Trump defense cross-examines Michael Cohen in hush money trial

Donald Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche began his confrontation with Michael Cohen on Tuesday by throwing the former fixer’s language back in his face.

Blanche confirmed the two had never spoken, but asked Cohen whether he knew who he was already since Cohen “went on TikTok and called me a crying little sh*t” just before the trial began.

“Sounds like something I would say,” responded Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer.

The question set the tone for the cross-examination of the Manhattan district attorney’s key witness in the hush money trial. For roughly two hours, Blanche began a cross-examination to discredit Cohen’s allegations against Trump. Blanche confirmed his questioning will take most of the day when court picks up on Thursday.

Here are the key takeaways:

After watching his former fixer Michael Cohen testify against him on Tuesday, former President Donald Trump is expected to attend a fundraiser in New York City co-hosted by Charles Kushner, his son-in-law’s father, whom he pardoned in 2020.

Trying to intimidate his sister from testifying before a grand jury, the elder Kushner set up a sort of rogue sting operation in which he meant to videotape his sister’s brother with a prostitute and then send the tape to his sister.

At least those are the broad outlines of the tale as told by former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who was then the US attorney for the state who prosecuted the case.

Cohen is rare in the universe of Trump associates since he both turned on Trump and went to prison. Many other Trump aides and associates who faced jail eventually got pardons or clemency and still support the former president.

Ohio Sen. JD Vance said he attended Donald Trump’s hush money trial on Tuesday to support the former president.

“I was there to support a friend,” Vance told Fox News.
“This is a very depressing way to spend five, six weeks of your life when you know that you’re innocent, as Donald Trump knows that he is,” Vance said. “Recognizing that sometimes it’s a little bit lonely to sit up there by yourself, I offered to come in and maybe just be a friendly face in the courtroom.”

Vance reiterated how he has “never spoken” to Trump about being his vice president. He said the running mate speculation did not come up when he appeared in court with Sen. Tommy Tuberville. Other potential vice president contenders, such as North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, were also in attendance.

“I see these same media reports that everyone else does,” Vance said. “I certainly want to be helpful to the president, however, whatever form that takes, but I have never spoken to Donald Trump about becoming his vice president.” 

Using the same language as Burgum, Vance described Trump’s ex-attorney Michael Cohen as a “serial perjurer.” He also argued that the gag order was an insult to Trump and the American people.

Donald Trump speaks to the media at the end of the day's proceedings for his trial at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, on May 14.

The hush money criminal trial against former President Donald Trump is one of four criminal cases he faces while juggling his presidential campaign.

The former president faces at least 88 charges over the four criminal indictments in Georgia, New York, Washington, DC, and Florida. Trump has pleaded not guilty to every charge in these cases. 

Here’s a recap of each case: 

Read more about the four criminal cases Trump faces. 

Donald Trump’s lawyers began their cross-examination of Michael Cohen, a key witness in the hush money trial against the former president.

Before the defense began trying to poke holes in Cohen’s credibility, the prosecution finished its direct examination during which he described the moment he decided to stop lying for Trump.

Here’s everything you need to know about what happened today:

Prosecutors finish direct questioning:

Defense starts cross-examination:

What’s next: Cohen will be the last witness to testify for the prosecution, according to the court transcript. Blanche said he expects the 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.

Gag order: Trump’s latest attempt to end the gag order against him in the hush money criminal trial was denied by a New York appeals court. Trump said that the gag order implemented by Judge Juan Merchan is unfair to him and should be lifted. The appeals court sided with Merchan, according to the order.

After Donald Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche jumped right into his cross-examination of Michael Cohen with a question about an expletive-laden description Cohen had given of Blanche on social media, Judge Juan Merchan called the attorneys to the bench for a sidebar.

“Why are you making this about yourself?” Merchan asked Blanche, according to the transcript of the first part of the afternoon session just circulated by the court.
“I’m not making it about myself, your honor,” Blanche replied. “I have a right to show this witness’s bias, and he has expressed bias about the lawyers just because of who he represents,” he said. 

The parties continued a back and forth for a brief period, the transcript shows, with Merchan ultimately saying, “Just don’t make it about yourself. I am going to sustain the objection and instruct the jury. Please, don’t make it about yourself.”

As CNN’s court team previously reported, he then sustained the objection in the courtroom. 

No cameras are allowed inside the Manhattan courtroom where Donald Trump’s hush money trial is underway, but sketch artists are capturing the scenes as Michael Cohen testifies while his former boss listens nearby.

This sketch from court shows former President Donald Trump, left, and Michael Cohen, right, in court on Tuesday, May 14, in New York.

Judge Juan Merchan.

Former President Donald Trump and Michael Cohen.

Michael Cohen is questioned by prosecutor Susan Hoffinger.

Former President Donald Trump said today was “a very good day” before he repeated his laments about the hush money trial that’s in its fifth week.

Here’s what he claimed while speaking to journalists in the Manhattan court hallway after the trial wrapped for the day:

Todd Blanche says he still believes he will finish cross-examination by the end of the day on Thursday.

“If I finish, it’s the end of the day I anticipate, your honor,” the attorney for Donald Trump says.

Judge Juan Merchan responds, “No rush, take your time, do what you need to do.”

Blanche also references their expert witness and asked the judge if they could discuss what is admissible in light of the judge’s pretrial rulings.

Merchan says he will take it up at 4 p.m. ET on Thursday.

Judge Juan Merchan asks the lawyers to approach after Michael Cohen leaves the courtroom.

Cohen turned his head toward the prosecution’s table as he walked past the defense table. Donald Trump was staring straight ahead.

Judge Juan Merchan says court is breaking for the day. The jury is now leaving

Trump whispered in his lawyer Todd Blanche’s ear as he sat back down at the defense table.

Michael Cohen is “perfect for Todd Blanche,” former Trump payroll corporation attorney William J. Brennan said as the defense cross-examines Trump’s former attorney.

“This witness is perfect for Todd Blanche. All the people second guessing each and every question, sit down, get your popcorn and let Mr. Blanche do his job,” Brennan said.

“The judge will charge this jury that if a witness has a bias or skin in the game, you take that testimony with caution,” Brennan added. “A witness is supposed to say, ‘they robbed the bank, they drove the car, it was blue and it was raining out.’ Not ‘I want him in jail.’”

Attorney Todd Blanche notes that in one of Michael Cohen’s books he refers to himself as a “fixer.”

In the book, Blanche says that Cohen writes: “You don’t understand why nobody will hold Donald Trump responsible?”

“Sounds correct yes,” Cohen says.

Blanche continues and asks, “Are you fixing things that you broke?”

“No sir,” Cohen says.

Michael Cohen says he has made roughly $3.4 million in sales of his two books over the past four years.

The second book, “Revenge: How Donald Trump Weaponized the US Department of Justice Against His Critics” earned about $400,000, Cohen says.

His first book was “Disloyal: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump.”

In November 2021, Michael Cohen moved from home confinement to supervised release.

He explained in court that it was less stringent, checking in once a month and providing notice when leaving the state or the country.

Michael Cohen says he has never met Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg in person.

The defense questioned Michael Cohen about everything from the Steele dossier and interviews with special counsel Robert Mueller’s team to if he’s motivated by fame and publicity.

Here are the highlights of Cohen’s latest testimony:

The Steele dossier: Trump attorney Todd Blanche walked Cohen through the Mueller interview, in which he denied going to Prague, one of the false allegations in the Steele dossier, and said he never paid Russians to hack anything. The dossier said Cohen had traveled to Prague during the summer of 2016 and struck a corrupt bargain with Russians, agreeing to coordinate with their efforts to help Trump win the election.

His views on Trump soured: After his congressional testimony and the two guilty pleas, Cohen said his views on Trump shifted. Cohen confirmed he said Trump was a “con man” and that he was “ashamed.” And later in 2020, while serving his prison sentence in his condo, Cohen called for Trump to wind up in prison during his podcast.

For context: Cohen told Congress in February 2019 that Trump had potentially committed a variety of financial crimes from bank to tax fraud to secure loans and even to move up in Forbes magazine’s rankings of the very rich.

Reducing his sentence: Cohen said his attorney asked the district attorney’s office to help support a motion to reduce his prison term. The office agreed on the basis of Cohen’s cooperation.

His motivation: Cohen said it’s not fair to say he’s motivated by fame or publicity, when asked by the defense. “I don’t know if that’s fair to say. I’m motivated by many things,” Cohen said.

The post was updated with more details on the Steele dossier.

Michael Cohen is explaining the terms of his home confinement, where he could spent three hours a day outside anywhere in the borough of Manhattan.

Cohen said he could go anywhere in Manhattan. Initially he wore an ankle bracelet but that turned into him carrying a cell phone.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons would track him via the phone and randomly call to check in on his whereabouts.

Cohen is still on supervised released, he said. Cohen has tried and failed many time to get that terminated early.

“I was looking for a reduction in the home confinement portion,” Cohen says, adding that in addition to his cooperation, he also wanted his work at Otisville to be credited.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche asks Michael Cohen if, during the time period between his meetings with the Manhattan district attorney’s office in 2019 and 2021, he wanted the office to publicly acknowledge he was cooperating.

“I would say so, yes,” Cohen confirms.

Todd Blanche confirms with Michael Cohen he did not meet with the Manhattan district attorney’s office between August 30, 2019, and January 11, 2020.

Blanche asks Cohen whether he thanked the district attorney team for continuing its investigation in January 2021.

“Sounds correct,” Cohen says.

Blanche asks Cohen about meeting with Mark Pomerantz, the special assistant district attorney, brought in under Cy Vance.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger objects to the question.

For context: At the time the DA’s investigation was focused on the accuracy of Trump’s financial statements used to obtain loans and insurance. The investigation was essentially dropped. The New York Attorney General filed civil charges. The case went to trial and the judge ordered Trump to pay nearly half a billion in disgorgement and interest.

Michael Cohen’s manner is still very even. His voice is calm even when he and defense attorney Todd Blanche went back and forth.

Blanche asked Cohen if he loved being on TV, and Cohen asked whether he meant on behalf of President Trump or now.

“Is it fair to say you are motivated by fame?” Trump attorney Todd Blanche is asking Michael Cohen.

“No, sir. I don’t think that’s fair to say,” Cohen says.

“Is it fair to say you’re motivated by publicity?” Blanche follows up.

“I don’t know if that’s fair to say. I’m motivated by many things,” Cohen answers

Blanche quoted an excerpt of Cohen’s book “Disloyal.”

“I wanted it all: power, the good life, public acclaim, fame, big deals, fast cars, private planes, the excess and glamor and zest for life.”

“Those are my words, yes,” Cohen confirmed.

The court is hearing more about Michael Cohen’s podcasts.

Todd Blanche asks him about his show on October 23, 2020, and if he said, “I truly f**king hope Donald Trump ends up in prison.”

“Sounds more like my language on Mea Culpa,” Cohen says, referring to the name of his podcast.

Blanche asks if Cohen was still serving his prison sentence while at his apartment in 2020.

“Condo,” Cohen says, correcting him.

Judge Juan Merchan, Blanche and Cohen are all wearing headphones while Trump now holds a headphone to his right ear and the other below his chin as they listen to the audio.

These are old, above-the-ear style black headphones, the kind you would see on a Walkman from the 1990s.

“I heard that, yes,” Cohen says after the audio finished.

Blanche also asked Cohen if he said on that episode that Trump “needs to wear handcuffs and to do the perp walk. People will not be satisfied until he’s sitting inside a cell.”

“I don’t recall saying that but I don’t put it past me,” Cohen said.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche is going through some of the insults Michael Cohen has said against Trump. Blanche asks if Cohen, speaking on his podcast, called Trump a “boorish cartoon misogynist.”

“Sounds like something I would say,” Cohen says.

Blanche then asks if Cohen has called Trump a “Cheeto-dusted cartoon villain.”

“That also sounds like something that I said,” Cohen says.

While on home confinement, Michael Cohen agreed that he started his “redemption tour.”

Cohen shrugged and said “fair,” when asked about it.

In September 2020, his first book “Disloyal” was published, Cohen confirmed.

His podcast “Mea Culpa” also began in September 2020.

“Sounds correct,” Cohen says.

Michael Cohen confirms he at some point learned a Rule 35 motion to ask a federal judge to reduce a prison sentence must be made within one year of the sentence.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche asks Cohen if he remembers his attorney asked if the district attorney’s office would support his Rule 35 motion if he cooperated.

“I believe so, yes,” Cohen says in response.

Blanche asks if the basis for the motion was because of his cooperation.

“As well as the earlier cooperation, yes,” Cohen says,

Todd Blanche resumes his cross-examination, circling back with Michael Cohen to confirm that the first time he met with the Manhattan district attorney’s office was about three months into his sentence at Otisville in late August 2019.

Blanche asks Cohen whether he asked the prosecutors what was the benefit for him to meet with them and that he told them he had been “screwed over by the system.”

“I don’t know if that’s the language that I used, but sounds correct,” Cohen says.

Cohen is shown notes of the district attorney’s office interview with him from that first meeting.

Donald Trump is leaning forward and looking at the screen while the notes are displayed.

Judge Juan Merchan informs the jury that the court will end at 4 p.m. ET on Thursday.

Remember there is no session tomorrow or on Friday.

Judge Juan Merchan is back on the bench. We are set to resume shortly.

Michael Cohen again did not look at Donald Trump on his walk to the witness stand.

Trump, however, appeared to watch Cohen come back in on the screen in front of him.

Vivek Ramaswamy, Gov. Doug Burgam are also here along with Eric and Lara Trump.

The defense started its cross-examination of Michael Cohen and things heated up when it came to Cohen’s TikToks and other things he’s said publicly about the trial.

Here are the highlights:

Does he want to see Trump convicted? Cohen refused to answer “yes” or “no” to defense attorney Todd Blanche’s questions on this topic.

“Sure” was his response.

Obsession or admiration: Cohen said he was not obsessed with Trump, adding, “I admired him tremendously.” The defense read comments Cohen made in 2015 about Trump trying to make the country great again, asking if they were true.

“At that time, I was knee-deep into the cult of Donald Trump, yes,” Cohen said, adding, “I was not lying, it’s how I felt.”

He missed Trump in 2017: In a Vanity Fair profile in September 2017, Cohen said he would take a bullet for the president and that he considered the Trumps his surrogate family.

The court is taking a quick afternoon break.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche asked about Michael Cohen about being able to delay surrendering to prison from March until May 2019.

“I had just had surgery, yes,” Cohen said.

Blanche asked whether it was also because of his testimony.

“No,” Cohen said, adding that he did testify but that wasn’t why he got a 60-day delay.

“You were very much looking for a way to get your sentenced reduced,” Blanche asked.

“Yes sir,” Cohen said.

Cohen said he talked to Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House Director of Communications, about getting his sentence reduced when Scramucci went to visit him in prison.

“Sounds correct,” Cohen says.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche asks Michael Cohen about the two guilty pleas and his congressional testimony. 

Blanche asks: “You had changed your views about President Trump?”

Correct, Cohen says.

“Once you testified in February of 2019 you changed all that and you now said President Trump was a con man and you were ashamed?” Blanche asks.

“I said that, yes,” Cohen said.

For context: Cohen told Congress in February 2019 that Trump had potentially committed a variety of financial crimes from bank to tax fraud to secure loans and even to move up in Forbes magazine’s rankings of the very rich.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who was at the Manhattan court today to support Donald Trump said the trial is “politically motivated,” and attacked the judge during an appearance on CNN.

The Republican claimed that Judge Juan Merchan has donated to Joe Biden and his family members are financially benefitting as Democratic operatives — something Trump had attacked the judge on until his gag order forbade him.

Trump has been attacking Merchan and his family, including his daughter, whose political consulting firm did work for the Biden campaign and now-Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign. Trump has also complained about Merchan for presiding over the case against the Trump Organization, which was convicted on tax fraud charges late last year.

Fact check: Merchan, the judge overseeing the trial, donated $35 in political contributions to Democrats in 2020, including a $15 contribution to the campaign of Trump’s opponent, President Joe Biden. Asked if this could be grounds for a legal challenge or recusal, an expert told CNN, “Absolutely not. This does not come anywhere near the kind of proof required for recusal.”

Burgum,a potential candidate to be Trump’s running mate, denied that Trump asked him to attack the judge’s daughter, as he did in a presser earlier outside the courtroom, something the former president can’t do because of the gag order.

He also minimized the trial as a “paperwork trial” and painted Michael Cohen as a “serial perjurer.”

Defense attorney Todd Blanche is now asking Michael Cohen what he told the special counsel’s team about the “Access Hollywood” tape.

“You told them on August 7, 2018, that you didn’t recall speaking with Trump about the tape, correct?” Blanche asks.

“I don’t recall that,” Cohen replies.

Blanche continues: “But you testified yesterday you had a specific recollection about speaking to Mr. Trump about the ‘Access Hollywood’ tape.”

“Correct,” Cohen says.

“Is not-accurate information a lie?” Trump attorney Todd Blanche asked in a line of questioning about statements to the special counsel Robert Mueller.

“Sure,” Cohen said.

“Is it a lie?” Blanche asked.

“It was inaccurate, yes,” Cohen said.

“Was it a lie?” Blanche asked.

“I don’t know if it would characterize it as a lie. It was inaccurate,” Cohen said.

Blanche asked how Cohen is distinguishing the difference, Cohen said, “It wasn’t truthful. You want to call it a lie. I’ll call it a lie.”

Attorney Todd Blanche is now walking through Michael Cohen through his interview with special counsel Robert Mueller, where Cohen denied going to Prague, one of the false allegations in the so-called Steele dossier. Cohen also told the office he never paid the Russian to hack anything.

“You wanted your voice to be part of their report that was ultimately issued?” Blanche asks.
“I wanted my voice to be reflected that the Steele dossier, towards me as an example, was inaccurate,” Cohen says.
“They asked you about the Trump Moscow project and you lied to them,” Blanche asks.
“Yes, the information that I gave was not accurate,” Cohen says.

In earlier exchange, Blanche asks Cohen if his life has been “turned upside down since the release of the Steele dossier.” Cohen tells him, “Yes.”

Todd Blanche is asking a series of questions about Michael Cohen’s interactions with special counsel Robert Muller’s team in August 2018.

Cohen says when he met them on August 7, 2018, he was there “still to protect Mr Trump.”

He added that his answers were “deceptive.”

Blanche asks if Cohen then decided to cooperate with the special counsel’s investigation.

“I was asked to cooperate, yes,” Cohen says.

Trump leaned in to look at the screen as Blanche showed Cohen a document to confirm who was at the August 7, 2018, meeting, including an FBI agent and others.

“I did say that I missed President Trump,” Michael Cohen confirmed when asked about his comments in 2017.

Cohen said he was advised he could not speak to Trump but that he could do so with the family.

Cohen confirmed telling a reporter in the time after the Russia probe began in 2017 “not that I couldn’t see the kids. I just didn’t.”

Trump attorney Todd Blanche asks Michael Cohen if he described Trump’s family as his surrogate family.

“Correct,” Cohen says.

Most of the jurors are responding to the fast-paced cross-examination of Michael Cohen by Trump attorney Todd Blanche.

Several of them are bobbing back and forth and one is looking out into the gallery.

One juror however has his eyes closed.

Michael Cohen’s testimony is moving on to a Vanity Fair profile in September 2017.

Attorney Todd Blanche asks whether Cohen said in the profile, “You were the guy who protects the president and the family?”

“I believe so, yes,” Cohen says.

Blanche follows up and asks if he said he’d take a bullet for the president.

“I did say that, yes,” Cohen responds.

In the article, Cohen said there was “no money in the world” to write about the Trump family.

“I had no intention of writing a book,” Cohen says, adding, “At that time.”

Trump attorney Todd Blanche is going through several more positive statements Michael Cohen made about Trump in 2015.

According to the statements, Cohen called Trump “a good man” and “a man who cares deeply about his family.”

“I said that,” Cohen confirms.

Blanche lists a few more adjectives Cohen used to describe Trump previously: “kind, humble and honest.”

“Yes, sir,” Cohen confirms. “Again, that’s how I felt, so yes it would be the truth.”

Defense attorney Todd Blanche reads aloud remarks that Michael Cohen has made about Trump, including that all the former president wanted to do was “make the country great again.”

“At the time, you weren’t lying, right?” Blanche asks.

“At that time, I was knee-deep into the cult of Donald Trump, yes,” Cohen answers, adding, “I was not lying, it’s how I felt.”

“You were telling the truth, correct?” Blanche asks.

“That’s how I felt,” Cohen says. “I was expressing my feelings, so yes it would be the truth.”

The defense started its cross-examination of Michael Cohen and things heated up when it came to Cohen’s TikToks and other things he’s posted on social media during the trial.

Here are the highlights:

Things got fiery: Sparks flew as the defense started its cross-examination of Cohen.

“You went on TikTok and called me a crying little sh*t​” just before the trial began, Trump attorney Todd Blanche asked.
Cohen nodded and said, “Sounds like something I would say.”
(The questions would be stricken from the record by the judge)

Speaking out on the trial: The defense tried to establish a pattern of Cohen speaking out on social media and to the press, despite the district attorney’s office asking him to stop talking about it while the trial is going on. Here are the comments Cohen corroborated:

Why he uses TikTok: Cohen established that he is using TikTok to build an audience and blow off some steam. He also acknowledged that he makes some money from the social platform, but it isn’t much.

How much he talks about Trump: Cohen admitted he talks about Trump six days a week on his TikTok account. And on his two podcasts, he said, he records two episodes per week — Trump comes up in every episode.

Michael Cohen is asked how he felt about Donald Trump, and if he was obsessed with him.

“I wouldn’t say obsessed. I admired him tremendously.”
He then went on, “I can’t recall using that word. I wouldn’t say it would be wrong.”

Trump attorney Todd Blanche asked if it was fair to say Michael Cohen admired Trump.

“Yes sir,” Cohen said.
“You admire his financial success? His high profile, his tenacity?” Blanche asks.
“Very much so, yes,” Cohen said.

Cohen said he read Trump’s book “Art of the Deal” twice.

“I viewed it as a excellent book, yes,” Cohen said.

Michael Cohen says he made $375,000 a year plus an annual bonus of $150,000, except for 2016.

Trump lawyer Todd Blanche is now asking Michael Cohen if he also represented more members of the Trump family.

“Your job wasn’t just representing President Trump. You also represented his family at times?” Blanche asks.

“I have, yes,” Cohen says.

“Which members of the family?” Blanche asks

“Melania, Don, Jr. I don’t believe I ever represented Eric, and I can’t recall if I ever represented Ivanka,” Cohen replies.

Todd Blanche recalls that Michael Cohen got involved with the board of the building that was trying to remove the Trump name.

Cohen confirms that Donald Trump was happy with his work on that matter.

Blanche then walks Cohen through how Trump eventually offered him a job after Cohen interceded in a few matters like the intervention with the building board.

As Michael Cohen was answering questions, Trump’s chin was resting on his chest with his eyes closed.

Defense attorney Susan Necheles scooted over a chair to say something to him after staring at him for several seconds.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche is now walking Michael Cohen through when he first met Trump, and how his apartment was in a Trump building.

“You still live in a building with Trump’s name on it, correct?” Blanche asked.

“I do,” Cohen said.

Cohen confirmed that he and his family owned several properties in Trump buildings.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche is now asking Michael Cohen when he changed his views about Trump.

“I guess it would be August 2018,” Cohen says.

Blanche asks the question again, rephrasing it slightly. Cohen responds it was around the time he did an interview with George Stephanopoulos.

Todd Blanche asks Michael Cohen to confirm he wore the t-shirt showing Donald Trump behind bars on his TikTok last week.

“I did,” Cohen responds.

And you were encouraging people to buy it, Blanche asks.

“Yes, it’s part of the merch store,” Cohen says.

The jury is being shown a photo of the T-shirt that Michael Cohen sells on his “Mea Culpa” website depicting a handcuffed Trump in an orange jumpsuit.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche also shows an enlarged photo of a coffee mug that is sold on the site, which reads: “Send him to the big house, not the White House.”

Asked if he wanted Trump to be convicted in this case, Michael Cohen responded “sure.”

Defense attorney Todd Blanche posed a series of questions to Cohen regarding his podcast and personal feelings about the case.

Here’s how that exchange went:

“Have you regularly commented on your podcasts that you want President Trump to be convicted in this case?” Blanche asks.
“Yes, probably,” Cohen says.
“Do you have any doubt?” Blanche responds.
“No,” Cohen says.
Asked why he answered it that way, Cohen says, “Because I don’t specifically know if I used those words but yes I would like to see that.”
“Do you want to see President Trump convicted in this case?” Blanche asks.
“Sure,” Cohen says.
Blanche follows up and asks him to answer the question “yes” or “no.”
Cohen responds, “Sure.”

Todd Blanche asks Michael Cohen if he makes the nightly TikToks to earn money.

Cohen answers, “Money is made from it, yes.”

Blanche responds:

“That’s not my question. One of the reasons you do it is to make money, yes or no?

“Yes,” Cohen says.

Trump is not reacting to any of the back-and-forth between Michael Cohen and defense attorney Todd Blanche, as he sits back in his chair with his eyes closed.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche is asking Michael Cohen more questions about his TikTok account.

“Out of seven nights a week, how many nights do you think you talk about President Trump?” he asks.

“I only do it six days a week. I would say six days a week,” Cohen says.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche went on to ask Michael Cohen about how active he is on social media platforms.

“You also are active on Twitter, on X?” Blanche asked.

“That’s correct,” Cohen said. Blanche then asked if he’s also active on TikTok.

“Correct,” Cohen said.

Cohen said he goes on TikTok an hour a night. Blanche asked what the goal is.

Cohen said, “Build an audience, to create a community, to really vent because I have a difficult time sleeping so I found an outlet.”

Blanche asked if he also made money on that platform. “It does make money, but it’s not significant,” Cohen said. 

Michael Cohen says he does each of his two podcasts twice per week, making it four per week.

Cohen says he records the podcasts all year long.

He confirms Donald Trump comes up in every podcast episode.

“I would say he’s mentioned in every one, yes.”

Michael Cohen is being questioned about being asked by the district attorney’s office to refrain from speaking about the case.

“After the indictment, you have been warned repeatedly by the district attorney’s office to not talk about this case?” Blanche asks.

“Yes,” Cohen says.

Blanche asks what have they said.

Blanche asks Cohen when he met with the DA’s office on several occasions. Cohen says they’d tell him directly, “Probably better off if you don’t speak about it.”

Cohen puts the number of times they told him not to talk to the press about the case at fewer than five times.

“And you have not followed their request or whatever word you want me to use?” Blanche asks.

Cohen says, “That’s correct. I’m responding…” and Blanche cuts him off.

Trump defense lawyer Todd Blanche started attacking Michael Cohen right away in the first few questions of his cross-examination of the key witness.

Blanche asked Cohen if he made a TikTok calling Blanche a “crying little sh*t” just before the trial began. Judge Juan Merchan struck that question, along with others, including one asking Cohen if he made comments about himself and Trump attorney Susan Necheles.

“We went right to this issue of you have this sort of all-consuming personal hatred and a vested interest in this case,” CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig said.

CNN senior political analyst Gloria Borger added that the defense Is trying to say that “this is the real Michael Cohen.”

“The Michael Cohen who has been on the stand before, full of remorse, a good guy, that’s not Michael Cohen,” she said.

Pointing to the social media posts helps the defense argue to the jury that Cohen is out to get Trump and “that’s the guy you should understand did all these things and lied all these times and don’t feel sorry for him.”

Trump attorney Todd Blanche is asking Michael Cohen: “Are you the one that leaked to CNN that you had given your phones to the DA earlier in January of 2023?”

“I don’t recall,” Cohen responds.

Todd Blanche is now asking about conversations Michael Cohen testified Monday he had with President Donald Trump in 2016.

“You testified yesterday about very specific recollections that you have about telephone conversations you had with President Trump in 2016 – but you have no recollection that last month just over a year ago that you promised the district attorney that you would stop going on TV,” Blanche asks.

“What I was saying to you, sir, I don’t recall even having these conversations with Lanny Davis about not going on television,” Cohen says.

“I recall the conversations with President Trump at the time, yes,” Cohen says.

When asking Michael Cohen on whether he continued to talk to the media despite the district attorney’s office being frustrated with him for doing so, Trump attorney Todd Blanche pressed the witness on how he was answering the questions.

Blanche asked, “I don’t want it to sound correct, is it correct?”
“Yes, it would be correct,” Cohen said.

Blanche asked if Cohen told Don Lemon that the district attorney’s office asked him for his phones.

“Sounds correct,” Cohen said.

“Do you remember (the) DA office being frustrated and upset that you had done that,” Blanche asks.

“No sir,” Cohen said

“Do you remember in February 2021, you were going on TV talking about the investigation?” Blanche asks.

“I go on TV often, so I’m not sure what the topic was,” Cohen says.

Trump is leaning back with his eyes closed and his mouth hanging open briefly before he readjusts in his chair.

Blanche follows up, and Cohen says it would “not surprise me” that he was discussing the investigation.

The Trump attorney asks if the district attorney’s office was frustrated because Cohen was talking to the press in February 2021.

“Yes sir,” Cohen says.

It took Blanche several times to get this question past objections.

Blanche asks if he continued to talk to the press.

“Yes indeed, I talked to the press,” Cohen says.

Including about this case, Blanche asks?

“It sounds correct,” Cohen says.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche is now asking Michael Cohen about being represented by Lanny Davis.

Blanche said there was a leak to the Associated Press and both he and Davis denied being the source of the leak to the district attorney’s office.

“Do you remember at that time the DA office was frustrated that when they would say something to you or your lawyer about the investigation you would talk about it on TV?” Blanche asked

“I do not recall that no,” Cohen said

“Is it fair to say prosecutors have repeatedly asked you to stop publicly commenting on this case?” Trump attorney Todd Blanche asks Michael Cohen.

Cohen first says, “they might have.” But Blanche asks the questioning again, pushing Cohen to give a definitive response.

“Yes,” Cohen responds.

Michael Cohen is so far remaining composed and answering the questions calmly.

Trump is back to leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed.

Todd Blanche asks Michael Cohen about comments he made on social media.

“You also talked on social media, during this trial, about President Trump, have you not?” Blanche asks.

“Sounds correct, yes.”

Blanche asks Cohen whether he called Trump a “dictator douchebag” on TikTok. Cohen responds, “Sounds like something I would say.”

Blanche continues:

“On that same TikTok on April 23 you referred to President Trump when he left the courtroom – you said that he goes right into that little cage which is where he belongs in a f**king cage like an animal?” Blanche asks.

“I recall saying that,” Cohen says.

Michael Cohen is being asked about the importance of the trial.

“Is this trial important to you, Mr. Cohen?” defense attorney Todd Blanche asks.

“Personally, yes,” Cohen says.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche is asking Michael Cohen about comments he made on social media when David Pecker was testifying earlier in the trial.

“Do you recall saying on TikTok on April 23 — and that’s when Mr. Pecker was still on the stand — that from everything you heard from people today, David Pecker is corroborating what you have been saying for six years?” Blanche asks

“I do, yes,” Cohen says.

“Yes, somebody called me and told me Mr. Pecker had corroborated what I had been saying for a long time,” Cohen adds.

Trump is now looking toward Michael Cohen as defense attorney Todd Blanche is questioning him.

Todd Blanche asked Michael Cohen if he’s been following the trial.

“To some extent, yes,” Cohen says.

Donald Trump smiles and nods as he says this. 

“I have watched CNN and MSNBC, but not religiously, in order to follow the full extent of the trial,” Cohen says.

“You went on TikTok and called me a crying little sh*t​” just before the trial began, Trump attorney Todd Blanche asked.

Michael Cohen nodded and said, “Sounds like something I would say.”

Judge Juan Merchan sustained multiple objections following questions from the defense, including one asking Cohen if he made comments about himself and Trump attorney Susan Necheles.

“The questions are stricken,” the judge said.

The jury entered and Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche is on the podium to begin his cross-examination of Michael Cohen.

“Mr. Cohen, my name is Todd Blanche. You and I have never spoken or met before have we?” he asks.

Michael Cohen just walked back into the courtroom. He didn’t look at Trump’s table or the row of Trump supporters as he walked in.

Trump, meanwhile, was flipping through the stack of papers he had before Cohen was brought in. He was chatting with his attorney Emil Bove as Cohen walked by.

Judge Juan Merchan is back on the bench and the court is in session.

“Let’s get Mr. Cohen,” he said.

Donald Trump has entered the courtroom and Eric and Lara Trump are also back.

Vivek Ramaswamy is also here again.

Trump was flipping through the stack of papers he had before Michael Cohen was brought in. He was chatting with his attorney Emil Bove as Cohen walked by.

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

Donald Trump has been accused of taking part in an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election and an unlawful plan to suppress negative information, which included a hush money payment made to an adult film star to hide an affair.

Prosecutors allege that Trump allegedly disguised the transaction as a legal payment and falsified business records numerous times to “promote his candidacy.” Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records. He has pleaded not guilty and denied the affair.

Adult-film star Stephanie Clifford, better known as Stormy Daniels, allegedly received a $130,000 payment just days before the 2016 presidential election. The $130,000 payment to Daniels was made by Michael Cohen, then Trump’s personal attorney, who landed in federal prison over that transaction for breaking campaign finance laws.

Cohen, now a critical witness, has said that Trump directed him to make the payment to Daniels. Trump and his legal team attempted to bar Cohen from testifying, arguing that he’s committed perjury more than once in other cases, but the request was denied.

Read below about the key players in the case:

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.

Michael Cohen said his wife, son and daughter questioned his loyalty to Trump and had a serious conversation that made him reassess his loyalty. 

Here are the highlights of his latest testimony: 

His family gave him a reality check: Cohen testified that his wife and kids started asking him why he was so loyal to Trump and why he was holding onto that. Cohen said he pleaded guilty after talking to his family and deciding he “would not lie for President Trump anymore.”  

“Worst day of my life”: Asked what the day was like, Cohen said, “Worst day of my life.” 

Remember: Cohen pleaded guilty to eight criminal counts over the years, which included tax evasion and campaign finance violations. In a plea deal, he said that “in coordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office” he kept information that would have been harmful to the candidate and the campaign from becoming public.  

Cohen regrets actions taken for Trump: Cohen testified that he regrets the things he was doing for Trump, including “lying, bullying people.” The former fixer said he apologized to Stormy Daniels when she was on his podcast in 2021 and recounted apologizing to Congress and the American public “for lying to them.”

Former President Donald Trump continues to juggle his presidential campaign and the multiple legal battles he faces.

Trump, who is the 2024 GOP presumptive nominee, is expected to raise $25 million this week for his reelection bid, according to a Trump campaign official. 

Trump is holding a fundraiser in Manhattan Tuesday evening after attending court proceedings for his criminal hush money trial. He will also fly to Cincinnati, Ohio, and Lexington, Kentucky, on Wednesday for two fundraisers.

The $25 million number includes the hauls from these three fundraisers as well as small dollar donations this week, the official said.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche speaks during court on Tuesday, May 7.

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:

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.

Michael Cohen is owning up to the fact that he lied in the past about his involvement in campaign finance violations to remain to loyal to Donald Trump in order to get ahead of the defense’s cross examination, CNN legal experts said.

During his testimony Cohen said that apologized for this behavior to his family and the American public, CNN anchor Laura Coates noted.

“He said he apologized to the American public, ‘for lying to them,’ … ‘for acting in a way that suppressed information that the citizenry had a right to know in order to make a determination on the individual who is seeking the highest office in the land.’ That’s the way of getting to the motive as to why they tried to hide the payment,” Coates explained

“He has a lot to explain,” CNN chief legal correspondent Paula Reid added, “because of course they had to get out in front of the criminal pleas for lying, but we’ve learned a lot about other lies too.”

Reid highlighted the fact that Cohen told lies about Stormy Daniels, about the Federal Election Commission, omitted what he shared with his wife and lied to special counsel Robert Mueller.

“I think what the jury has to reconcile is that if you’ll lie to Congress, if you’ll lie to the American people previously, if you’ll lie to the IRS, ‘why should I believe right now that you’re not now lying to me?’”

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

The prosecution said they had no further questions.

Remember: Prosecutors have been presenting trial evidence through witness testimony and exhibits. Defense attorneys can cross-examine the prosecution’s witnesses and typically aim to discredit their testimony.

Witnesses’ responses are considered evidence, but not the questions posed by an attorney.

Read more about the stages of the Trump trial.

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.

Michael Cohen is now being asked if he regrets his past association with Donald 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.

Trump looked over briefly at Cohen while he spoke.

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

Prosecutors showed the jury Donald Trump’s “Horseface” post on Truth Social from March 15, 2023, where Trump attacked Michael Cohen.

In the post, Trump references a convicted liar and felon. Cohen says this was the time of his testimony before the grand jury in this case.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asked if there came a time when Cohen became aware of Trump posting negative comments about him on Truth Social.

Cohen said “I was,” in a whisper then cleared his throat and repeated, “I was.”

“Have there been many others that have been directed to you?” Hoffinger asked.

“Yes,” Cohen says.

Michael Cohen wrote two books. His first is “Disloyal which is a memoir,” he says.

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.

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.

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.”

Michael Cohen is testifying that he had to sell his property except for his primary residence and one secondary apartment.

He also says he was forced to sell his taxi medallions because a felon cannot own them in New York or Chicago.

Some background: FBI agents who raided Cohen’s office sought information about taxi owners who had financial dealings with him, according to sources familiar with the search warrant.

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

“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

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.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger is asking Michael Cohen about statements he has made criticizing the tax and false statement charges he pleaded guilty to in 2018.

Cohen said he’s not disputing the fact but he doesn’t think he should have been charged with the crimes.

“I have constantly maintained that I do not dispute the fact. There was an error in the taxable amount and the tax that was due. What I did dispute and I continue to dispute that for a first time offender that has consistently paid taxes on its due date, never have been audited, that this would go immediately to a criminal charge,” Cohen says.

He adds that he was given 48 hours to plead guilty or an indictment that included his wife would be filed.

In relation to the penalties tied to his federal guilty plea, Michael Cohen said he “paid the taxes, paid the fines, paid everything.”

“And served time in prison,” Cohen added.

He also noted he still remains currently on supervised release.

Similar to Michael Cohen, the former White House counsel for Richard Nixon was accused of lying when he decided to testify against his boss.

Cohen, who is on the stand for the second day in Donald Trump’s hush money trial, testified that he pleaded guilty to several different charges after he paid adult film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000. He said he did this because he decided he would no longer lie for Trump.

John Dean, the former Nixon White House counsel, said he worked from the inside to try to convince his superiors in the White House to “stop covering up crimes” he knew the administration was in trouble for. After he became a key witness, allies of Nixon tried to paint him as a liar and someone who didn’t remember what he was talking about.

Dean said Cohen has been an important witness to fill in gaps and paint a more complete picture for the jury in this hush money case — but the real test will be what happens during cross-examination.

“I had not written any books, I had not made any public statements. I took a very different course than Michael (Cohen),” Dean said. Cohen has written a memoir and another book about the former president as well as appeared on television and podcasts over the years.

“I think he is going to have to deal with all of the filler he’s added since his House testimony and other under oath testimony and that’s why he will be on the stand a long time unwinding that,” Dean said.

Michael Cohen says he never altered his cell phone audio recording with Donald Trump.

“At any time did you alter or modify the audio recording of your conversation with Mr. Trump as contained in PX246?” Hoffinger asks.

“No ma’am,” Cohen said.

Cohen says he voluntarily provided the two cell phones to the district attorney’s office in 2023. He provided them on two different days because he only knew where one of them was and had to find the other one, he says.

For context: Defense attorney Emil Bove took lengthy steps to cast doubt on the credibility of the data on Cohen’s phones when it was introduced through a district attorney employee. Bove suggested it was possible the phones submitted to the DA’s office could’ve been tampered with.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger is returning to Michael Cohen’s cell phones, asking if he turned them back on when they were returned to him.

Cohen says he may have, saying he wanted to see if they still worked.

Trump passed his attorney Todd Blanche a note, who looked at it and nodded his head repeatedly.

Hoffinger is quizzing Cohen on his cell phones that were seized in 2018. Cohen says he got a new phone after that raid so if he turned them on at any point it was just to see if they were still working.

Cohen says he used one of his older cell phones that had been seized by the FBI in order to record a conversation with the bureau of prisons.

Michael Cohen talked about meeting criminal defense attorney Robert Costello, who was close with Rudy Giuliani, in spring 2018. “There was something really sketchy and wrong about him,” Cohen said.

Here are the highlights of his testimony about Costello:

The backchannel is born: Cohen said Costello offered a “back-channel communication” to the former president to make sure Cohen was still secure. “The back channel was Bob Costello to Rudy, Rudy to President Trump,” Cohen explained. Here’s how it worked:

The “pressure campaign”: Cohen said Costello’s emails were part of a “pressure campaign” to make sure he stayed loyal to Trump, as there was concern he may retain another lawyer on the special counsel Robert Muller probe.

“I didn’t trust him:” Cohen said he never told Costello about Trump’s involvement in the American Media Inc. payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal or Cohen’s payment to Stormy Daniels. “I didn’t trust him,” Cohen said.

“I believed based upon all of our conversations that he would immediately run back to Mr. Giuliani and that communication would be divulged to President Trump.”

Michael Cohen says that seeking a letter about his cooperation did not impact his telling the truth to the district attorney’s office or his testimony to the grand jury.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asked, “Did it impact your telling the truth here in court?”

“No ma’am,” Cohen said.

The district attorney’s office said it would consider providing a letter about his cooperation if the US District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) prosecutors agreed, they didn’t, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger said.

Cohen agreed.

Trump could be seen opening his eyes and raised his eyebrows at his attorney Emil Bove at the line about reducing his sentence in the SDNY case.

As a result, the district attorney’s office did not provide a letter to Cohen, he confirms.

Cohen said earlier that he asked the federal judge for a reduction in his sentence and asked the district attorney’s office to provide a letter about his cooperation.

Michael Cohen is explaining that in addition to speaking with the special counsel’s office, he also met with the New York attorney general’s office and the district attorney’s office.

He confirms he spoke to the district attorney’s office for the first time while he was still incarcerated.

Cohen confirms that he testified before the grand jury in this case and received immunity.

He says he asked the federal judge for a reduction in his sentence and asked the DA’s office to provide a letter about his cooperation.

Cohen also confirmed he understands that every witness who testifies before the grand jury is automatically offered immunity.

Michael Cohen says he went to prison and was released partway through his sentence because of the Covid-19 pandemic

Michael Cohen is testifying that he met with special counsel Robert Mueller’s office several times before reporting to prison.

Cohen first met with the special counsel’s office in 2018 before pleading guilty, and he says he was not truthful “because I was still holding onto the loyalty to President Trump.”

After pleading guilty, Cohen says he gave truthful testimony in subsequent meetings with Mueller’s team.

Michael Cohen is recalling when he spoke about the payments and apologized to Congress.

He is recounting that he testified about the payments to the two women when he spoke before the House and Senate Intelligence Committees and the House Oversight Committee.

“I testified about the reimbursement of the $130,000 with the payments made to me on a monthly basis, ” Cohen says.

Cohen says he apologized to the American public “for lying to them, for acting in a way that suppressed information that the citizenry had a right to know in order to make a determination on the individual who was seeking the highest office in the land.”

What’s been made clear during the trial so far is that Donald Trump surrounded himself with shady people, CNN chief legal correspondent Paula Reid said.

“Obviously they know the big players here, everyone knows who the former president is, likely knows who Michael Cohen is, but if you sit in this trial, and this jury is so incredibly attentive, you’ve been in the court, you know, they are watching every document, every witness,” Reid said, referring to Bob Costello and Rudy Giuliani, among others.

“But at some level they’ve got to say ‘Wow this is a shady group people,’ right?” Reid said. “I mean that is the one thing I think they’ve proven beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Michael Cohen said he had to pay restitution for taxes he evaded per his guilty plea.

He said he paid the amount he owed before his own sentencing. He says he paid $1,394,000 in restitution for those taxes

Cohen also paid two $50,000 fines, he said.

The tax evasion charges were unrelated to the scheme tied to Donald Trump.

Michael Cohen says before he reported to prison on May 6, 2019, he testified before Congress in February 2019.

Cohen says he testified to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees and the House Oversight Committee.

Michael Cohen has confirmed that on November 29, 2018, he also pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements to Congress — on Trump’s behalf — in 2017.

Jurors are watching Cohen as he explains he was sentenced to 36 months in prison and fined.

Michael Cohen is now reading Trump’s tweets from August 22, 2018, the day after he pleaded guilty.

“If anyone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you don’t retain the services of Michael Cohen!” one of the tweets reads.

Cohen says the tweets “caused a lot of angst, anxiety” and notes that the messages were communicating, “certainly displeasure, that I no longer … I guess important to the fold.” 

Trump is leaning forward, reading the tweets on his screen.

More of Donald Trump’s GOP allies spoke outside the courthouse, criticizing the Manhattan district attorney, Judge Juan Merchan and the Democratic party as a whole. 

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum called the proceedings a “scam trial” and “election interference.” It is tying up Trump from being on the campaign trail, he said. 

Florida Rep. Byron Donalds called the trial a “joke,” adding that “there is no crime.”

Entrepreneur and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said the court is “one of the most depressing places I have been in my life,” adding it is “straight out of a Kafka novel.”

“The prosecutors’ main strategy is to bore the jurors into submission,” he added.

Ramaswamy said he has not heard a good answer about Trump’s alleged crime, and now it less clear than ever as Michael Cohen testifies. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson gave similar remarks earlier in the morning.

Once their time at the microphone ended, however, they went back into the courtroom with a bit too much noise. Merchan looked visibly annoyed as Trump’s allies reentered the courtroom in the middle of Cohen’s testimony, CNN’s Kara Scannell reported.

Michael Cohen said he also pleaded guilty to tax charges and making false statements to a financial institution that were unrelated to Donald Trump.

Asked what the day was like, Cohen said, “Worst day of my life.”

Trump’s been leaning back with his eyes closed for the last several minutes including through this whole line of questioning.

Judge Juan Merchan read an instruction to the jury cautioning them that Michael Cohen’s guilty plea was offered to them to assess Cohen’s credibility but not as evidence of Trump’s guilt in this case.  

“Mr. Cohen’s plea is not evidence of the defendant’s guilt, and you may not consider it in determining whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty of the charged crimes,” Merchan told jurors.

Remember: Cohen pleaded guilty to eight criminal counts that included tax evasion and campaign finance violations. In a plea deal, he said that “in coordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office” he kept information that would have been harmful to the candidate and the campaign from becoming public.

Michael Cohen is now being asked about the payments American Media Inc. (AMI) made to Karen McDougal, which was also part of his 2018 guilty plea.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asks Cohen why he worked with AMI to pay off McDougal.

Cohen responds, “in order to ensure that the possibility of Mr. Trump succeeding in the election — that this would not be a hindrance.”

Michael Cohen testified that he worked on the deal “at the direction of Donald J. Trump” and “for the benefit of Donald J. Trump.”

Asked why he paid the money to Stormy Daniels, Michael Cohen says that it was “to ensure that the story would not come out, would not effect Mr. Trump’s chances of becoming president of the United States.”

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asks whether Cohen would have paid the money if not for the election. “No ma’am,” Cohen says.

Hoffinger follows up and asks Cohen to confirm at whose direction and on whose behalf he paid Daniels.

Michael Cohen says he made his move to plead guilty after talking to his family and deciding he would no longer lie for Trump.

“I made a decision based again on the conversation I had with my family that I would not lie for President Trump anymore,” he says.

Trump, who did not react as Cohen was describing how he would no longer remain loyal, is now chatting with his attorney Emil Bove.

At some point, Michael Cohen says he had a conversation with his family about “this unique situation.”

“And my family — my wife, my daughter, my son — all said to me, ‘Why are you holding on to this loyalty? What are you doing? We’re supposed to be your first loyalty.”

Cohen says his family told him “that it was about time” he listen to them.

Michael Cohen says he never told Robert Costello about Trump’s involvement in the American Media Inc. payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal or Cohen’s payment to Stormy Daniels.

“I didn’t trust him, meaning Bob Costello and I was still remaining loyal to Mr. Trump,” Cohen said.

“I believed based upon all of our conversations that he would immediately run back to Mr Giuliani and that communication would be divulged to President Trump,” Cohen added.

Michael Cohen said Robert Costello “had expressed clearly to Mr. Giuliani that he was on the team.”

“The concern here was that I was going to go to another lawyer and retain another lawyer to represent me in this matter,” Cohen testified.

On June 14, Costello sent Cohen an email with a YouTube link called “Giuliani on possibility of Cohen cooperating Muller probe.”

Cohen emailed him back, “Why send this to me?”

Costello responded with a lengthy email. “It seems clear to me that you are under the impression that Trump and Giuliani are trying to discredit you and throw you under the bus to use your phrase. I think you are wrong because you are believing the narrative promoted by the left wing media. They want you to believe what they writing. Many of them are already writing that you are cooperating,” the email began.

Cohen said the email was “part of the pressure campaign that everyone is lying to you, that you are still regarded.”

“The president still supports you,” Cohen added that it meant, “Don’t flip, Don’t speak, Don’t cooperate.”

“If you really believe you are not being supported properly by your former boss, then you should make your position known. If you really want certain things to happen, you should make that known,” Costello wrote in the email.

Michael Cohen says one of Robert Costello’s emails used cryptic messaging referencing Costello’s “friend” and his “friend’s client.”

Cohen testifies that this seemed to encourage Cohen to get a message to Trump through Rudy Giuliani.

By his recollection the email referenced, “the potential of pre-pardons, I believe.”

“Please remember if you want or need to communicate something, please let me know,” Costello’s email reads.

Cohen says that meant to communicate to Giuliani — and ultimately “President Trump.”

On June 13, 2018, Robert Costello emailed Michael Cohen: “Since you jumped off the phone rather abruptly, I did not get a chance to tell you that my friend has communicated to me that he is meeting with his client this evening and he added that if there was anything you wanted to convey you should tell me and my friend will bring it up for discussion this evening.”

The “friend” referred to in the email was Rudy Giuliani, and his client was Trump, Cohen says.”Donald J Trump — President Trump,” Cohen said, correcting himself.

Hoffinger asked Cohen why Costello didn’t just say Giuliani and Trump directly in the email.

“Sort of to be covert, it’s all backchannel.” Cohen added, “I-spy-ish.”

Prosecutors are going through more emails between Michael Cohen and Robert Costello.

On June 7, 2018, Costello emailed Cohen: “To prove to you that Rudy Giuliani called me and I did not call him, I photographed the pages from my iPhone.” He then listed a series of phone calls.

Cohen testifies that in that email, Costello was “expressing to me his obvious relationship with Rudy Giuliani, who was proximate to President Trump.”

On April 21, Robert Costello wrote to Michael Cohen: “I just spoke to Rudy Giuliani and told him I was on your team. Rudy was thrilled and said this could not be a better situation for the President or you. He asked me if it was ok to call the President and Jay Sekelow (sic) and I said fine.”

It continued: “He said I can’t tell you how pleased I am that I can work with someone I know and trust. He asked me to tell you that he knows how tough this is on you and your family and he will make sure to tell the president. He said thank you for opening this back channel of communication and asked me to keep in touch. I told him I would after speaking to you further.”

The jury was also shown a second email from Costello to Cohen where he said: “I spoke with Rudy. Very very Positive. You are ‘loved.’ If you want to call me I will give you the details. I told him everything you asked me to and he said they knew that. There was never a doubt that they are in our corner.”

“Sleep well tonight. You have friends in high places,” Costello said in the email.

“The friend in high places was President Trump,” Cohen testified.

Michael Cohen detailed this morning how he tried to control the Stormy Daniels story in the media and how the 2018 FBI raid went down.

Here are the highlights of his testimony:

Stormy Daniels in the media: The prosecution spent time outlining more about the $130,000 hush money payment to Stormy Daniels and the media coverage that followed. Here are some of the key points from Cohen:

FBI raid: Cohen said he was raided by the FBI in April 2018. His cell phones that were seized included the phone that contained the audio recording of Cohen and Trump on it.

Still in Trump’s fold: Cohen said he believed Trump was communicating with him through tweets in 2018 and sending messages like “Stay in the fold, stay loyal.” Trump was still paying his legal fees in April 2018, which he felt confirmed he was still under Trump’s protection, he said.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger introduces emails between Robert Costello and Michael Cohen into evidence.

“I am sure you saw the news that Rudy is joining the Trump legal team. I told you my relationship with Rudy which could be very very useful for you,” Costello wrote on April 19, 2018.

Cohen said he took this as a message from Costello “again to reinforce the whole concept of the back channel.”

“The back channel was Bob Costello to Rudy, Rudy to President Trump,” Cohen explained.

Michael Cohen says that at the meeting, Robert Costello told him “this would be a great way to have a back-channel communication to the president in order to ensure that you’re still good and you’re still secure.”

Cohen says he wasn’t sure about Costello at the time.

He says, “there was something really sketchy and wrong about him,” noting that was because of Costello’s close relationship with Rudy Giuliani.

Cohen says that he did not disclose everything that happened at that meeting, because he believed anything that he said would be “spoken and told to Rudy Giuliani.”

Michael Cohen said he met with criminal defense attorney Robert Costello in a conference room in the Lowes Regency hotel where he was staying in the spring of 2018.

Cohen said his emotional state at that point was: “Distraught, nervous, concerned.”

Cohen is looking at the jury as he’s explaining his relationship with Costello.

Cohen recalled, “they said there are certain things that you need to know. First, is that you have to obviously try to remember what might be in any of those boxes” referring to what was taken in the FBI raid.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger is back at the podium to resume questioning of key witness Michael Cohen.

“Are you familiar with an attorney by the name of Robert Costello?” Hoffinger asked.

“I was introduced to Robert Costello by another lawyer, Jeffrey Citron,” Cohen said.

“He told me that he was a criminal defense attorney and that he was incredibly close to Rudy Giuliani,” Cohen said.

Cohen let out audible sigh before questioning began again.

Judge Juan Merchan is back on the bench, and court is back in session after the break.

Michael Cohen is back in the witness box, and the jury is being called in.

Criminal defense attorney Ron Kuby made some predictions for Michael Cohen’s cross-examination — and also pointed out a error that the defense tends to make. 

“I think the cross-examination will be extremely lengthy, not because it needs to be but because the client, Donald Trump, wants to see his lawyers go after Michael Cohen for every lie, every bad thing Michael Cohen has ever done. Ultimately, though, I don’t see that as terribly effective,” Kuby said on CNN.

Kuby compared it to organized crime cases, when those under the boss are extremely loyal to the person at the top, and then turn on them when they feel betrayed. It’s a “common narrative,” he said. 

“I think the mistake the defense lawyers tend to make, generally, is you can attack the witness as much as you want, but you also have to attack the underlying story,” he said. “What is Michael Cohen saying that you can prove is not true with respect to the actual charges? And that always becomes the problem.”

It’s not surprising that Donald Trump’s appeal of the gag order was denied, but Judge Juan Merchan has been less strict in enforcing it as of late, CNN chief legal correspondent Paula Reid noted.

Reid discussed the reasoning Trump and his team used in the appeal, including calling the order unconstitutional arguing that since he is a candidate for president “his speech is political speech that should be granted the highest protection and that he should not have restrictions in terms of people he can attack.”

Reid explained though that Trump is still allowed to attack District Attorney Alvin Bragg “we know he can and he does, also same with the judge, Judge Merchan, he rails against the judge almost every single day, but he’s prohibited from attacking any witnesses in this case,” which include Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen, also going after the prosecutors or members of the judge or other people’s families.

Merchan has also allowed some caveats, Reid added, like allowing some attacks on Michael Cohen.

“It is not a surprise that he has not been successful getting this overturned, but I will note that the judge has backed off a little bit in terms of the strict enforcement against people who attack (Trump) like, for example, Michael Cohen.”

Court is taking a morning break. Trump and his entourage are leaving the courtroom for the break.

Michael Cohen, who has been testifying this morning, audibly exhaled as he left the courtroom.

Trump gave a thumbs up outside of the courtroom when asked by reporters about how things were going inside.

Michael Cohen is describing how Trump was paying his legal fees still at this point in April 2018, which he felt confirmed he was still under Trump’s protection.

He was also still a part of the joint defense agreement.

Michael Cohen is now being shown Donald Trump’s tweets from 2018 about him.

Cohen is reading the three tweets, including one from April 21 where he slammed the New York Times and their journalist Maggie Haberman, saying that they were trying to destroy his relationship with Cohen.

Cohen said he believed Trump was communicating to him, “Stay in the fold, stay loyal. I have you. You’re a fine person. Don’t’ flip.”

Michael Cohen says he was reassured after his conversation with Donald Trump following the FBI raid.

“I felt reassured and I remained in the camp,” Cohen said.

“His Justice Department, should go nowhere. And so I felt reassured and I remained in the camp,” Cohen continued.

Cohen said he heard from other people in Trump’s circle that “You’re loved, don’t worry, he’s got your back. Most powerful guy in the country if not the world. You’re going to be okay.”

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asked what he meant by in the camp, Cohen said: “In the fold, in the Trump camp.”

Michael Cohen says he spoke to Trump after the FBI raid. It was the last time they spoke, he testifies.

Cohen says Trump called him back after he left a message to the president.

“I wanted, obviously, him to know what was taking place. And he said to me, ‘Don’t worry. I’m the president of the United States. There’s nothing here. Everything’s going to be OK. Stay tough. You’re going to be OK,’” Cohen says.

Cohen adds: “I was scared … I wanted some reassurance that Mr. Trump had my back, especially as this dealt with issues that related to him.”

Michael Cohen was asked to describe his feeling following the FBI raid.

Here’s what he said:

Asked if he was frightened, he says, “Yes, ma’am.”

Michael Cohen says he was raided by the FBI in April 2018.

Cohen says he was staying at the Loews Regency hotel at the time because his apartment had flooded.

“At 7 a.m. in the morning, there’s a knock on the door. I look through the peep hole. I saw a ton of people out in the hallway. I saw the badge so I opened the door. They identified themselves as the FBI, asked me to step into the hallway,” he says.

Cohen explains that “the search warrant gave them the right to take my two cell phones, any electronic devices as well as records.”

Cohen confirms the cell phones that were seized as the same that have been referenced at this trial, including the phone that contained the audio recording of Cohen and Trump on it.

Trump has looked in the direction of the witness stand twice as Cohen testifies about the FBI raid of his hotel room, apartment and office.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asked whether for much of 2018, while acting as then-President Trump’s personal attorney, Michel Cohen continued to lie about his role in the payoff of Stormy Daniels.

“Yes ma’am,” Cohen said.

Michael Cohen says that Stormy Daniels’ former attorney Michael Avenatti filed a lawsuit against Trump, Cohen and Essential Consultants LLC to lift the non-disclosure agreement.

Cohen says he with Trump eventually agreed not to enforce the non-disclosure agreement against Daniels.

Donald Trump’s latest attempt to end the gag order against him in the hush money criminal trial was denied by a New York appeals court on Tuesday.

“We find that Justice Merchan properly weighed petitioner’s First Amendment Rights against the court’s historical commitment to ensuring the fair administration of justice in criminal cases, and the right of persons related or tangentially related to the criminal proceedings from being free from threats, intimidation, harassment, and harm,” according to the order.

Earlier: Trump said that the gag order implemented by Judge Juan Merchan is unfair to him and should be lifted. “You ask me questions I’m not allowed to respond,” Trump told reporters before the ruling was issued. He later added, “The gag order has to come off.”

Michael Cohen confirmed that in 2018 he learned Stormy Daniels was going to appear on shows like “60 Minutes.” At that time he heard from Eric Trump and he started to move on the temporary restraining order against Daniels to stop her from going public.

Cohen says he and Larry Rosen successfully obtained a temporary restraining order against Stormy Daniels.

He tried to serve the order on Daniels via her then-attorney Keith Davidson because he didn’t have an address for Daniels.

“We weren’t able to do that. Keith Davidson responded to me that he’s no longer representing her,” Cohen said.

Eventually, Cohen says he figured out “Michael Avenatti was going to be representing her going forward.”

Attorneys were at a sidebar as prosecutor Susan Hoffinger began asking Michael Cohen about a Wall Street Journal story from 2018 on American Media Inc., the payments and Cohen’s conversation with ex-National Enquirer publisher David Pecker.

“David was very concerned because it was going to affect AMI, it was going to affect him,” Cohen said. “And so I had told him I would assist with this matter, and I ultimately told him after conversations with the president, do not worry, we have this thing under control, it’s going to be taken care of.”

Merchan instructs the jury that, as he previously told them, the evidence is permitted to let them assess Pecker’s credibility and they can consider it for those reasons.

Cohen says he told Pecker: “I told him that matter was going to be taken care of, and the person of course who was going to be able to do it was Jeff Sessions,” who was attorney general at the time.

Cohen testifies that he told Pecker that because “that was post my conversation with the president.”

Hoffinger confirmed with Cohen that he had already had a conversation with Trump about it at that point.

Michael Cohen outlined who signed his checks for the hush money installments, explained why he continued to lie for Trump and made false statements to Congress in 2017.

Here are the highlights of his testimony:

“False invoice”: Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger went through multiple check stubs and reiterated that Michael Cohen was getting paid for a retainer agreement that did not exist. She repeatedly used language like “false invoice” that “falsely states” to do so. And, Trump signed each check from April 2017 on.

The last invoice: Cohen said he sent the last invoice in December 2017 because he was reimbursed for the full $420,000. 

Not getting paid: After getting the last of the hush money installments, Cohen said he was never paid from Trump personally or the Trump Organization. He added he reviewed an agreement for Melania Trump when Madame Tussauds wanted to make a wax figure of her, but he was not paid, he said.

Cohen said he thinks he spent less than 10 hours on work for Trump in 2017.

He continued to lie for Trump: Cohen said he continued to lie for Trump “out of loyalty and in order to protect him.” He confirmed he continued to pressure people like attorney Keith Davidson to lie about the deals with Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels in 2018, and he said it was done to protect Trump.

He made false statements to Congress: Cohen said he felt “a tremendous amount of pressure” when he was subpoenaed to testify to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees during the Russia investigations in 2017. Cohen’s attorney was being paid by the Trump Organization

While on the stand, Cohen said he made false statements to Congress. When asked why, Cohen said:

“Because I was staying on Mr. Trump’s message that there was no Russia, Russia, Russia, and again in coordination with the joint defense team that’s what was preferred.”

Michael Cohen is now being shown a message then-Trump attorney Jay Sekulow sent him on February 19, 2018, through the Signal app. The message came after Cohen sent him his public statement.

“Client says thanks for what you do,” Sekulow wrote, according to the message.

Cohen testifies that “client” means Trump and that the “thanks” was for denying in the statement.

The jury just saw Michael Cohen’s response to the Federal Election Commission investigation into the payment to Stormy Daniels.

Judge Juan Merchan then read the jury an instruction cautioning jurors that the statement was permitted to assist them in assessing Cohen’s credibility and to provide context. They were instructed not to consider it for the fact that there was an FEC investigation. The judge also told the jury not to give it weight when considering Trump’s guilt.

At the end of the 2018 statement, Cohen wrote, “Just because something isn’t true doesn’t mean that it can’t cause you harm or damage. I will always protect Mr. Trump.”

Cohen explains that the line validated what he had said about providing his own personal funds for the transaction.

Michael Cohen is now being shown a text messages he sent to New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, who is sitting in court today, in February 2018.

“Big boss just approved me responding to complaint and statement. Please start writing and I will call you soon,” Cohen wrote. Cohen confirms that “big boss” was a reference to Trump.

Cohen recalls, “I was going to give it to her first so she had the scoop.”

Trump is sitting with his eyes closed as Cohen recalls texting Haberman.

Michael Cohen said on the stand that the 2018 letter to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) about the Stormy Daniels hush money payment is “a true statement but it’s misleading … because neither the Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign was Mr. Trump himself.”

Cohen testified that he meant it to be misleading, “in order to protect Mr Trump, stay on message, demonstrate my continued loyalty.”

In 2018, Cohen received a complaint letter from the FEC regarding the $130,000 payment to Daniels, he said.

Prosecutors enter into evidence a February 2018 letter to the Federal Election Commission about the payment to Stormy Daniels.

In response to an FEC complaint, Cohen’s lawyer wrote in the letter: “In a private transaction in 2016, before the U.S. presidential election, Mr. Cohen used his own personal funds to facilitate a payment of $130,000 to Ms. Stephanie Clifford. Neither the Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign was a party to the transaction with Ms. Clifford, and neither reimbursed Mr. Cohen for the payment directly or indirectly.”

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger is now showing Michael Cohen the January 30 Stormy Daniels statement, which was issued before she was on Jimmy Kimmel’s show.

“There were still persistent reporters that were looking into this, and I felt an official statement from her, another one, would be helpful to putting an end to it,” Cohen says of why he wanted the second statement.

Cohen says he knew the statement was false, because he was the one who crafted it.

Hoffinger asks whether he knew the statement falsely said that she did not receive hush money.

Cohen says he knew it was false, “Because I’m the one who paid it.”

As Michael Cohen reads text messages between him and Keith Davidson, the attorney who represented Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, Cohen said he wanted Daniels to go on The Sean Hannity show.

“I have her tentatively scheduled for Hannity tonight. Call me after your trial,” the January 17, 2018 text read.

“I wanted to continue to promote the statement that there was no relationship and that Trump had no involvement,” Cohen told prosecutor Susan Hoffinger.  

Cohen continued reading more texts after Davidson said she could not do it that day.

Cohen texted Davidson later that night: “Keith, The wise men all believe the story is dying and don’t think it’s smart for her to do any interviews. Let her do her thing but no interviews at all with anyone.”

The jury saw these text exchanges when they were entered into evidence through Davidson’s testimony.

Michael Cohen says he knew Stormy Daniels’ statement denying the sexual encounter was false.

He says he told Trump he was getting the denial.

Cohen explains his actions, “One to get credit for expressing that I was continuing to ensure that he was protected and stayed loyal. And the other so we could have this matter taken care of.”

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger is returning to the joint defense agreement to ask Michael Cohen whether Trump was also part of it.

Cohen confirms he was. When Hoffinger asks who benefited from the agreement, the defense objects, and the objection is sustained.

Hoffinger re-asks the question to ask who would benefit from the joint defense agreement.

Cohen says, “I believe several people would benefit, but certainly President Trump.”

Hoffinger then asks, “Did you understand that you would benefit?”

“Yes ma’am,” Cohen says.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger is now walking Michael Cohen through text messages he exchanged with Keith Davidson in January 2018 around the Wall Street Journal story about the hush money payment he made to Daniels.

Davidson, who was Daniels’ former attorney, texted Cohen on January 10, 2018, saying, “WSJ called stormy. She didn’t answer. They say they are running story & have a deadline of tonight for her to comment”

“Write a strong denial comment for her like you did before,” Cohen responded via text.

Michael Cohen is testifying that he spoke with Trump about the false statement he was giving to the media.

Cohen says he told Trump “that I had paid the money on his behalf without his knowledge because just because something isn’t true doesn’t mean it can’t hurt you and that I did it.”

Trump responded, “That’s good, good,” according to Cohen.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger is now asking Michael Cohen about the January 2018 Wall Street Journal story about the $130,000 payment.

Cohen said at the time he did not tell the truth about his involvement in the payoff and the fact Trump repaid him.

Michael Cohen confirmed that in 2018 he continued to pressure people like attorney Keith Davidson to lie about the deals with Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels.

Asked why he did so, Cohen said: “In order to protect Mr. Trump.”

Michael Cohen, who is on the stand right now, says he made false statements to Congress.

“They dealt with the Trump Tower Moscow real estate project, specifically the number of times that I claimed to have spoken to Mr. Trump about the project as well as the time period for those conversations,” Cohen says of his false statements.

Asked why he lied, Cohen says, “Because I was staying on Mr. Trump’s message that there was no Russia, Russia, Russia, and again in coordination with the joint defense team that’s what was preferred.” 

Trump did not react to Cohen using his “Russia, Russia, Russia” line.

Michael Cohen says he was subpoenaed to testify to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees during the Russia investigations in 2017.

Cohen says he felt “a tremendous amount of pressure.”

“It’s the first time I had ever been subpoenaed by Congress to come in and testify,” he says.

Cohen’s attorney was being paid by the Trump Organization. Asked if that was important to him at the time, Cohen says, “very much so.”

Cohen says he felt he needed Trump’s legal support at the time, “I felt I needed it, it was extremely important to me.”

Michael Cohen said he continued to lie for Trump. Asked why he continued to lie, Cohen said, “Out of loyalty and in order to protect him.”

Cohen said he held the title of Trump’s personal counsel for “approximately 15 months.”

Trump opened his eyes to look at Cohen on the stand as he said this. He then whispered something to his attorney Emil Bove.

Michael Cohen leaves his apartment building in New York, Tuesday, May 14. 

Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney and a key figure in the prosecution’s case, is answering questions from the prosecution.

Here are the highlights of his testimony:

Oval Office meeting: Cohen said he visited the White House in February 2017 and met with Trump in the Oval Office to discuss how he would be reimbursed for the hush money payment Cohen paid for Stormy Daniels. He took a photo on that day — see it here.

“I was sitting with President Trump and he asked me if I was OK. He asked me if I needed money. And I said, ‘no all good.’ He said because I can get a check. I said, ‘no, I’m OK.’ He said, ‘Alright, just make sure you deal with Allen,’” Cohen testified.

Cohen said he put the White House meeting in his calendar — something he did not normally do. He said it was to “commemorate seeing President Trump in the White House.”

Connection to the controller: The jury saw an email from former Trump Organization controller Jeff McConney from February 6, 2017. “Just a reminder to get me the invoices you spoke to Allen about,” it read. McConney said on the stand he sent this email to Cohen at the direction of his boss Allen Weisselberg, Trump’s then-chief financial officer.

Invoices: Hoffinger confirmed that Cohen did not have a retainer agreement in questioning, setting up the need for him to file invoices. Cohen emailed an invoice to McConney on February 14, 2017, saying the invoices were in line with the directions Weisselberg gave him. “Just a reminder to get me the invoices you spoke to Allen about,” it reads. McConney testified about this earlier at trial. 

More info: Cohen would send a series of false invoices requesting payment for legal services he performed pursuant to a retainer agreement and receive monthly checks for $35,000 for a total of $420,000 to cover the payment to Daniels, his taxes and a bonus, prosecutors alleged.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial is happening now because of the upcoming presidential election. 

This is “not about justice, it’s all about politics,” Johnson said while speaking outside the courtroom as Michael Cohen testifies. Cohen is “clearly on a mission for personal revenge.” 

“The crime they are accusing President Trump of is falsification of business records. But I think everybody knows he is not the bookkeeper for his company,” the speaker added.

Johnson has increasingly aligned himself with Trump — and attacked the former president’s criminal charges — amid the blowback he has received from the far-right of his party.

Michael Cohen confirms he got more clients after being named Trump’s personal counsel. He said he did mostly “consulting” and “advisory” services for them —but no legal work. 

Cohen says he made about $4 million in 2017 and 2018 from consulting work he did for other clients.

In 2018, Michael Cohen said that after Stormy Daniels went public with her story, Donald Trump wanted to take legal action against her for breaching the nondisclosure agreement.

“As a result of the Stormy Daniels matter and her electing to go public Mr. Trump wanted a action to be filed — an arbitration action — to be filed against her for a breach of the nondisclosure agreement and so I was contacted by Eric Trump, as well as I spoke to Mr. Trump, regarding how to go forward with this arbitration proceedings,” Cohen testified.

Cohen was asked whether he did more work for Trump in 2017 or 2018. “It would be more in 2018,” Cohen says. He confirms he was not paid for that work and did not bill for it.

Michael Cohen has confirmed that he occasionally exchanged emails with Alan Garten, general counsel for the Trump Organization, in that time in 2017 and beyond. He didn’t bill Trump for the work reiterating on the stand, “I didn’t expect to be paid and it was very minimal work.”

Cohen said he thinks he spent less than 10 hours on work for Trump in 2017.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asked whether the $420,000 he was paid had anything to do with the minimal work he did for Mr. Trump in 2017? “No, ma’am,” Cohen said. 

Michael Cohen said he was working with Trump attorney Marc Kasowtiz on Summer Zervos “matter” and delivered documents to Trump in the Oval Office.

Zervos, a former “Apprentice” contestant, sued Trump in 2017 after he denied allegations that he had sexually assaulted her. Zervos agreed to drop her claims in 2021.

Reminder: Cohen did not have an official role with the Trump White House.

Michael Cohen says he reviewed an agreement with Madame Tussauds for Melania Trump when the museum wanted to create a wax model of her.

Cohen says he was not paid for the work for Melania Trump.

“I didn’t expect to be paid on it. It wasn’t enough work to have me send an invoice,” Cohen testifies.

After being paid out the installments equaling $420,000, Michael Cohen says he was never paid any more money from Trump personally or the Trump Organization.

Michael Cohen says he did “minimal” work for Trump and Melania Trump in 2017.

Michael Cohen confirmed the December 1, 2017, invoice was the last he sent.

Asked why it was the last one, he said, “because I had been reimbursed $420,000.”

Remember: Cohen testified yesterday that the reimbursement included the $130,000 hush money fee, along with the Red Finch fee, a line item that is for tech services, and his bonus.

Asked who signed each of the checks from April and beyond, Michael Cohen confirmed each time: “Donald J. Trump.”

The prosecution continued to review the checks for each month with Cohen.

As prosecutor Susan Hoffinger goes through each monthly invoice and payment to Michael Cohen, she makes an effort to repeatedly use language like “false invoice” that “falsely states” it is for a retainer agreement that did not exist.

Cohen confirms each time the invoice “falsely states” the payment was for services rendered during that month. She also confirms with him each time the description on each check stub “falsely states” it’s for a retainer.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger is having Michael Cohen go through the invoices, and Cohen has his glasses on the edge of his nose as he’s reading them aloud.

Trump is leaning over and whispering with his attorney Todd Blanche as Cohen is walking through the paperwork.

The March check from the revocable trust was signed by Donald Trump Jr. and former Trump Org. CFO Allen Weisselberg, Cohen says.

Looking at a signed check for $35,000 to Cohen in April, Hoffinger asked, “Whose signature is it?”

“Donald J. Trump,” Cohen said.

“Were any of those checks in fact for work during the months described in those check stubs?” Hoffinger asks Cohen.

“No ma’am,” Cohen replied.

Jurors first saw these checks during testimony from Jeff McConney and Trump Org. employee Deborah Tarasoff. McConney testified that he would forward the invoices to Tarasoff, who handles accounts payable for the checks to be cut to Cohen.

The prosecutor is now going through the invoice, the check stub and check for March.

The check stub states it is a payment for a retainer agreement.

“Was this in fact a retainer for that month?” Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asks.

“No ma’am,” says Cohen.

“Was the description in the check stub a false statement?” she asks. Cohen confirms it was.

Remember: Trump was charged by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office last year with 34 counts of falsifying business records.

The charges stem from the reimbursements made to Cohen for hush money payments he made before the 2016 election to an adult film star alleging an affair with Trump.

The former president has pleaded not guilty and denied the affair. 

Donald Trump is leaning back with his eyes closed as Michael Cohen walks through the documents in the hush money case.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asks Michael Cohen if he received 11 checks in responses to those 11 invoices for a total of $420,000.

“Yes, ma’am,” Cohen says.

Michael Cohen confirmed the invoices were actually reimbursement for the hush money payment and not for legal services.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger is asking whether the description in the invoice for legal services rendered was true.

“No ma’am,” Cohen says.

Hoffinger again asks Cohen what the payments were actually for.

He says, “Reimbursement to me of the hush money fee along with Red Finch and the bonus.”

“Was this invoice a false record?” Hoffinger asks.

“Yes, ma’am,” Cohen says.

Hoffinger goes on to ask, “Were any of those invoices that you submitted based on services performed for the months indicated pursuant to a retainer agreement?”

“No ma’am, they were for a reimbursement,” Cohen says.

Michael Cohen emailed an invoice to former Trump Organization controller Jeffrey McConney on February 14, 2017, including two $35,000 payments for January and February.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asks if the invoices he sent were consistent with directions given by Allen Weisselberg, Trump’s longtime chief financial officer.

“Yes, ma’am,” Cohen says.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger confirmed with Michael Cohen that had there been a retainer agreement it would be accompanied by an agreed upon monthly amount.

But there was no retainer agreement, Hoffinger said.

Cohen said there wasn’t one.

Cohen’s tone and manner so far is the same as Monday. He is careful, measured and even toned.

The jury is now seeing emails between Jeffrey McConney, a former Trump Organization controller, and Michael Cohen.

In one of them dated February 14, 2017, Cohen asks McConney to remind him the monthly amount he is supposed to invoice.

McConney responds to remind Cohen it was $35,000 per month, the emails show.

Michael Cohen says he put the White House meeting in his calendar — something he did not normally do. He says it was to “commemorate seeing President Trump in the White House.”

“Meeting with POTUS,” the electronic calendar entry reads.

Donald Trump aired his grievances about the hush money trial and brought up campaign talking points before entering the Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday.

In multiple instances, Trump said that the gag order implemented by Judge Juan Merchan is unfair to him and should be lifted. “You ask me questions I’m not allowed to respond,” Trump told reporters. He later added, “The gag order has to come off.”

Trump also read support written by allies. He called Merchan “crooked” and then went on to claim that what he did regarding the hush money payment was legal.

“I paid a lawyer a certain amount of money we marked it down as legal expenses. So I had a legal expense and I marked it down as a legal expense. I didn’t mark it down as a construction of a wall, construction of a building, I didn’t mark it down as electricity,” Trump said.

“There’s no crime,” Trump said. “I’ve been here for almost four weeks in an icebox, they call it the icebox, listening to a judge who is totally corrupt and conflicted.”

Jurors are being shown the photo of Michael Cohen in the White House briefing room, which has been displayed previously.

He says he took the photo from the briefing room podium after the meeting with Trump where the reimbursement for the Stormy Daniels hush money payment was discussed.

Prosecutors say that Michael Cohen in February 2017 met with Donald Trump in the Oval Office to confirm how he would be reimbursed for the hush money payment Cohen fronted for Trump to Stormy Daniels.

A month earlier Cohen mapped out the repayment plan with then-Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg, who memorialized the calculations in handwritten notes on Cohen’s bank statement, according to court documents.

Under the plan, Cohen would send a series of false invoices requesting payment for legal services he performed pursuant to a retainer agreement and receive monthly checks for $35,000 for a total of $420,000 to cover the payment to Daniels, his taxes and a bonus, prosecutors alleged.

Prosecutors also allege there was never a retainer agreement.

Read a full timeline about the hush money case.

Michael Cohen is discussing an Oval Office meeting with Trump.

Cohen says he visited the White House that same day and had a conversation with Trump in the Oval Office.

“I was sitting with President Trump and he asked me if I was OK. He asked me if I needed money. And I said, ‘no all good.’ He said because I can get a check. I said, ‘no, I’m OK.’ He said, ‘Alright, just make sure you deal with Allen,’” Cohen testifies.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asked whether Trump said anything about what would be forthcoming to Cohen.

“Yes, it would be a check for January and February,” Cohen says.

The jury is seeing an email from former Trump Organization controller Jeff McConney from February 6, 2017.

“Just a reminder to get me the invoices you spoke to Allen about,” it reads. The jury previously saw this email.

McConney testified about this email earlier at trial. McConney said on the stand he sent this email to Michael Cohen at the direction of his boss Allen Weisselberg

Prosecution is now continuing its questioning of Michael Cohen.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger is picking back up with Cohen’s meeting with Trump and Allen Weisselberg and the planned reimbursement.

The prosecution’s key witness, Michael Cohen, is back on the stand to continue his testimony.

The $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels at the center of the hush money case was made by Cohen, then Trump’s personal attorney, who landed in federal prison over that transaction for breaking campaign finance laws.

Cohen has alleged Trump directed him to make the payment to Daniels in the final days of the 2016 presidential campaign. 

Trump and his legal team attempted to bar Cohen from testifying, arguing that he’s committed perjury more than once in other cases, but the request was denied. 

A longtime attorney of the former president before he occupied the Oval Office, Cohen had been one of Trump’s closest allies, famously pledging years ago that he would “take a bullet” for his then-boss. 

The relationship deteriorated after the start of Trump’s presidency, and broke down fully in public view after Cohen released a recording in which he and Trump can be heard discussing how they would buy the rights to former Playboy model Karen McDougal’s story about an alleged affair she had with Trump years earlier, which Trump denies. 

Cohen later provided dramatic testimony to a House committee about Trump’s involvement in the hush-money scheme involving both McDougal and Daniels, who also alleges Trump had an affair with her. (Trump has also denied that affair.) 

New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office has said it opened its investigation after Cohen alleged during his congressional testimony that Trump inflated the value of his properties to get better interest rates on loans and insurance. 

Read more about Cohen and his role in the case. 

Judge Juan Merchan is on the bench, and court is in session.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass has asked to approach the bench.

Trump is leaning over and chatting with one of his lawyers, Emil Bove, while attorneys at the bench.

Former President Donald Trump is in the Manhattan courtroom as his former attorney Michael Cohen is set to resume his testimony soon.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who is under consideration to be Trump’s potential running mate, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, Florida Rep. Cory Mills and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy entered with Trump.

Lara and Eric Trump are also in the courtroom.

House Speaker Mike Johnson is also expected to join the former president today in the courtroom and deliver remarks later this morning.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson speaks during a press conference with House Republicans at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on May 7.

House Speaker Johnson is set to deliver remarks on Donald Trump’s trial outside of the courthouse in New York this morning.

CNN reported earlier that Johnson will be with Trump today at the courthouse, according to a Republican source.

It comes as Johnson has increasingly aligned himself with Trump — and attacked the former president’s criminal charges — amid the blowback he has received from the far-right of the party.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, Florida Rep. Cory Mills and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy are also expected to be in court today.

Prosecutors are entering the courtroom ahead of the start of court proceedings today.

Donald Trump has arrived to court this morning ahead of the start of today’s proceedings.

Trump’s former attorney and fix Michael Cohen is set to resume his testimony in the hush money trial.

Michael Cohen leaves his apartment building on his way to Manhattan criminal court on Monday, May 13, in New York.

Michael Cohen knows his cross-examination by Donald Trump’s legal team is not going to be friendly because that’s going to be the former president’s defense, CNN Chief Legal Correspondent Paula Reid said Monday.

“This is how they’re going to make their case on behalf of their client. They are going to try to paint Michael Cohen as a liar who is out for revenge against his former boss,” Reid explained.

The defense will try to discredit Cohen through a multimedia presentation that includes the following, according to Reid:

But while Trump attorney Todd Blanche will want to go after Cohen, he must tread carefully, Reid added.

“You don’t want to go at him hard that you throw sympathy to Michael Cohen. So this is a huge test,” she said. “This will be the defense’s case, which is why you haven’t seen Todd Blanche do many cross-examinations. He has been most exclusively focused on Michael Cohen.”

Former President Donald Trump sits in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on Monday, May 6.

Former President Donald Trump is on trial in Manhattan for his alleged role in a hush money scheme to silence his alleged mistresses before the 2016 election. He faces 34 counts related to “falsifying New York business records in order to conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election.” 

Prosecutors called their key witness — Michael Cohen — to the stand on Monday. The prosecution said they could rest their case by the end of the week.

Prosecutors need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump falsified business records with the intent to commit or conceal another crime, but they don’t have to prove that Trump committed that crime. The prosecution theory is that the second crime could be in violation of federal and state election laws or state tax laws regarding how the reimbursements to Cohen were handled. 

Adult film actress Stormy Daniels was paid $130,000 – the “hush money” payment – to keep her from going public before the 2016 election about her claim that she had an affair with Trump in 2006. The alleged reimbursement payment Trump made to Cohen is at the heart of the charges against the former president.

Trump’s attorneys have kept their defense close to the vest, but in court filings they’ve indicated that they plan to attack the credibility of Cohen and Daniels and paint them as liars who are motivated by grudges and money.

Donald Trump departed Trump Tower moments ago where he is expected to attend a second day of testimony from his former lawyer and self-identified “fixer” at Trump’s historic hush money criminal trial.

Michael Cohen’s testimony so far ties together the prosecution’s allegations that Trump broke the law by falsifying business records to reimburse Cohen and conceal the hush money payment that Cohen said he made at Trump’s direction.

Trump’s attorneys are likely to get their chance to question Cohen on Tuesday. Trump attorney Todd Blanche is expected to try to shred Cohen’s credibility with the jury during cross-examination by painting him as a convicted perjurer who has changed his story more than once.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, Florida Rep. Cory Mills and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will join former President Donald Trump in court today, according to a Trump campaign official. 

Trump’s allies have been flocking to the Manhattan courthouse where Trump is on trial, and some of the politicians making the trip, including Burgum and JD Vance yesterday, are said to be under consideration to be Trump’s running mate. 

Here are they key takeaways from the first day of Michael Cohen’s testimony in Donald Trump’s hush money criminal trial.

Cohen ties Trump to the Daniels hush money payment: Through roughly five hours of testimony Monday, Cohen walked jurors through how he worked with former National Enquirer editor David Pecker on Trump’s behalf during the 2016 campaign to kill negative stories; how he kept Trump apprised of his hush money negotiations with Keith Davidson, the attorney for Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal; and how Trump approved and was aware of how Cohen would be falsely repaid in 2017 for the Daniels payment as legal services. Cohen is the link connecting other witnesses we have heard from so far.

Cohen ties the hush money reimbursement to Trump, too: Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records – 11 invoices, 12 vouchers and 11 checks – records that prosecutors say stem from the monthly reimbursements Cohen received in 2017 for the hush money payment he made to Daniels. On Monday, jurors heard through Cohen for the first-time evidence directly connecting Trump to those reimbursements.

Cohen describes being Trump’s protector: Cohen, who used to say he’d take a bullet for Trump in the height of their relationship, testified Monday about everything he did to protect his former boss. As Cohen described each media story he killed and nondisclosure agreement he locked down ahead of the 2016 election, it was always in the name of protecting Trump.

Read more details here.

Prosecutors are trying to prove that Donald Trump falsified business records to cover up hush money payments made to prevent adult film star Stormy Daniel’s claim of an affair with Trump from becoming public before the 2016 presidential election. 

Michael Cohen, who started testifying Monday, has served as a narrator for the prosecution and take the jury from the initial meeting in which Cohen, David Pecker and Trump allegedly agreed to buy negative stories that could hurt Trump’s presidential run to the payment made to Daniels just days before Election Day to an Oval Office meeting in February 2017, just weeks after Trump was sworn in.

Here’s a timeline CNN compiled of key events in the case, including several involving Cohen:

See a full timeline on the case.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is expected to attend court with Donald Trump today in his Manhattan hush money trial, a source familiar with the plans tells CNN.

CNN has reported that Burgum is under consideration to be Donald Trump’s potential running mate.

On Monday, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, also under consideration for VP, attended court with Trump.

“Just do it.”

With three short words, more famous for selling sports gear than exposing conspiracies, star witness Michael Cohen on Monday depicted Donald Trump’s order of a hush money payoff to an adult film star to allegedly save his 2016 campaign.

Prosecutors will seek to build on his testimony when he returns to the stand Tuesday to nail down their case that the ex-president broke the law by falsifying financial records to hide the pay-off in the culmination of a scheme to mislead voters.

All that will be a curtain raiser for what is looming as a savage cross-examination by the presumptive Republican nominee’s attorney, designed to shatter the reputation of Cohen, expose him as a liar and punish him for turning on his ex-boss.

The biggest question before Monday was whether prosecutors had laid a prior foundation of corroborating evidence to which they could connect Cohen’s testimony and prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump acted criminally.

Trump has pleaded not guilty, and no one can say how a jury will interpret events at trial until the fateful moment when the foreperson delivers a verdict.

But former New York prosecutor Bernarda Villalona said on CNN’s “The Lead” that Cohen, from his delivery to his eye contact with the prosecutor, had been “excellent” on the stand and helped the prosecution. “They finally provided that link that Donald Trump authorized these payments and the payments were for the purposes of affecting that campaign,” she said. “Michael Cohen did deliver. … but we have to see how he stands up to cross-examination.”

Read the full analysis.