Starts now good evening. Welcome to our continuing special coverage of the trump new york Hush Money Trial. I was privileged which to watch some of day 11 inside the courtroom. Today was both fascinating was fascinating to see up close. Hope hicks, once a top advisor to former president , testifying for the prosecution recounting first the access Hollywood Tape coming out, then the Stormy Daniels and Karen Mcdougal revelations finishing her direct testimony with a potentially damaging account of what the former president s said in retrospect when the daniel story finally broken 2018, then moments later, hope hicks started crying. Hicks in that final answer saying, quote, it was mr. Trumps opinion that it was better to be dealing with it now and that it would have been bad to have that story come out before the flexion, which could bolster the prosecution case that the former president was motivated by campaign and not necessarily Family Concerns and suppressing both that and the Karen Mcdougal stories before the 2016 election, under crossexamination, though she did paint her old bosses of family man who was concerned about the impact on his wife her testimony and Michael Cohen also provided fodder for both sides. Frankly, painting him as someone who had sometimes in her words, go rogue, but also casting doubt on the Defense Theory that cohen paid off Stormy Daniels on his own initiative in general, the picture she painted was a handson donald trump deeply involved in the details of his business and his case campaign motivated largely by political considerations, and that he was fully aware of what the payment to Stormy Daniels had bought him in 2016 weve just gotten the full Trial Transcript from today, including the context of hope hicks is final answer to the Prosecution Question about what then President Trump said in 2018 when news of the Daniels Payout finally broke and im quoting now from that transcript, he wanted to know how it was playing and just my thoughts and impinge opinion about this story versus having the story a different kind of story before the campaign, had michael not made that payment . Joining us once again tonight, new york defense attorney arthur aidala, cnns laura coates, who was also in the court for today. Im particularly for that moment, cnns abby, phillip, and kaitlan collins, also former Trump White HouseCommunications Director or farah griffin, and cnns kara scannell, who has also in court throughout today, careless. Start with you. I mean, it is fascinating. This is my first time youve been in there every day and in the Overflow Room as well to see it all up close. What was your sense on how things went with hope hicks . I mean, i think she gives something to both sides, something to work with there, but i thought was very interesting that her testimony is how shes recounting this she is taking jurors inside the campaign and into some memorable moments, walking into the glass Conference Room where shes discussing the access Hollywood Tape, a donald trump, right when she found out that it happened, also take them onto a plane when trump was speaking a Campaign Rally and she was contacted by the wall street journal. They were Gonna Go Public with their story just four days before the election, saying that ami had paid off Karen Mcdougal and stormy mcdaniel. So shes giving the jury memorable moments that usually underscores some credibility there because the person is remembering a moment in time where they were and what she was also saying about Michael Cohen, that she didnt think that he would behave the way that donald trump was telling her that he did this essentially out of the kindness of his heart. But she did so give trump sayyed some. Things. She was very complimentary to him she went out of her way to be complimentary, calling him a Great Businessman. There was no better messenger than him know better brand person than him. But all the while, never making eye contact with him, keeping her eyes locked on the prosecutor or looking at the jury to speak from the moment she walked in because i was there for the first part for the moment she walked in, she did not look at the Defense Table at all, and we should point out she was there under subpoena. Yeah. Shes there under subpoena and you could see when she walked in the room shader hand and tight ball of a fist shoes clearly so uncomfortable. And she even interrupted her own testimony In The Beginning to say that she was surprised by the sound of her own voice from the microphone, like really just uncomfortable about me. She said that she was very nervous and they suggested that she sit closer to the microphone and once my understanding was from sitting there is one she actually could hear herself in the microphone it seemed to help her in which she said to the jury, oh, now i can hear myself now. I sort of i apologize for for my nervousness essentially. Yeah. And i mean, we were talking about four. She was touching her hair, touching our face legis a lot of nervous kind of text to show that she was uncomfortable sitting there even as shes saying some things that are helpful to donald trump the prosecution ended their her testimony with that line that you just read talking about how trump had set in 2018, he was happier to deal with these stories, than it would have been if it was before the election. So laura, you were there for that moment. And then she started to cry, explain what happened so this was right in the moment between the direct examination ending and then the cross beginning. Thats when a meal well, they got up. It wasnt immediately clear the weight of that particular statement because shed given other statements before it articulate that he was a family man. He was concerned about his wife. There was at least one point where she described that. He did not want his wife to have the newspapers delivered to their residents in light of the bad coverage, which of course makes you think so malign and gets up in the morning and shes read the newspaper so that he could concern and that he was concerned about that he valued her opinion, all these different things. And then this moment hit. And then there was a transition between counsel when she began to be answered questions. With someone else, and then her body just change. Whos already very softspoken i had not seen her in person, had not heard her speak. She did fidget quite a bit with her that because with her earrings with almost like a nervous tic touch your hair a lot, but her body language, even at that point, exponentially got more uncomfortable. And she began to have a shaky voice. Her lip was quivering, her chin was as well and then shes scored a turned her face for a second and began to have revoice break, at which point a Mill Beauvais hold his hands up for a second almost like a i am not sure what just happened in this moment. And she began to cry and then he says, do you need a minute and she turns her whole body a way to remember trumps over here. The jurys over here and shes turning her by towards a jury to realize they can still see her and shes turning even more to contort yourself, at which point she says yes i do. And shes visibly crying now and theres a tissue box behind it is a bailiff next year and courtroom was kinda trying to figure out in this moment what was the initial trigger now theres two schools of thought. Either some would say she must have understood the weight of her testimony. Others could say, do you know when youre talking to the prosecution and youre the prosecutions witness. Theyre friendly to you. They are. Hey, have prepped you in some way not to lie, but to prep you to prepare you for this moment. Theyve talked to you through your nerves, so there youre friendly person when the Defense Counsel gets up to then crossexamine you and their client is donald trump, a man that youve called a master communicator, somebody that you are probably well frayed of their ability to make sure that someone knows youre fully history. I think that weight of the combination was what may have combined to hamper be overwhelmed. We should point out though, that shes not a prosecution witness i mean, it or do you believe shes a prosecution witness . Whole heart, and shes there under subpoena. A lot of the words she was using to discuss bribe her reactions. I thought were conservative. What she does, she used the word concern when the what was her response when she first got the Washington Post reported her . Yeah. She said, oh, i was concerned. Its a little bit more than concern, but that was the word she was using and i thought thats thats a conservative you word to use your right to say, i mean, i think people have the impression every time a witness goes on the stand that youre either going to be the attack dog and bulldog or youre going to be the shrinking violet. Every witness has a role to play in some time. Its just to move the story along and bridge the gap between the catch and kill and the campaign i was her role. This is a multilayer. I mean, theres a lot of emotion in her relationship and you know, this better than anybody else said with her emotion in her relationship with donald trump. This is a man who she was out four years out of college when she started working for the Trump Organization. Right. So what you have to understand about hope hicks and having had some time to digest this testimony, there is nowhere on the planet she wanted to be less than were to us today. She did not want to be testifying against a boss that she clearly still holds in very high regard. Shes still incredibly close with his family she im going and listening to her answers and reading the transcript back. I think she was as gracious as she could be about him as a few severe, she could be will still being honest and truthful about the facts. So its the stark moment was when she acknowledged that he basically said its better that it didnt happen during the campaign. Thats probably the hardest piece of evidence she gave against donald trump. But there was a ton in there for the defense, and i think that was by design and the fact that trump acknowledged her when she left was sort of this she did well by donald trump i think its easy for people whove never testified in a trial to say, oh, she was crying because of the statements she made and then she realized the impact of that statement. I mean, ive testified in a trial of a stalker against me and i found myself choking up on the stand totally unexpected effectively, like as much as you are prepared to testify at trial it when youre sitting there and theres a jury there, and its personal stuff its very hard. I mean, arthur, you must see this all the time i was a witness recently and it was weird. It was against the client but to your point, as much as public speaking, how can i Anderson Cooper get nervous being a public speaker in a courtroom . Its a completely situation when you raise your right hand. But from a legal point of view, and i dont know if this is true or not. Theres nothing stopping trumps attorneys to having spoken at hope hicks in other words, shes under some peanut from the prosecutors office, but its absolutely appropriate for them to call her up and say, hey im Susan Nicholas who i am. Can i talk to you about your testimony . Thats nothing thats on unethical. Its not improper. I dont know if that happened or not, but she clearly was not there to hurt donald trump she was there to do what she had to do. And yet there is the weight of the world on you when youre end the whole world is watching. She taught me happy, talk. You heard like from so that thats the thing that its so interesting so glad i was there, im so glad that we have three people who were the all of us were there did it because what you dont see until youre sitting in that room, are you what do you dont here . You dont realize is we see this on television and we think its all like we see on television of Everybody Knows their jobs. But there is a motion there. There is a feeling in the room and that feeling ebbs and flows and when the prosecutor stood up, nobody knew who was going to be called today. And the first early testimony was kind of procedural and not particular. I can understand why some people might fall asleep in the room and suddenly the prosecutor stood up and just very matter of faculty said next, is hope hicks there was a instantly like an invasion of cicadas in the room you heard you heard this you heard an entire gallery full of people, everybody with their laptops. Hes not allowed to have your phone out suddenly doing this. And it was this it was a incredible. And every time there was something significantly six significant that she said during your testimony, you could tell what was significant by the crescendo. So let me just tell you from that yes yeah. I thought from a warriors point of view, when youre sitting there just because of can you hear that 100 and so sometimes you have to like what i miss hi, the type and i go, id sounds like a benign answer because somebody there was some reporter in the room. Im not sure who was who said i think said that there was an audible gas. I didnt hear that in the courtroom. I was i think i was sitting behind the reporter who said that repose in the overflow overflow where there are billions, there were regular get our people and the Overflow Room would not again not a gas. Regular people. There wasnt again, inside the courtroom, but what there was was i mean, it was incredible. Suddenly everyone was n. When she walked in, i mean, it was just other things about hope hicks. I cannot get out of my head she has not taught to donald trump in two years, 2022 and with trump, people, you have to get used to having multiple things in their brain at the same time. Its a complicated relationship. It doesnt mean that they hate each other or anything like that, but she is not talked to this man in two years and there she is sitting in front of him in a courtroom. I also think about all the other times that weve heard about hope hicks are seen her she provided testimony to the january 6 committee Behind Closed Doors in a deposition room. We saw the video of it, but she was not before the world really. She testified in the Molar Investigation not before the world. There were so many times and hope hicks was at the center of these incredible dramas in trump world, but never like this. And that is so different for her personally, but also for their relationship. And you also think about in the january 6 contexts the parts of her the evidence that they presented in the hearing that came from her where she was afraid about her livelihood after january 6 happened . Some things happened between them that they it sounds like they probably havent really dealt with. And she this is this is yet another thing that shes going to have two once again, deal with donald trump about at some point. Well, i think theres a reason that they havent spoken in those two years that period that she said today of why that was that was when the congressional hearings were happening and thats when we found out that she had spoken to them and youve got to actually hear her testimony to them and you got to read her texts and her texts on january 6 were really critical of trump saying that he was wiping Away Everything that they had done she obviously was in the white house left and right turned and she was also saying that people who didnt have jobs lined up, were now going to be labeled domestic terrorists. They werent going to be able to get jobs. It calls a huge break with her and with ivanka trump, she doesnt have a Good Relationship with the trump family anymore. I dont by the way, she started working for the trump family through ivanka trump. That was the initial entrance. She came back to january 6, when she came back to the white house, she worked she reported to Jared Kushner and so she was a daughter, to donald trump. I mean, the fact that they havent spoken in two years is incredibly significant. Shes not coming back to help with this campaign. And i think also we talk about what her reaction was in the room she hasnt seen him in two years, has been in the same room. And as i dont think its that weird that she didnt look at him. I mean, youd have to really kind of cool brian, your neck to look over because hes seated to the right of the witness, but it speaks to the break and their relationship that the first time that they were reunited is in a criminal trial. You know, what . Im sorry. But i was looking when she started crying, my maybe im nosy i immediately wanted to see what trump would do. It was that moment when the security its clear it away and i had a clear shot of Donald Trumps face as ive is profile. And we looked over because she then left the stand to walk away from im adjusting her hair almost as a shield and she walks over and walks behind them, doesnt make eye contact, but his face is one of concern. His eyebrows were raised towards her as you would look at Somebody Concern is if to ask are you okay . And i thought in that moment it was an interesting moment given the advent two years, he didnt seem like he was looking like almost incredulous that she would have the audacity to have the emotion. He seemed as if this was someone he was concerned about in that moment, i was just going to say everyone in trump world as expendable with, i would say hope hicks is among the few exceptions always had genuine affection for her. I think that seeing her in this position being reminded of the relatio