Michael Cohen returned to the witness stand in Manhattan criminal court Thursday for a tense cross-examination by Donald Trump’s defense attorneys, who have been trying to paint him as a dishonest and unreliable narrator whose claims cannot be believed. The key moment: In one heated exchange, defense lawyer Todd Blanche pushed Cohen about the details of a phone conversation he said he had with Trump on Oct. 24, 2016, about the $130,000 hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels. Cohen had testified he got ahold of Trump through his bodyguard Keith Schiller to “discuss the Stormy Daniels matter and the resolution of it.” Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here to receive it weekdays. Blanche noted the call was at 8:02 p.m. and lasted 90 seconds, and at 8:04 p.m., Cohen texted Schiller the phone number of a 14-year-old he’d complained had been prank-calling him. He shouted that Cohen’s account of talking to Trump that night “was a lie!” The real conversation was about the teenager, Blanche insisted. Cohen said he “believed he was telling the truth, based upon the records and documents” he reviewed. “We are not asking for your belief. This jury does not want to hear what you think happened,” Blanche snapped. The timeline: Prosecutors told Judge Juan Merchan this week that Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer, is their final witness in the often-sensational trial, which began on April 15. Blanche had not finished his cross-examination by the end of the day Thursday, so Cohen will return to the witness stand on Monday. There’s no court Friday so Trump can attend his son’s high school graduation. It’s unclear at this point if Trump will put on a defense case. Blanche told the judge this week that he may offer some testimony from an expert if he determines it’s necessary to do so.
The other possible witness is Trump himself, but Blanche said on Thursday that he did not know if his client would take the stand. If he does not, the judge said both sides should be prepared to deliver their closing arguments on Tuesday. Trump’s team: Trump once again appeared with some high-profile allies in tow. His contingent Thursday included Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Bob Good of Virginia. Read more from Day 18 of the Trump trial → |