Michael Cohen Testifying Today: How He Went from Lawyer Who’d ‘Take A Bullet’ For Trump to Prosecutors’ Key Witness.

Following his release from jail in 2020, Michael Cohen the former lawyer and fixer for Donald Trump became increasingly active on social media. In order to make amends for “the wrongs he perpetuated on behalf of his former boss,” he started the podcast “Mea Culpa,” according to the show’s description on Apple Podcasts.

In previous episodes, Rosie O’Donnell and Anthony Scaramucci talked about the Trump cult; more recently, Tony Schwartz, a former Trump ghostwriter, and Malcolm Nance, a former Navy cryptologist turned cable news pundit, were added by Cohen. Cohen has been posting joyfully on TikTok about the possibility of the former President who is presently on trial in Manhattan ending himself behind bars.

Defense Tries to Cast Cohen as Motivated by Vengeance Against Trump.

The defense cross-examined Michael D. Cohen, the main witness in Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial. He has talked about how Mr. Trump reimbursed him for purchasing a porn star’s quiet, which is the crux of the allegations.

In the criminal trial of Donald Trump, Michael Cohen was subjected to a tough cross-examination on Tuesday afternoon as the defense attempted to undermine the prosecution’s main witness.

Readers may recall that earlier today, during the start of Trump’s cross-examination of Michael Cohen, Todd Blanche, the lawyer for the president, inquired as to whether Cohen had referred to him negatively on TikTok. A sidebar that was not visible to the jury occurred shortly after.

In that aside, Justice Merchan reportedly questioned Blanche, “Why are you making this about yourself?” based on a transcript we recently acquired.

The defense attorney for Donald J. Trump had been waiting for this opportunity for a day and a half, when he would go up and start the prosecution’s star witness cross-examination. He attempted to establish the tone for the proceedings from the very beginning.

Did you call me a “crying little shit” on TikTok, Todd Blanche questioned Michael D. Cohen?

Even though Michael Cohen’s cross-examination is probably not over yet, he testified this afternoon with a fair amount of poise and coolness. His evidence during Trump’s civil fraud trial was very different; there, he raised legal concerns on the witness stand, occasionally replied to questions with “asked and answered,” and even quoted court cases.

Michael Cohen just stated in court that he had never met Alvin Bragg, the district attorney for Manhattan. This is quite shocking: according to every indication, Bragg has closely overseen this investigation, and Cohen is the key witness in the largest case of his career.

Todd Blanche is asked by the judge if he has come to a good place to halt. Blanche acknowledges that he has, but she’s not sure what his ultimate aim was. They are currently releasing the jurors. The first day of Cohen’s cross-examination has come to an end.

It appeared as though Blanche was beginning to inquire into Cohen’s difficult past with the new district attorney. On Thursday, we’ll see where it goes.

After he seats down, Trump tries to speak with Blanche, but Justice Merchan is speaking with the jury. Blanche puts his index finger to Trump’s mouth and immediately quiets him.

Blanche is implying that he will conclude Cohen’s cross-examination at the end of the day on Thursday. Recall that Cohen is the last witness for the prosecution.

It was evident that there was a lot of animosity in the courtroom during Stormy Daniels’ cross examination. However, it’s far lower today, which is unexpected considering how eagerly awaited this clash was.

Cohen is perplexed when Blanche questions him about the details of his prison term; he is now composed but definitely not at ease.

Todd Blanche just cited Michael Cohen’s list of aspirations from his book “Disloyal.” “Power, the good life, public acclaim, big deals, fast cars, private planes, the excess and glamor and zest for life,” he stated, are the things he seeks in that order.

Is that what spurs you on? Blanche queries. Cohen admits that those are his own words.

Though Michael Cohen’s professional career has been tarnished, it is important to keep in mind that he is conversant with courtroom procedures and legal theory, as seen by the way he has behaved thus far during cross-examination. Most of the time, he responds with succinct, simple responses. He also seems to be leaning toward an answer that allows for some leeway, using the words “sounds like something I would say.”

When Todd Blanche, the defense attorney, questions Cohen on the colorful comments he has sent at Trump, Cohen uses the theme to counterattack. Blanche questioned Cohen about his remarks about Trump being a “Cheeto-dusted cartoon villain” and a “boorish cartoon misogynist.” Cohen used a variation of “sounds like something I would say” in response to both queries.

Blanche reiterates that Cohen profits from these insults through his podcasts, going over a few of the taunts Cohen has directed at Trump.

As he discusses the many investigations into Trump including Michael Cohen, Todd Blanche is hopping around. He’s running into an issue that many of us who cover these issues are acquainted with—they can overlap and quickly get confused.

It appears that Todd Blanche is about to ask a question intended to paint Michael Cohen in a self-serving light. He showed notes that Cohen had written asking how he might “benefit” from working with the district attorney’s office. Blanche can use this to imply that Cohen is seeking more than just making things right.

Todd Blanche has access to a plethora of material that may surprise some of our readers. The defense has devoted a significant amount of time to studying and listening to Michael Cohen’s TikTok videos and podcasts, which seems to be the source of some of this information. However, a large portion of it was probably provided by the prosecutors themselves, who were compelled by law to provide the defense with case materials and who amassed millions of papers throughout the course of their protracted probe into Trump.

It looks like we have approximately forty minutes left in court before the jurors are dismissed for the day. The cross-examination of Michael Cohen by the defense attorneys is scheduled to resume on Thursday (tomorrow is an off day). The judge says, “And we will end at 4 p.m. on Thursday due to a juror’s commitment.”

After our little afternoon break, the prosecution have re-entered the courtroom, and there are just under an hour remaining in the first day of Michael Cohen’s cross section. They appear content and quite at ease.

The prosecution were noticeably more nervous throughout Stormy Daniels’ testimony, but it may have been an act. Not at this moment.

Considering the remainder of Todd Blanche’s cross-examination of Michael Cohen: His opening question, in which he questioned Cohen, in a caustic manner, if he had used an expletive to characterize Blanche on social media, was powerful. However, after two prolonged objections and a side conversation with the judge, his queries lost their momentum, and he appeared to be somewhat reprimanded.

When working with Trump, attorneys must decide whether to go full Roy Cohn or not, considering his need for a ruthless defender along the lines of Cohn, his disbarred and deceased former fixer and attorney. Blanche seemed to be attempting to find a compromise.

Todd Blanche is swiftly going over Michael Cohen’s criminal record and his two plea deals, one in August 2018 and the other in November, for federal offenses. In the latter, he entered a guilty plea for misleading Congress.

Now, Todd Blanche is trying to draw a comparison for the second time between Michael Cohen’s difficult to remember talks with prosecutors and his extremely clear memory of the crucial talks with Trump that he has testified about over the last two days.

There have been several instances in this courtroom where witnesses have mentioned Michael Cohen lying about one thing or another, so we have no idea what the jury is thinking at this time or any other time. Since being on the witness stand, Cohen has admitted to telling falsehoods. However, he did it rather smoothly and readily when questioned by the prosecutor, and now when the defense questions him about his lying, he comes out as evasive and cagey.

Todd Blanche has focused on August 2018; the month Michael Cohen chose to collaborate with the special counsel looking into potential Russian connections inside the Trump campaign. It’s unclear what Blanche hopes to get out of this conversation just yet. With a few notable exceptions, he has not been overly hostile during this cross-examination; rather, he has occasionally shown deference when Cohen responds.

Blanche is currently attempting to present Michael Cohen as if he were Trump’s stalker. For years, it was evident to others in the Trump Organization how much Cohen desired head pats from Trump and how Trump would go out of his way to make Cohen feel inferior.

Both Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, his defense teammate, are former federal prosecutors who have occasionally appeared to find it difficult to make their arguments. Since they are the ones trying to establish criminal charges, prosecutors frequently have an inherent advantage while arguing their case. However, defense attorneys must justify their inquiries while they are posing them. Blanche is attempting to corner Michael Cohen and is talking rapidly, but sometimes he doesn’t make his argument very clear.