Contentious day in court Stormy Daniels begin are detailing or alleged sexual encounter with donald trump and the Hush Money Payment to buy her silence Defense Attorneys please do note time hitting back during a very combative crossexaminatio n, Attacking Daniels credibility and prompting her to testify under oath that she hates trump and wants to see him held accountable for the next hour, well take you inside the courtroom from gavel to gavel will break down all of todays most Important Development and look ahead to whats next welcome to our viewers in the United States and around the world. Im wolf blitzer with a Special Report in Situation Room the trump trial today our coverage begins tonight in new york, where the trump Hush Money Trial, just wrap for the day after the prosecution put one of its star witnesses on the stand, Stormy Daniels the alleged affair, the Hush Money Payments, and daniels credibility, all very much under the microscope for the jury first, lets go to see as keras canal. Shes outside the courthouse in manhattan for us. Kerrey, were there inside the courtroom today. Give us the very latest well, if thats right for about the last hour of the court days, Stormy Daniels was under crossexamination in trumps attorney was peppering her with questions trying to undermine her credibility and challenge her motivations, asking downs repeatedly, if she tried to extort trump, if she was trying to sell her story about trump for years. Now, earlier the jury had seen a different sayyed of daniels were shade a more relaxed amine or less on the defensive when prosecutors were asking her questions and thats when daniel told the story to the jury of how she became a dancer at age 17, ultimately ended up with that sexual encounter with trump in 22,006 and then sold that story to donald trump and that Hush Money Payments you receive in 2016, just before the president ial election on the stand, Stormy Daniels, the former Adult Film Star and director at the center of the first criminal trial of donald j. Trump. The 130,000 deal in exchange for her silence. Is that the heart of the prosecutions case on tuesday, prosecutors tried to paint daniels as a credible witness, having her reveal specific details on her alleged sexual encounter with trump and the events surrounding it trumped denies the affair. Meanwhile, during cross examination, trumps attorneys tried to undercut Daniels Testimony by attacking her motivations credibility, and demonstrating how much she hates trying daniels testified she met trump will working at a celebrity Golf Tournament in 2006. Thats when trump invited her to dinner. Later in trumps penthouse suite, she said they talked for two hours and trump as thoughtful Business Questions she explained she went to the bathroom and when i exited, he was just up on the bed like this in boxers and a tshirt. She said while demonstrating his pose for the jury, she noted it was not in a threatening manner. Daniel said, the next thing i know, i was on the bet she described their relationship in 2018 interview with Anderson Cooper for 60 minutes. So you definitely wanted to continue to see you. Oh, for sure yes. This was not a secret. He never asked me not to tell anyone. He called several times when i was in front of many people and id be like, oh, my god, hes calling. Shut up the donald during her testimony, trump at nudge his attorney repeatedly, who objected to questions and answers when daniel suggested she didnt want to be alone with trump. Again, the judge agreed and struck several of our answers from the record when the access Hollywood Tape came out before the 2016 election daniel, since she spoke with her publicist about selling her story hey suddenly people are reaching out to me again, offering me money large amounts of money. She soon learned trump and his ex attorney Michael Cohen. Were interested in paying for a story in a 130,000 deal that came with a nondisclosure agreement, daniels testified how she wanted the deal done before the election because she was worried. I wouldnt be be safe or that he wouldnt pay and there would be a trail to keep me safe prosecutors then turn to daniel is 2018 statement denying a sexual affair with trump ahead of a Wall Street Journal article that was going to outline their deal. Daniel said she did not want to sign it because it was false. The de was released. She was interviewed by jimmy kimmel and denied it was her signature. And you sign this letter that was released today i dont know. Wait a minute that you can say. Like my signature does it doesnt daniels testified she purposely signed her name and a different way to Tip Off Kimmel after a court break, trumps team move for a Mistrial Pointing to aspects of Daniels Testimony, trump attorney todd blanche argued this is the kind of testimony that makes it impossible to come back from judge guan were ruled against the call for a mistrial, then trumps team took their turn to question daniels trumps attorney, susan niclas, daniels am i correct that you hate President Trump . Yes. Daniels responded now, during Daniels Testimony, donald trump was very engaged. He was often whispering to his attorneys nudging them and prompting them at times to object to some of the questionings which the judge ruled in his favor. Prefer a number of them, the jurors, they were actively also taking notes. They showed no Facial Expression to some of the moments when daniels said some things that she herself laugh debt, they kept straight faces, but they actively took notes, a number of them, very seem to be writing a lot and theyre notebooks. Now, the crossexamination will continue on thursday when cord is back in session and prosecutors say they will also have additional questions for daniels wealth readjusted keras canal reporting from outside of the courthouse in new york. Thank you. Care very much. Thats get some analysis from our political and legal experts write down caitlyn polantz, the defense crossexamination of Stormy Daniels. It got very, very combative. Whats the strategy here . Very combative . Out of the strategy is because the defense, wants to put Stormy Daniels in the hot seat undermine what shes saying showing that she has a motivation financially to come out and talk about this alleged sexual encounter she had with donald trump back in 2006. And then to not just highlight her motivations, but to try and find inconsistencies her about how she wanted to tell that story and the story she ultimately has settled on telling in the witness box under oath. So some of these very testy questions that the defense team has been asking are basically statements that she has to say yes or no to over and over again, highlighting that youre making money by claiming that you had sex with donald trump you are making more money. The more you talk about that in your story. And you make less money, the less salacious that this has been since 2016, Stormy Daniels essentially a read to all of that. But some of the things that the defense asked went too far and the judge would sustain an objection where the prosecutors would pop up and say, we dont think its fair that you and Michael Cohen both believed that you would be Making Money Off of this . Depending on what your story was that you would be telling. That was objected to and sustain. So the jury cant hear all of that, even though theyre getting the suggestion of it, we get Elliot Williams into this conversation she admitted under questioning from the Trump Defense team that she and she said this under oath that she hates trump house. The jury likely to to interpret that . Not well wealth and thats the kind of thing that will speak to a witnesss credibility. Now, big picture. Why was this witness called . And if you think of what the prosecution has to establish that, number one, there were falsified Business Records. Two to benefit a campaign or for the for the good of the trump campaign, three, about romantic or sexual affair. Now, she was there largely to establish the existence of this sexual encounter, which she did. And as caitlin said in spectacular fashion, with a lot of details there. Now, these questions about hating the former president that speaks to her credibility and whether the jury, autumn i believe now, again, there was plenty of believable and credible testimony in there. But there are a number of credibility issues starting with the bias against the former president , starting with his kaitlan touched on financial incentives. Maybe that she might have why she came forward in the first place after the access Hollywood Tape it come out there are many things to call into question. Your credibility build brende your bill. You represent a trump during the 2020 to Trump Organization trial. So you know, trump quite well. Let me get your thoughts because he keeps denying that there was any sexual encounter, any affair at all. How is that likely to win . Fact to affect his credibility with the jury . Well well, if i think that the defense team will do a good job and reminding the jury that this isnt about whether or not there was an encounter between Stormy Daniels and the former president. Its about whether or not in this particular case there was a second crime, election fraud, or election finance. Freud, and really they have to get there and they didnt do that today. Youd i lost the bet on this one. I thought that the prosecution would put her on, make their points and get her off, but and judge, merchan, before the jury was put in the box today, made it Crystal Clear that she was only allowed to say we had sex and the prosecutor must often juror who i try the case against in a very courtroom 18 months ago, just gilded the lily and ask any questions she felt like and i think forest suh necheles, a tremendous leuser to go at are hard and the cross i think has been effective Elliot Hit The Nail right on the head. That jury is going to get an instruction that if a witnesses bias or motive, or skin in the game, so to speak, you take that testimony with caution. She said, i hate him. I mean, thats some strong stuff. Wolf, very strong indeed. Crystal homes. This was probably the most dramatic day so far. In this Hush Money Trial i guess the trump team is watching this closely, looking at the politics of all of this your in touch with them. What are you hearing . Yeah, watching us closely. I mean, theyre learning a lot. This in real time. Remember there are no cameras in the courtroom, and most of the advisors that are actually in the courtroom dont have access to their cell phones. So they are watching us and breaking this down as we are as well. Now, what is it worse than what they thought it was going to be . No, they expected today to be bad. They knew it was going to be salacious testimony. They had been bracing for that. They knew it was going to be embarrassing to donald trump when these reports first came up years ago, donald trump was embarrassed. It potentially on his relationship with mulino while he was in the white house. They expected that to happen. Now one thing i think they didnt expect to happen was there are calls for a mistrial, seeing Stormy Daniels be pushed further, give more details than she was allowed to and they stand by that decision. They now say that theres an argument to be made. And again, this is according to trumps own team that this is not just political, which is their main argument, but that this was also just done to embarrass donald trump that there were moments where the judge could have stopped this kind of testimony that was think arguably embarrassing to the former president , and thats one of the things that theyre going to be doubling down on. Well, what are you hearing from the trump team . Not too much. I mean, i represented it was one of a team of lawyers that represented the former president in his second impeachment and for about eight weeks. And this very courtroom with this very judge and most of that prosecution team, but everything i hear a second habit, suh natural. This is a tremendous lawyer. Mr. Blanche and mr. Beauvais or a plus lawyers . Hes in good hands, but its a question hit the nail on the head two, its its playing into the narrative. The defense will sell he if this happened and if cohen paid this money, it was to avoid embarrassment and shame to a man who was a relatively newly married and had a brand new baby son and didnt want his marriage to go down the drain if there was a political benefit, it was collateral, it wasnt the prime primary motive. And wolff, you only need one jaroun to buy that. Yeah. And its interesting how the jury assesses that very question. We can all agree this was embarrassing ones children, spouse, family, extended family, whatever else. But also maybe problematic for a president ial campaign. Now, both can be true and the question is how the prosecutors make sense of that, but also to a point that the jury doesnt regard its simply as trying to paper over personally embarrassing conduct, but also relevant to the campaign and really has not been any testimony that this transaction 130,000 and the nda nondisclosure agreement was termed daniel, so that didnt exist. She got paid to keep quiet who it came from and why if donald trump authorize that and what his motivation and his intent was there, thats the question. For the jury has to decide that there has been no dispute and as far as i can tell so far in what shes testified to, show her story hasnt had major changes are red flags. There havent been any falsehoods that the defense team may have wanted out. She goes on national television, tells jimmy kimmel, it wasnt me and tells Anderson Cooper and 60 minutes, i didnt it was it didnt happen. I mean, these are leinz that she has to live with the jury will also get an instruction in latin. It sounds so much more and more poetic, but falses to newton forces anonymous omnibus, if you like hi, once you can presume theyre lying all the time as she she came across, i thought as somebody with an ax to grind, shes an opportunist and, you know, it goes back to paraphrase if theres an old Frank Sinatra quote hell, have no fury like an opportunist with a press agent. You mentioned those payments. They didnt go directly point a to point b. It went through gloria rodriguez, the press agent to davidson, the lawyer, to cohen i mean, its a cr codis rhoad to get all those people have testified to that they were all aware that this story would have monetary value after the access hala. Just keep in mind is a lot of the preview of what were going to see in terms of the crossexamined nation of Michael Cohen i mean, what we saw today, and i dont expect it to be much longer. I was told by the trump team that they are going to keep all of the crossexamination short except for when it comes to Michael Cohen, they expect that to be pretty lengthy, but you can see how theyre going to get at it using these old twitter posts, using these old videos, we need pointed out the fact that swarm of daniels has written a book had a podcast, has written number of tweets saying that she wasnt going to pay the former present. Shed have to go to jail before she paid him back his fees. That is just the tip of the iceberg. If youre looking at Michael Cohen, someone who really has an ax to grind with donald trump appears to be the setup for that as well. No trial tomorrow. Its wednesday. Theres no Trials Sessions on wednesday day, but there will be thursday morning, Stormy Daniels, well be back for more questioning, right . Yeah. And thats again, we dont expect it to last all day. As ive been told by his legal advisors, none of the crossexamination is that they were planning were expected to be very lengthy, except again, Michael Cohen, but i do want to make one point that you said youve talking a lot about Donald Trumps lead theyll team and as we know, weve reported that donald trump has been voicing some concerns about members of his legal team like todd blanche. He was pretty happy today. Im told by some of his advisers at the beginning of that defense questioning, but from susan niclas, he thought she hear me . Yes. She. Thought she was doing a really good job. Now, obviously, up to waiting and see, but she was doing her vicious attack dog, which is obviously what donald trump thinks is always best when it comes to his defense. If you know donald trump, you know, that. All right, guys. Thank you very, very much. Just ahead. Much more on the blockbuster day in the trump Hush Money Criminal Trial. But first, theres Breaking News in another criminal case against donald trump right now. The judge in the classified documents case issuing a major order on the trial date, stay with us. Youre in the Situation Room trump hush money, trial