Welcome to our special continuing primetime coverage of the Trump Hush Money Trials De 30th or sauce for me, daniels take the stand. Its all the defense move for mistrial over some of what she said and then launch into their crossexamination, which is expected to continue on thursday when the trial resumes. But before getting into the nuts and bolts of what transpiredoday, its hard not to stop, consider that this is happening at all. A former president of United States running for president again confronted the cord by the porn star whos silence, hes accused of buying and covering up so that he could become president the first time around tonight will bring you her testimony in great detail to the relationships she says they had the Effect Prosecutors hope it will have on the case and defense attempts to undermine it, which began early on with the following exchange. She had with trump attorney susan nicholas, who asked her quote, am i correct that you hate President Trump, to which daniels replied, yes. As for the former president and he did not have a single word to say about Stormy Daniels at the end of the day, but had plenty to say about the case itself. This was a very big day a very revealing a as you see, there cases totally falling apart. They have nothing on Motion Records and even something that should bear very little relationship to the Case Disaster for the idea to the source back to disaster well, just for reference, george soros is the billionaire who backs liberal causes as a frequent targeted republicans and the fort, right, according to cnn and fact, checker daniel dale, he is not donated to da album brags campaign, but did give money to a Political Committee which did support brag when i bringing the panel tonight, new york defense attorney arthur, i Dollar Bestselling author and former federal prosecutor, jeffrey toobin, my fellow cnn primetime anchors thatd be philip Kaitlan Collins and Laura Code Scaling was in the courts name, so weve seen is keras canal, who joined us as well. So lets start with both of you cara, what was it like . I mean, i thought there were so many different moments because so many Different Things happen today. There was Stormy Daniels when being questioned by the prosecutors and she was almost gfs gossiping with her friends, telling her story, looking at the jury a lot engaging, and we saw i saw a number of jurors taking notes, flipping through their pad of paper, writing down a lot of what was said even though a lot of what she testified has nothing to do with the falsified documents in this case and then there was trump reacting to that. He was nudging his attorney repeatedly trying to get them to object. They did. And the judge agreed with a lot of those objections because they had to do with streaming daniel is kind of going a little beyond the bounds of what the judge had said would be acceptable testimony and then the crossexamination, susan nechele, is came in. There are peppering her. So daniels demeanor change was sitting with their arms crossed she just was a lot more defensive in that mode and we heard Stormy Daniels tell the story of how she met donald trump, how she ended up in his hotel room, suite, how she came out of the bathroom and saw him lying on the bed bringing the jury into the rumen that detail, and then also saying both one question by the prosecutors and the that she did want to make money from this. That specially milling or story. And at least initially looking to sell her story and then she said she wanted to get it done before the election because essentially she thought thats been shared the most leveraged that donald trump wasnt going to pay her after the election. I mean, jeff toobin, i were talking about this just a minute ago. Another key thing that happened today that is kind of lost in this is that the prosecution had showed number of excerpts from trumps books from 20 years ago. This was before so daniels came out with four Stormy Daniels gaetz on the stand and theyre Reading Excerpts that are going exactly at some of these issues in the case where trump is saying you have to challenge every invoice, i sign every one of my checks and that is actually what this case is about i mean, i think the one word that everyone who was in the room can agree as it was incredibly intense i mean, regardless of if youre the defense or the prosecution, just the feeling in that room, it was like the book excerpts are interesting and they are probably really relevant to this case, but everyone knew that Stormy Daniels was coming because it was one of the first things that the prosecution and the defense addressed with the judge when they gotten the ruang today, which are the parameters of what she could tell testify even before the crossexamination started, it was so intense in that room, listening to her answer those questions, watching trumps reaction as he was paying more close attention than he ever has with really anything before at one point grimacing, he had this scowl on his face as she was telling certain stories about what he said she asked about his wife melania. The only time Melania Trump was brought up today. This is when she said she was in the hotel suite. This is before they had said she looked she looked at the picture and she said you have a beautiful wife. And he told her not to worry because they didnt sleep in the same room anymore. That was what she testified. But she also testified about a moment where in that same night in 2006 and lake tahoe, where she said she was kind tired of him talking about himself at dinner. They kept erupting already was showing her a magazine that had him on the cover of it and she said that the only thing she was interested in was squatting him with it and he kinda like dared or to do it. And she actually did it. She said and kinda acted it out in court at that moment, we saw trump malsin, a word you couldnt exactly tell what it was. But when now when you look at the transcript, there was a really tense moment right after that when they took a break. And now when you get the transcript, the judge asked the two sides to approach the bint and he said to trumps team, i understand your client is upset at this point, but he has Cursing Audibly and he is shaking his head visually. And thats contentious. It has potential to intimidate the witness and the jury can see that blends study would talk to him and the judge said, im speaking to you here at the bench because i dont want to embarrass him. Blend city. We talked to him and the judge said you need to speak to them. I wont tolerate that one time i noticed when ms daniels was testifying about rolling up the magazine and presumably smacking your client. And after that point, he shook his head look down, and later i think he was looking at you, mr. Blanch, when we were talking about the apprentice. And at that point, he again uttered a vulgarities and looked at you. Please talk to him at the break. Was juries not in the room. Witnesses in the road, but the judge is saying, you need to control your client while shes telling these very salacious details. In jeh few recently interviewed Stormy Daniels you just were you surprised at the level of detail she went into . Yes. I have a phd in Stormy Daniels study the i was not surprised that she answered the questions, but i was surprised that the prosecution asked them. I didnt think that was necessary, and i think there is some chance that some of what she said my generate a little sympathy for trump because for all today was fascinating and im sure everybody is fascinated as was i most of its just not relevant to the case. I mean, this is a case about the money that was paid to her and it almost doesnt matter whether they actually had sex. The argument is that trump was so worried about the report of the sex that the underlying truth of it doesnt doesnt really matter. I understand why the defense move for a mistrial. I think the judge was right not to granit, but i think some of this stuff was so explicit and so salacious that it was just unnecessary. And i thought the prosecution could have told this story in the somewhat more truncated way. This was always the risk with calling Stormy Daniels to the stand i mean, she is a colorful person by her very nature. If you look at clips of her on late night then in other interviews, settings and she really took that to another level on the Witness Stand every normal regular person witness is gonna be a little tricky on the Witness Stand. It seems to me, but Stormy Daniels is on a whole other level it was i mean, maybe its nothing ventured or nothing gained. I dont know if maybe there was some kind of hail mary at play here, but it seems like a huge risks to put someone on the stand who is not necessarily the most sympathetic witness she has a very specific part of the story to tell, but she was asked to tell way more of it than i think even people who dont like donald trump would care to here and how that will play with the jury is anyones guess, but it just im with jeffrey. It just seemed to me we learned way too much about the silk pajamas and whatnot. Im donald trump today. And none of that has to do with what hes ultimately to add one point, well, there isnt point though and have to be, its a difficult needle to thread you want to show credibility and a memory. You want to make sure that the audience the audience, as in the jury, is aware that this person remember specific details theyre not giving the broadest of strokes who enjoy that they say with precision, what happens now of course, the risk that is, she has testified not in federal court, but in other instances. So everything shes saying well be at matched up because Everything Else she said, but a jury wants to know that you remember this precisely, but the other fascinating thing is of course the star of this case is the least sexy thing of all its documents. There are 34 of them. Her place in this case to me was out of order. Not that you shouldnt have testified. She should but you should have come before the actual document. Witnesses came to testify because cranach are logically what you want to build is a story you want to talk about david pecker the caching kills. Then you want to move into the idea of, well, here is Karen Mcdougal or Stormy Daniels on these issues and what actually happened that theyre alleging, then you bring in the keith davids to talk about the ndas that are happening, then you talk about all right, now, here is when it gets to the meat of the matter. Now, nobody asked my opinion. I would think they should have, but they didnt ask my b on how you actually do it. But the chronology is important here. And really, i think it doesnt matter at all whether they believed that they actually had sex. What matters is that donald trump believed that she was going to go public with the alligator and that Michael Cohen believed so and that there was a structure surrounding her to ensure that they could stop that from happening . Thats going to be the crux of the issue. Everything else certainly has colorful, but i dont really think the jury is that prudish. I mean, i think anyone clutching their pearls about porn and donald trump and silk pajamas these are adults and grownups who know that sex happens. And i think that tabbing the conversation is not going to have them recoil as much as you thought it wasnt so salacious. And The Missionary Position and the word condom that was basically the actually painted a picture which may be none of us want to know of. But, but theyre there much more, much more salacious testimony or let me ask you, because journey crossexaminati on, the defense as daniels, about a story where shes she signed in and she Public Statement saying she that there was no sexual encounter with donald trump. She did this with as, part of this deal. She also talked to me about that. I asked her about it during the 60 minutes interview on the stand today, she testified she was motivated. Sayyed, the nondisclosure agreement by what she said was fear not money. This is what she told me back in 2018 i think some people watching this are going to doubt that you entered into this negotiation because you fear if your safety, theyre going to think that you saw an opportunity. I think the fact that i didnt even negotiate, i just quickly said yes to this very strict contract and what most people will agree with me, extremely low number is all the proof i need. You feel like if you had wanted to go public, you couldve gotten paid a lot of money to go public and it out it out. I know for a fact i believe without a shadow of a doubt. So you signed and released a statement that said, im not denying this affair because i was paid and hush money. Im denying it because it never happened thats a lie yes if it was untruthful why did you sign it because they made it sound like i had no choice. You have no one was putting a gun to your head, not physical violence. Now you thought that there would be some sort of legal repercussion if you didnt sign back as a matter of fact, the exact sentence used was they can make your life hell in many different ways. So i mean it consistent then uh, now, do you believe ultimately it comes down to who the jury believes . Well, if im the defense attorney here, suzanne niclas, fantastic. And the courtroom, in my opinion, you may be in this trial for real, like in other words, thats admissible. That statement is admissible. They have the ability to show that and show to the jury. Okay. So when were you lying, you know, what youre lying, then youre lying now look, i agree with everyone has said here so far, i had to call her even though the law is material witness. So if she didnt show up shes not a material witness. The judge could not sign a warrant for her arrest. She does not give any evidence that the prosecutor has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. She just gives a motive, basically for donald trump to want to do this, but they dont have to prove motive. But they had to put them forward. What i was surprised about was as much as they must have prepared are anderson, they must have prepared her for hours and hours and hours is how everyone describes her as being a nervous wreck when she first took the stand, how playing with our hair and talking so fast and the judge slowing it down. I was surprised about that. I was surprised about the light i couldve objections from the defense. I was kinda shocked that they didnt want seems like Prison FormerPresident Trump was also as well because the cara was aging. Is that yeah, which is normal. And then when you talk about him being chastised by the judge, any defense attorney who represents someone of the caliber of President Trump, meaning someone who really is with it because whats going on, ive had those moments where my client is cursing under his breath and the judge calls me. Judge merchan, what are you supposed to do . Hes supposed to say, listen, i know your guy is frustrated. I know he wants to stand up and say liar. Thats not true. That didnt happen. But he cant do it if he wants to testify later, but you gotta get them on control. And judge merchan did the right thank by spreads doing a man on the other side of that. It wasnt just trump who is being scolded i mean, Stormy Daniels in addition to being urged at least four times to slow down because the Court Reporters couldnt follow her. And even in the room, like you would hear her or give an answer and you could it didnt always land when she was trying to be funny. She was talking too fast because you say she was talking talking so quickly like when she said that her response to having dinner with trump was f off, it was kinda hard to hear her initially say the first part of that she kinda jumbled it. And then at two points after the judge spoke to the prosecution, he reminded Stormy Daniels to answer the question she was being asked because they would ask these wide ranging open question fins and she would meander and tell a story, but just kinda give the full picture instead of just answering, you exactly what happened. Im a very fast talker as you guys know, i cant tell you how often in court ive had a Court Reporter say, slow down to make sure because theyre the ones trying to transcribe the actual intonations and sound its not like a verbatim transcript but there are oftentimes when sometimes your witness can be all the more sympathetic because they keep being interrupted and slow down and either all the more selfconscious and can actually entered your benefit as a strategy in that because that person continuously is being told to stop and slow down. But remember also the judge, the judge criticize the defense said, i was surprised you had not been object getting more and he had unilaterally objected on their behalf because they need to preserve the record if they dont object, they dont have a chance later on and neck was i think at one point said, well, i thought because you hadnt been saying anything, it was okay. I mean, i dont know what kind of lawyering that is. It suggests i was going to wait for the judge to object before i object, they gotta be on their feet and actually, im client as surprise, gentlemen that they did not have more speaking objections, at least to try to play to the jury objection. Were going to hear this testimony and get chastised. Relevance, your honor. Objection. Objection. Relevance, your honore. Well, they just have the conversation at the bench about the parameters of her testimony. And so what Suzanne Nicholas said, what i thought you said this was okay. And then when i saw you object, i knew that this was grounds and i could o