Number. Com im more than liebermann at the pentagon. And this cnn welcome to our special ive read your former President Trumps historic Hush Money Criminal Trial. Im Briana Keeler in washington, Phil Mattingly is outside of court in new york where phil here on day seven of testimony, jurors were hearing from one of the most trusted members of trumps inner circle, hope hicks, of course, who was both a top aide on his 26th its team campaign. And in the white house when he was president and court of course now fill is just taking a lunch break, just Getting Started yeah thats right. Briana. But there have been a number of really critical moments over the course of the last several hours, we know who picks, had several phone calls with Michael Cohen, the trump lawyer who silhouetted the Stormy Daniels payment in the closing weeks of the 2016 campaign. And we know from a prior witness, hicks was on a called discussing the Karen Mcdougal payment . After Trump Took Office when hicks was then a white house official, cnn chief Legal Affairs correspondent. Paul read is with me now, some dramatic testimony is definitely wanted so witnesses that everybody was waiting to hear from set people up from what we heard so far, what were kind of big moments for you, i think this has been the most significant witness so far. For many reasons. One, even though opaque is not directly involved in any of the alleged criminal conduct, she was at trumps Sayyed Througout really all the events leading up to to this alleged falsifying Business Records. Shes also a very reliable narrator. She doesnt have an ax to grind with trumps. Shes also not like david pecker is now a tabloid king or like Keith Davidson, someone whos involved in what may or may not be extortion of celebrities as a career. Submit jurors are really listening to everything she had thats to say. And even though she doesnt recall some of the meetings that other people have testified to, like david pecker testified she was in and out of that critical 2015 meeting. She says she doesnt necessarily remember that. She certainly remembers the impact of the access Hollywood Tape on the campaign thats something shes talked a lot about as were inching closer and closer to election day this has been, i think the most significant testimony so far. Im not saying which sayyed helps, but this is someone the jury can listen to and trust on the access Hollywood Tape. They played tape. We all i feel like it was a flashback. Everyone was thinking about where they were when this hit. If you were covering that campaign, are covering the 2016 election. But the import for the prosecutors here in that tape playing that tape and getting where hopes pope picks was and what she saw, why the reason the access Hollywood Tape is so critical is because prosecutors will argue that once that came now the campaign was in free fall. She testified that there were quote, in crisis. You read books or other people who were involved in the campaign. They talked about nuclear bomb going off many of them even considered jumping ship. It speaks to the enormous pressure on then Candidate Trump to suppress any other stories particularly about elicit behavior here towards women, which incentivizes them, right . To try to pay Stormy Daniels to go away. Also, incentivize the Stormy Daniels to push for money. But thats why the tape is so critical because prosecutors are going to see a look at what the campaign was facing. Clearly the money that was paid to Stormy Daniels, it wasnt just about his family if it was about his family at all. This was to give him some glimmer of hope for taking the white house. Yeah. Underscores that moment from the Keith Davidson testimony before the crossexamination, where he made clear theres no market for the Stormy Daniels story before the access Hollywood Tape. And that was the moment they felt like they could really push that forward. What are we expect like clearly theyre moving towards something here. You know, the story and hes prosecutors better at anyway what are they moving toward . Whats going to be fascinating is to see theyre gonna get through election day. We obviously know he he wins. But then shes going to be able to take us into 2017 course these documents were allegedly falsified. Shes going to be able to talk about trumps relationship with Michael Cohen. Any mention of Stormy Daniels the fact that she and Sarah Huckabee sanders where allegedly in touch with david pecker about extending Karen Mcdougals catch and kill agreement. Shes going to be able to take us into the year 2017, which so far sorry, something no witness has really been able to do in any substantive way, unless really surprising. Because again, the alleged crime is falsifying Business Records. So the fact that were on day 11 and we havent gotten to the winter are 2017, its notable, so shes going to take us there and thats really what im watching and waiting for what happened is wearing when were in the white house, do you hear . For anything else about this this hush money to her . The hush money to Karen Mcdougal. Whats going on with Michael Cohen and trump . Whats the relationship there . How involved . Trump in his business . Because of course, Michael Cohen was paid back right through the trump organization. So i think thats all potentially very critical. And the first time the jury will hear about the actual time in question for this falsified documents, and thats because its coming from somebody that most people just havent heard from at all. Now everybody seems to know if he followed the Trump Campaign in 2016, you follow the trouble white house you know about hope hicks, you know, what people have said about who picks, never really heard from hope hicks. Shes testified in numerous cases when shes been compelled to do so walk through, how important this moment is for her as somebody who is not broken from trump has not spoken out, is not written a book because not gotten a cable contract. Yeah. They dont have the same relationship that they did after january 6, there was fallout because of Text Messages she said on that day suggesting that they were now also complicit in domestic terrorism. But its reminder, right everyone, right. In trumps radius, it seems eventually winds up testifying in a court of law before congress or themselves, being indicted. And the enormous to impact that his conduct has on the people around him. And it was a very human moment when she got to the microphone and she said, im really nervous. I mean, imagine you have this strange former boss and when you were very close to she also hasnt looked at him, which i think it also speaks to just how difficult this is for her. But i think its really its very telling of how difficult this since for most people to be involved in a case like this, clearly Keith Davidson made a career of it. So to david pecker, but a lot of these other folks, they dont necessarily want to be here and certainly she doesnt so shes only testifying under subpoena. Yeah. Its good. Reminder. We talked about this when there were select the jury, just the stakes and the enormity of the moment for a normal human being hoping is it all in the last eight years its still for her sake several times she was nervous. All right. Well, well get back with you shortly. Briana all right. Phil. Thank you so much for that. Lets bring in our panel here, elie honig starting with you, biggest takeaways so far of this hope hicks testimony so what picks is a very powerful witness so far, we always have to say so far were not even in the crossexamination for the prosecution on one specific point, which is that after the access Hollywood Tape dropped, the Trump Campaign was in a panic. They were damaged control mode, they were terrified about what this would do to the campaign and what this does is it sets up prosecutors to argue when the Stormy DanielsAccusation Surface right after that. The Campaign Donald trump had every reason to want to silence her because of the Campaign Hope hicks, it strikes me as a very credible witness. She doesnt have a bias for or against donald trump. It seems like both sides see her as a truth teller, but what both sides are going to try to do is pull out pieces of her testimony that are favorable. So to me, a strong witness for the prosecution, but also not the whole ballgame. Theres much more to the crime that theyre so i have to prove through other sources, but shes really powerful, just one point. Does it also speak to how when there was a big situation or crisis, donald trump was not handsoff. Yeah, very important point because one of the key conflicts about this case is was donald trump handson micromanager involved or was he sort of at 30,000 feet letting his people do their jobs when it comes to negative press around the campaign, hes very handson as hope hicks, a testimony as establishing also Michael Cohens involved which is relevant as well because prosecution wants to say michael cole was right in the middle of all this. I want to go quickly to Anderson Cooper, who just got out a court cord, of course, has taken a break. The jury had left the courtroom there so they could go on their lunch break. Anderson, you have been there all this time today watching tell us about your observations what was fascinating to see hope hicks coming out obviously, the test good morning before that was a little bit more more mundane talking about documents, talking about emails. But when hope hicks came in in you could feel sort of the electricity in the room. Certainly, people were perking up she seemed very nervous when she first came out on the stand and very hesitant. She did not look at directly at donald trump as she walked by him. It wasnt clear to me whether he looked at her. I dont think he did but i couldnt see from my Vantage Point, but she did not look at him. She went right to the stand. There were some she was a little bit away from the microphone and part of that may have been a nervousness, but also once she actually got closer to the microphone, i and she could actually hear herself. She said she she commented the jury that now we was eating easier for her and shes certainly seemed more confident after that. Shes certainly been came off, i think is very respectful. Full credible. Certainly reticent. Shes theyre under a subpoena which was made clear when she first sat down, she clearly is not giving elaborate answers. Shes giving the very basic answers and she did seem to downplay a little bit or search for how to describe the image to all point earlier, how to describe the impact the Bombshell Impact that the access Hollywood Tape head on the campaign she kept turning to the word no, i she was concerned are very concerned, but sort of intimating that there was it was that was just one word she was kinda landing on, but there it was a huge concern. Certainly that she had and maybe even more than that. Yeah, because as she mentioned, anderson, it had kicked a big storm, right a Big Storm Out of the news. She said for 36 hours if trump yeah and she was also then questioned about the actual fate which i happen to be the comoderator of and it was interesting to hear her. The question two from the prosecutor was no what was this brought up . The debate. Hope hicks says yes, at some point it was. And then the mater than the prosecutor said, was it brought up . Do you remember when it was brought up and shes who pick said she thought it was one of the first questions. It actually was the very first question i asked that question. But it was interesting to hear the importance suddenly now of sort of ends asking that question. Again as nothing there indication of just how big a deal this was because i can tell you from the Debate Preparation that we were doing friday when that access Hollywood Tape came out all the Debate Preparation we had done up to that Point Everything changed after the access Hollywood Tape came out and it was a big question of are we going to lead off the debate . I mean, there was really no good that we knew friday as soon as that tape came out, that would be the Leaf Question in the debate. Yeah, it is a rare story like that, that has this seismic i you. Feel about it. It did at the time i remember going on air myself and before we actually had the tape and we just had the transcript of what was said it was pretty stunning. And so i think it really speaks anderson even though shes talking about being concerned and sort of landing on that word, theres really no escaping, just how big im a moment. This was for trump no doubt about it. And clearly, as soon as she received the question from from the reporter about the existence of this tape from then on. I mean, that dominated the campaign four days after and probably even longer, but certainly for friday, that saturday, sunday was the debate they were reeling and trying to figure out exactly what this meant and what the impact of it would be in anderson, can you get a sense of how trump is reacting to some of these moments that hes hearing. We understand from hope hicks its they havent spoken in some time, but clearly she is trying to speak very positively of the former president. What is his reaction its very hard to see from the Vantage Point that there were at them. You can see on the monitor, but its been somewhat for some people actually have binoculars in the audience who are watching some the the Court Sonography at excuse me cord artists. And also even some of the reporters covering it i couldnt see his face while at hope hicks was testifying. I could see him whispering so todd blanche, or to a Meal Beauvais they definitely theres a lot of communication between all three of them there on the stand. There was a recess at one point plane in which the former president has stood up surveyed the crowd to see who was, who was there. But he doesnt give much reaction in the actual courtroom release . Not that i can see today what was her demeanor like . Because we see the transcript essentially in the descriptions of what she hes saying, but i understand that shes sort of had a shes been laughing at some moments. What did you see yeah. I mean, she came in very sort of hesitantly. It appears she came in with an attorney the attorney said that in the galley as she went up to the stand by herself, she she she definitely seem very nervous and she even said she was very nervous to that she spoke to the jury saying that she was very nervous. She definitely seemed to kind of relax into it a little bit more. But she she was very cautious, i think, and careful in the words that she she used while on the stand, there wasnt a lot of yeah sure wasnt extrapolating. She wasnt elaborating on things. She she tried to kind of i think she was being very careful in what she said and, i understand anderson, i saw that trump greeted you as he entered court. What can you say about that honestly, i did not see that somebody told me that i was turning it turned away. I did not know that he come in the room so we we i saw him looking at me once during the break, but i did not communicate with him directly. It didnt feel it was appropriate very interesting moment. Nonetheless, anderson. Thank you so much for your observations as youve been the eyes and ears there in court, were of course, we do not have cameras Anderson Cooper. Thank you. And coming up, we have so much here to dig into. We just heard obviously a lot of details about what it was like inside of the courtroom. We have our Special Coverage of the historic first criminal trial of former president from continuing ahead every piece of evidence tells a story. How would really happen . Jesse l. Martin, sundays at nine on cnn youre calling some people find theres at an early age others later in life no matter when you find it, you consider yourself lucky because it becomes your everything are calling was to build trucks and thats why trucks are what we do we put our everything in every truck. 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