will have the opportunity to think "that was so complicated, I have no idea what they were trying to communicate there. But, I hate Trump, and he must have been doing something wrong, so I'll vote to convict."

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"We the jury find the defendant Donald J. Trump guilty of....just guilty, he's guilty that's all we know. Thank you your honor, can we go home?"

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That movie becomes more relevant and realistic with each passing day LOL

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Perhaps, they have already divided into factions after "telling" discussions about other issues… knowing they are in for a long haul deliberation resulting in being hung? Just a wild, speculative thought.

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Or there is a self appointed "sheriff" in the jury room telling their fellow jurors they absolutely cannot discuss the case nor remark on any witness nor even question if they felt they misheard something. Instructing them as to maintaining a neutral demeanor and lmiting even eye contact with one another?

Were I to hazard a guess, the civil litigator might be giving off those signals and vibes. They have not lost one juror yet. That's a little unusual for a trial this long. A family illness, a childcare issue, work related issue will often arise with a juror being asked to be excused for some reason or another. With six alternates, they have plenty to spare but it is still surprising to me.

He did it to extort his client.

Transcript of the sidebars just became available. Cohen is the State's final witness.

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Donald Trump's legal team is led by Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, two former federal prosecutors from New York, and Susan Necheles, a veteran criminal defense lawyer with deep experience in New York and with appearing before Judge Juan Merchan.
The defense is expected to begin their cross-examination of Michael Cohen, the prosecution's key witness, when the court returns from the lunch break.
During cross-examination, defense attorneys typically aim to discredit the testimony of the prosecution's witnesses. Witnesses' responses are considered evidence, but not the questions posed by an attorney.
Here are the key things to know about Trump's legal team:

• Bove was the co-chief of the national security unit at the US attorney's office for the Southern District of New York. In a statement to CNN in September 2023, Blanche said that Bove is "an expert in white collar and CIPA-related litigation."
• Blanche has worked as a prosecutor and defense attorney at two large law firms, according to his website. He says that during his career as a defense attorney, he got the criminal indictment against Trump's 2016 campaign chairman Paul Manafort dismissed prior to trial and achieved an "unexpectedly positive result in the politically charged prosecution by the SDNY against Igor Fruman, an associate of Rudy Giuliani." Fruman was sentenced to one year and one day in prison for his role in a scheme to funnel Russian money into US elections. He has not cross-examined any witnesses so far because, CNN analysts say, he is entirely focused on Michael Cohen's testimony.
• Necheles represented Trump's business at its tax fraud trial in 2022. The company was convicted.
• Kendra Wharton, a white collar defense lawyer who has experience practicing in Washington, DC, was added to the former president's legal team. She is a "brilliant lawyer" and "clients have trusted her for years," Blanche said in the 2023 statement.

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AggieUSMC said:

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I still can't get past the fact that Cohen surreptitiously recorded a conversation with his own client in clear violation of attorney/client privilege. That just removes all doubt that he's an unscrupulous slime bag.

What attorney does that? Boggles the mind.

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Just imagine all the recordings he has from god knows who. He's a criminal POS and was creating a blackmail recording list to try to save his backside should the time come.

TXAggie2011 said:

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Transcript of the sidebars just became available. Cohen is the State's final witness.

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YHGTFBKM!

Putting all of their eggs into the Cohen basket?

Wow. That's all they have?

aggiehawg said:

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TXAggie2011 said:

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Transcript of the sidebars just became available. Cohen is the State's final witness.

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YHGTFBKM!

Putting all of their eggs into the Cohen basket?

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I love deciphering your acronyms.
This one took me a bit longer, about 30 seconds lol.

100% Pure Aggie said:

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aggiehawg said:

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TXAggie2011 said:

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Transcript of the sidebars just became available. Cohen is the State's final witness.

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YHGTFBKM!

Putting all of their eggs into the Cohen basket?

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I love deciphering your acronyms.
This one took me a bit longer, about 30 seconds lol.

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I thought her cat walked across her keyboard....but I get it now. 30 seconds is impressive. Took me a good minute or so haha.

Casual Cynic said:

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He did it to extort his client.

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Does have that vibe to it after this morning.

But let's go back to 2017-2018 time period. In 2017, he had the monthly payments coming in. What other income did he have that year from other legal clients or "consulting" clients? (Should he have registered as a lobbyist?)

Going all of the way back to when Cohen first went to work for Trump org. Cohen testified he had a base salary of $375,000. When did that end, if it ever did? Did he get raises in his base or just very large year end bonuses in his Christmas card?

And I am still confused about using a HELOC allowed him to hide the transction from his wife? he had been married for years before that. Was their apartment separate property?

And his testimony that Trump wanted him to "push" the Stormy deal until after the election? He claimed Trump said if he won the election, it was irrelevant and if he loses, he didn't care. But doesn't that imply Trump really did not want to pay her at all?

I got that one pretty quick. Also love her sayings such as "You can't put the **** back in the horse!" Above.

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I thought her cat walked across her keyboard....but I get it now. 30 seconds is impressive. Took me a good minute or so haha.

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I was laughing so hard I was crying while typing that, reversed two letters.

100% Pure Aggie said:

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aggiehawg said:

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TXAggie2011 said:

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Transcript of the sidebars just became available. Cohen is the State's final witness.

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YHGTFBKM!

Putting all of their eggs into the Cohen basket?

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I love deciphering your acronyms.
This one took me a bit longer, about 30 seconds lol.

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Took you that long?

aggiehawg said:

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Quote:

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The court is taking a break for lunch. The jury has left the courtroom.

Michael Cohen nodded at the court security officer as he left the courtroom.

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Donald Trump's attorneys will begin their cross-examination of Michael Cohen after the lunch break.

The prosecution said they had no further questions.

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It's almost 2pm!
Lets Go!
We're waiting!

TXAggie2011 said:

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Transcript of the sidebars just became available. Cohen is the State's final nefarious witness.

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FIFY

jrdaustin said:

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100% Pure Aggie said:

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aggiehawg said:

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TXAggie2011 said:

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Transcript of the sidebars just became available. Cohen is the State's final witness.

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YHGTFBKM!

Putting all of their eggs into the Cohen basket?

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I love deciphering your acronyms.
This one took me a bit longer, about 30 seconds lol.

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Took you that long?

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yeh, I knew what the Y, F and M were, solved it quickly after that

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Michael Cohen will be the last witness to testify for the prosecution in former President Donald Trump's historic hush money trial, according to the court transcript.
In a court transcript from Tuesday morning, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told Judge Juan Merchan that his team had plans to call another witness, but they decided against it, making Cohen the last witness to be called by the prosecution in the case.
Defense attorney Todd Blanche also said to the judge he expects their cross-examination of Cohen "will continue until the end of the day Thursday," according to the transcript. Blanche also said it is not clear if Trump would testify, according to the transcript.

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I see little upside to Trump testifying at this point.

aggiehawg said:

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Casual Cynic said:

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He did it to extort his client.

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Does have that vibe to it after this morning.

But let's go back to 2017-2018 time period. In 2017, he had the monthly payments coming in. What other income did he have that year from other legal clients or "consulting" clients? (Should he have registered as a lobbyist?)

Going all of the way back to when Cohen first went to work for Trump org. Cohen testified he had a base salary of $375,000. When did that end, if it ever did? Did he get raises in his base or just very large year end bonuses in his Christmas card?

And I am still confused about using a HELOC allowed him to hide the transction from his wife? he had been married for years before that. Was their apartment separate property?

And his testimony that Trump wanted him to "push" the Stormy deal until after the election? He claimed Trump said if he won the election, it was irrelevant and if he loses, he didn't care. But doesn't that imply Trump really did not want to pay her at all?

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This part still blows my mind. I would get in trouble with my wife if I moved that much cash, so I took on debt instead.

That's like saying, I would get in trouble with my my wife if she knew how much I drink, so I only drink in the closet.

Yes, much better!

Are Trump's attorneys allowed to refer to the money as extortion payments? The prosecution keeps calling them "hush-money." Can the defense just call it "extortion payment?"

I'm not sure that really helps them at all, but it'd be funny.

Cohen gives me to the vibe that's he's done far more dishonest things he's hid from his wife.

Say what you want about his age being a negative, but Trump was able to go on live with Clay Travis and Buck Sexton during the lunch break and do an interview. Felt like more states that are strong Dim areas may actually be in play according to internal numbers

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The prosecutors have entered the courtroom ahead of this afternoon's session.

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Stay tuned, about to get underway.