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The prosecution and protection rested yesterday, that means, to nobody’s shock, that Donald Trump didn’t testify.
Trump had mentioned he would, however it could have been judicial malpractice for his legal professionals to show him to 100 totally different traces of interrogation.
Michael Cohen went into the hush cash trial with a well-established repute as a convicted liar.
All of us knew he could be hammered on cross-examination for mendacity on behalf of Trump, mendacity to Congress, mendacity to investigators and mendacity to the press. That was baked into the equation.
CROSS-EXAMINATION THROWS MICHAEL COHEN OFF BALANCE, BUT BELABORS POINT THAT HE HATES TRUMP
Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen concluded his testimony within the NY v. Trump trial. (Getty Photographs)
However the lie he acknowledged on Monday is in an entire totally different class – and could also be a turning level in convincing a number of jurors to dismiss him as a money-grubbing thief and vote for Trump’s acquittal.
The onetime fixer fastened up a pleasant deal for himself: stealing from the Trump Group.
Yep, he did it, mentioned Cohen. Yep, he lied about it. Yep, he gladly pocketed the cash as a result of he was indignant about his bonus being minimize.
This was an actual Perry Mason second – and an absolute failure by the prosecution.
On the opposite litany of lies, Alvin Bragg’s legal professionals introduced them up on direct examination, with the very best spin, to melt the sting when Trump’s legal professionals have been grilling him.
However on this one? Nada. At first, I believed Cohen didn’t inform the prosecutors, however Trump lawyer Todd Blanche requested, “And also you instructed a number of prosecutors within the District 13 Lawyer’s Workplace that story, proper?”
“Sure sir.”
So it was sheer sloppiness – an unbelievable failure.
And the narrative will get even sleazier.
The Trump marketing campaign employed a tech agency referred to as Pink Finch to attempt to discredit unfavorable polls by CNBC and Drudge. The payment was $50,000. Cohen delivered $20,000 in money stuffed right into a brown bag to the corporate’s chief – nothing suspicious there, proper?
And Cohen saved the opposite $30,000 – later grossed as much as $60,000 for tax causes – blatantly stealing from his ex-boss’s firm. (Trump determined to not pay Pink Finch as a result of its efforts petered out however didn’t know concerning the bag o’ money.)
MICHAEL COHEN, CORROBORATING OTHERS, SAYS TRUMP WANTED TO SILENCE STORMY BECAUSE OF THE ELECTION
There was little the prosecutors might do after they had their flip. Cohen mentioned he was “angered” by the two-thirds minimize in his normal $150K bonus “so I simply felt it was nearly like self-help. , I wasn’t going to let him have the profit this manner as effectively.”
Ah, self-help. Stealing as remedy. A reasonably lame clarification.
It didn’t matter what else Cohen mentioned in 2018, resembling insisting he would by no means have paid the $130,000 in hush cash to Stormy Daniels, which is well-documented, with out the president’s express approval. The harm had been accomplished.
However there have been extra fireworks to return.
The protection referred to as as its predominant witness Robert Costello, a veteran lawyer and proficient talker who represented Cohen for a couple of months.
Former President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower on his technique to Manhattan felony courtroom, Monday, April 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photograph/Yuki Iwamura)
Cohen has testified that he didn’t belief Costello as a result of he was near Rudy Giuliani, providing a again channel to the White Home, but additionally the danger that something Cohen mentioned could be repeated there.
Costello testified that he instructed Cohen that his authorized issues might be resolved “if he had truthful info on Donald Trump and cooperated with the Southern District of New York.”
Cohen’s response, in accordance with Costello, repeated 10 or 12 occasions: “I swear to God, Bob. I haven’t got something on Donald Trump.”
That was clearly a giant fats lie.
Costello additionally alleged that Cohen had instructed him Trump didn’t know concerning the hush cash funds, which will get to the guts of the case.
STORMY ALLEGES ONE-NIGHT STAND WITH TRUMP, AGREED TO LIE FOR HER $130,000 PAYOFF
However Robert Costello walked into that courtroom with an enormous chip on his shoulder.
After one query, he audibly mentioned “ridiculous.” After one other, he mentioned “Geez.”
Decide Juan Merchan had sufficient and despatched the jury out.
“In case you do not like my ruling, you do not say ‘Geez,’ okay. After which you do not say ‘strike it;’ as a result of I am the just one that may strike testimony within the courtroom.”
The lecture was extreme. “After which, when you do not like my ruling, you do not give me facet eye and you do not roll your eyes. Do you perceive that?”
Costello gave the decide an extended stare. “Are you staring me down proper now?” At that time, he declared, “Clear the courtroom.” Everybody later returned.
Michael Cohen is questioned by prosecutor Susan Hoffinger on re-direct throughout former President Donald Trump’s felony trial on fees that he falsified enterprise information to hide cash paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, in Manhattan state courtroom in New York Metropolis, Could 20, 2024, on this courtroom sketch. (REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg )
In yesterday’s testimony, the prosecution bought Costello to acknowledge he was referring to Trump when saying he had “mates in excessive locations.”
An electronic mail about “getting everybody on the identical web page” was as a result of Cohen “had been complaining incessantly that Rudy Giuliani was making statements within the press,” Costello mentioned.
He mentioned an electronic mail about getting everybody “on the identical web page” was about figuring out the complaints about Rudy.
Costello denied the prosecutor’s query about “encouraging him to not cooperate.”
On redirect, the protection requested: What about an electronic mail saying you have been being “performed”?
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Costello mentioned they saved urging Cohen to signal a retainer – so they might receives a commission – however he saved making excuses and placing it off.
Was he pressuring Michael Cohen to do something? Costello mentioned he was not.
And that was it. Closing arguments are set for subsequent Tuesday.
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The prosecution has loads of different witnesses and paperwork, however Cohen is the one one tying Trump on to his reimbursement for hush cash funds to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal on this overtly partisan and shakily constructed case. So Cohen’s evisceration on the stand actually issues to the falsification of paperwork cost, until 12 jurors imagine that the previous president needed to know.
Howard Kurtz is the host of FOX Information Channel’s MediaBuzz (Sundays 11 a.m.-12 p.m. ET). Based mostly in Washington, D.C., he joined the community in July 2013 and frequently seems on Particular Report with Bret Baier and different applications.
