Right. Thank you so much, bill. And dont miss the onehour champions for change special saturday at 9 00 a. M. S3 60 starts now good evening. And what a day and welcome to a week of testimony from perhaps the most consequential in controversial prosecution witness in the former president s hush money trial, Michael Cohen, a onetime fixer attorney, and according to his memoir, Designated Thug for the former president hes now a convicted felon and self admitted per juror, but despite that resume, he took the stand today as the single individual who can show the jury believe him, do what no other witnesses can testify to multiple direct conversations with the former president about then candidates not alleged knowledge and even authorization of every critical step of the alleged good morning crime that forms the basis of 34 Felony Charges against him, plus, cohen can testify to the prosecutions allegation that the socalled catch and kill scheme was a political move designed to win an election. Cohen today quoted trump telling me, want to Stormy Daniels allegation under wraps until after the election, quote, if i win and has no real hello events, i will be president if i lose, i dont even care. Prosecutor used Tax Call Logs and emails wherever possible to document cohens testimony and tried to front end the credibility issue. The defense will certainly use against cohen afterwards, the former president addressed the news media. He had harsh words for the trial itself and the judge, but no mention of the witness just in the gag order or maybe having an effect joining me now, criminal Defense Attorney arthur aidala, former federal prosecutor, jeffrey thuban, and a slew of my colleagues who are in the courthouse on these huge de anchors, abby, phillip kaitlan, collins, laura coates, and also correspondent kara scannell, caroline start off with you as we often do. What was like. I mean, i thought it was just so fascinating how Michael Cohen was so cool control today, his answers were very deliberate. He chose his words carefully. He was measured as he told this whole story from when he first started working for donald trump, where he was talking favorably about him, about the experience to ultimately where we ended up at the end of the day, which is work he said donald trump approved this reimbursement to him. Another thing that really stood out to me was how prosecuted theres where weaving these call logs inbetween everything that michael kahn was testifying to really give the jury Something Else to look at it. Its not just Michael Cohen way. Its not just Michael Cohens where because a lot of this is cohen remembering a conversation he had with trump, but theres no other evidence of what that conversation was except these call log shows that calls took place one that stood out to me right before Michael Cohen went to the bank to create the bank account for Essential Consultants and then why are the 130,000 payment to Keith Davidson, Stormy Daniels, attorney . He called donald trump twice that morning at 8 30. We know he got to the bank at 10 00 a. M. And open the account and began this process. So we were seeing from the prosecutors getting to the credibility of cohen giving the jury Something Else to look at here, which were these call logs kaitlan, you were there in the afternoon. What was that like . Yeah. And the afternoon is really when they got to the heart of why were sitting inside that courtroom, which is the negotiation of this deal. That was interesting to me. I never heard Michael Cohen say before that he spoke to donald trump before he took down that Home Equity Line of credit. But what was so notable about that moment is what we had heard from qarrah on our other colleagues all morning. Was that trump wasnt that Michael Cohen wasnt really looking at the jury, wasnt making eye contact when he was answering that question and explaining why he did it, which is because it was paperless, no documents would come in the male to his home saying that you took out 130 Thousand Dollar line of credit because his wife didnt know and he was explaining that he looked directly at the jury for sustained periods of time. And it was kinda walking them through it. And then in another moment he was explaining when which the prosecution was trying to get up because they know the defense will bring this up on crossexamination. Is Michael Cohen wanted a job inside the Trump Administration and didnt get one. And Michael Cohen was saying today, he didnt actually think he was qualified to be Chief Of Staff and he wanted his name to be yeah, thats a great well, this is the before days, but he wanted his name to be included because it was essentially an ego boost. He was very upfront and blunt about that, but he was talking about Text Messages with his daughter and how good of a relay they shouldnt ship that they have and where she was texting him and they showed this on the screen that she was asking, you know, youre not going to get a job after everything youve done for donald trump and that was his feeling as well. And he was kind of explaining that to the jury and they were listening very closely. And it was kind of a humanizing moment for Michael Cohen, which he certainly is going to need when the defense tries to obviously leslie of this or write them as were there were a lot of those you were doing. It was there in the morning for the ramp up to all of this and this is where you really saw Michael Cohen. I think exercising the control, the qarrah is talking about. Weve all at some point or another talk to Michael Cohen, the version of Michael Cohen that most people are used to. Hes pretty bombastic. He can be very loud is not that person on the Witness Stand when he first got there in the morning, he had his hands to his side almost as if he was sitting on them. He had his Body Language was so close to the vest and he starts talking about this relationship with trump, trying to build up this credibility that he was not always this bitter person even to the point point of talking at not on numerous occasions about how many times he did things for donald trump, knowing that he would not get paid for it. He was not paid for a lot of work that he did before he came into the trump organization, there was 100,000 hundred thousand dollar build that that served in two key ways. Is this perhaps speaks to how well well, he was prepared one, it showed that trump if you didnt want to pay a bill, he wouldnt pay it. But to that Michael Cohen was willing to do whatever for the simple praise of being in trumps orbit. And then again, when after the election, trump doesnt give him the job of his dreams, but does make him a personal attorney. He says he knew he wasnt going to get paid for that job. He was going to have the title, but no compensation. The only money that he was going to get where those 35,000 checks that were actually more or less reimbursements for the hush money scheme. I was really struck by just how puppy like he he portrayed himself for donald trump. I mean, were there when i was there in the morning, it was a bit surreal to see him describe himself and his boys have been must be wistful talking about. I was on Top Of The World when he would we need praise them, that he was seeking that praise, that validation, and that was so important for the prosecution to get out because they want the jury to have a snapshot. They dont want the Michael Cohen up today. They want to have the person who at that time, what were you willing to do . What did you do . But more importantly, at who is behest did you do so . We hadnt heard my testimony up until now about the directions that were given by donald trump who he was giving the argument detection two, we heard today, i want you in david pecker to work together. You and Allen Weisselberg to figure this out. The instructions given in a way we had not seen before. And there was also a moment where they took the wind out of the sale of the defense. Argument to suggest that look, hes a liar and all capacities, why believe im always has one i lied routinely for donald trump. That was part of my job. He knew that i did that for the media, the other part was the big question everyone asks, why did he record that phone call or that that conversation between himself and donald trump . He says fronting the issue. I didca ibeuse i want p didker to remain loyal to tmpi did because i wanted to ow pecker that he didnt tend to pay the mone and i knew it was going tout off the phone clt otyeor the caage inhe end, but didnmatter already have whatde ieeha tt point. Anhed therha s coming across as authenti the jur or not, thateems like the biggest bunch of bowl. I m that he dold trumps personal attorney n Isee Quarterlrecording Recording A Phe call agast covers, ings of his own client that heenth t gngo tayo david pecker, an alled alpeon friend donald trump yeah tell david peck how trump has his back. m the personal Friend Ofonald ump that im vicker. Wouldnt daviir go to tres he didnt say thats wg with simportant,ere u of the legatei . , e you priorl counsel . No, iot nan add ard the idea of m beg called the attorney th time. He was wanting to tell dad cker that he secretly rerdedco the other part about this is that yes. Did pecker was a close friend, two degree of Donald Trumps. Butorccding to chaehen, this is his imy. David peckewas rious and was antsy. He was nervous that he had put bacally 130,000 on ami She Wrappe Bnkcoanacunt and he couldnt justify it and he wanted trump to rep tt monecknd on top of that, Amhad Thweatraof Dirt alleged Rt On Donald Trump anMichael Cohen was nervous abou. T tsohe money th w sposed to go to Karen Mcdougal was not just for Ren Mcdougalbut also for the co onttsf that d rar. The part that the mo skeptiof why all of a suddenhat went away it went away py suly. All of adden, da oh, i de all this money. That this s sketchy and he s coing for his own tiprecumber, say that but thats alsoot to thfie net i dont ump eith. I dont think t gef ofthe they needed to well, thehing that smetrk in readin i wanot in the courtroom, but in reading theesmony. Is sdicaolng te Hath Osecutiois BldinaroundChaecoarhe Qrah Ntioned the phone records, but its not juhe phone recds. Its hoofn thn hoffinger,he lawyer, either explicitly or implicitly connected his testimony to other evidence in the case, whether its other Testimony Other other documents just building this scaffolding so that if he gets attacked, its not just his word. Now, obviously his word counts for a lot, especially in the conversations with trump, but other than that, what the question i have and i assume well get to this later is just how are they going to attack him . Because they cant say he didnt know donald trump and the checks speak for themselves. He did pay Stormy Daniels. He did get checks from trump. I mean, what is theyre going to say hes liar, hes terrible. But what is it that he lied about . Why we had a Defense Attorney what would you attack him . Everyone saying, oh, you know, today it a great day for the prosecution. If today was not a great day, for the prosecution, alvin bragg has to go in there tomorrow and like dismiss the charges. I mean, today had to be a great day on the first maybe maybe one of the theres so many ways to attack. But i would say mr. Cohen testified direct examination that, you didnt take 130,000 out of your bank account because to pay for this, because you dont want your wife to know . Correct. And what you determine to do the way to get around that wants to take out a Home Equity Line of credit, correct. And that was a way for you to lie to your wife, correct . No. No, i wasnt lying in my life. Well, you didnt go home and say honey, we have to make a decision here in our marriage to give 130 1,000 to pay this off. You didnt do that, correct. So you deceived your own wife regarding this particular matter . Correct. How does that make donald trump innocent . Its jeffrey, you know, this is why i have the charge will read or later on, i have the charge that the judge will read to the jury at the end of the case about credibility at basically anderson, what it says is you can except in whole or in part, its called falses uno. So if you find that hes lying about one thing, just one thing. The judge is going to tell him. You can throw out all of the testimony and one President Trump needs is one or two or maybe three of those people on the jury to be like, i cant live. Ami doesnt believe him about one thing seriously, then obviously one or two of those, people who dont agree with heart this guys full of it. I do have one other thing that i found to just be lacking in Michael Cohens testimony, but he testified to Allen Weisselberg talking him through how he would be compensated, and then he says, Allen Weisselberg went and break basically briefed trump. But he wasnt in the room for that conversation. The strong implication is that trump was then told that he was going to be given Michael Cohen was going to be given this money on the cover of some kind of retainer, which is the falsification of Business Records. Part of it. But Michael Cohen doesnt actually know that and he testified that maybe that conversation happened, but he cant really prove it and you cant really print. He was out allen, but he was asked at the end, which is probably one of those critical ones to come out of this is if Allen Weisselberg showed that document, which is the key document, really the whole case to trump where they talk about how theyll change it, and how always going to be compensated and then get the extra 50 grand for something that trump did didnt pay him four. And he said he testified that yes. Allen weisselberg did show that document to trump and that trump did approve it. If youre the jury, arent you wondering where is weisselberg theyd called other people just to talk about what hes done, what hes done, and how the accounting works. But thats the real missing elephant in the room. But one wait to get a sense of how maybe the fact finders a jury are thinking about this is through the objections that were raised by the defense that were sustained today when the judge is going along with what theyre arguing and part of that was every time the prosecution attempted to say and go one step further. If i go cohen and say and from what did you think that person meant when they said that to you . Why do you think that person was feeling at the time . It was objection. It was sustained each time because youre needing Michael Cohen to go that extra step to suggest it wasnt just intimation, it wasnt just my thought about how and why you were saying it, but could you actually give me the verbatim details of what they said as opposed to him just saying, well, what did he say once you told him things have been done . Fantastic. Kept saying he said fantastic. Fantastic is not an instruction, but it could be for the jury indication that he wanted it to happen kara scannell. Thank you. Ever more, everyone else stay with us. We just got the full transcripts of todays testimony, including Michael Cohen admitting to pass lies. John berman is going to go through those forests plus the most fascinating if you wanted the entire Courtroom Sketch but as Christine Cornell joins, except for the people on the panel, of course, Christine Cornell joins us again with her impressions been place where no cameras are sadly allowed, leg right back if you have chronic kidney disease, you can reduce the risk of Kidney Failure with bar sega because theyre places youd like to be for secular can cause serious side effects, including ketoacidosis that may be fatal dehydration, urinary tract, or genital yeast actions and low blood sugar. A rare lifethreatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur, stopped taking for sika and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of disinfection and reaction or ketoacidosis were still going for that nice catch. Were still going for that perfect pizza. And with higher stroke risk from aphid not goes by a heart valve problem. 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