Doctors preferred better science, better results. I, Hanako Montgomery and tokyo and this is cnn just pass 9 00 p. M. Here in new york, we begin the hour after the first of whats expected to be several days of testimony, the former president s hush money trial by a critical witness, Michael Cohen, a former fixer and attorney for donald trump. He testified today about the thencandidates alleged deep level of knowledge and involvement in the payments to Stormy Daniels, as well as delayed but reimbursement of cohen for cohen says fronting the cash. But cohens testimony is potentially undermine bypass that includes some Felony Conviction and ill equally significant credibility issues. Were joined now by lani davis, famed as a former Special Counsel for the president clinton. Hes now the former turning current legal advisor, Michael Cohen, also former federal prosecutor, elie honig is also joining us my name is good to see you. What was your impression of how Michael Cohen did . And what can you tell us about how the preparations that he has gone through before taking the stand well i wasnt there, of course, but i hear that he was controlled and it reminded me of the long journey painful at times that ive had with michael since june of 2018 when he finally talk to me about turning his life and fessing up and owning his lies over ten years with donald trump and i kept saying, why should people believe you . That was in june of 2018 the next time he walked into a hearing room on the record on National International television looking at a sign on the wall above, congressman jim jordan, head that said, liar, liar, pants on fire and that was the congressional hearings that we expected him to be calm and factual and Tell The Truth and own all his lies. And do that in real time. And then finally being with him for the last few years while prosecutors questioned him and ultimately decided that they had this case. But following how they a question to him and how they prepared as elie honig knows, the construction of his cases about documents and about Text Messages and about corroboration because of course they know that credibility will be at a line of attack and that hes gotta be backed up in everything that he says. And i think thats the way its been developed. And what do you think was the key moment today from his testimony, there were the key takeaway i wish i could have been in the courtroom. I decided it would be better to be in washington, not bad on my way through the courtroom and be available to do this for michael. But what i gather was a key moment for him was the control that he showed. I know last night id perform mothers day dinner. We talked and he was calm but he was very anxious and has been been a lot of stress, fear for his family, the president United States threatened his wife, is wifes father is children have been threatened. So hes been through a very bad or deal, not to mention any went to prison and was in Solitary Confinement after he refused to sign a piece of paper, promising not to write a book. This guy has been through a lot of pain and all i heard last night was resolved to do what i said to him before his congressional testimony keep your voice down to Tell The Truth and oan everything that you did wrong for trump. Dont defend and do an attack. Just own it. And the rest is going to be up to people to judge, including the jury. I never bunch of other folks on the panel course, there was a lot of my other one courses you its a question we ask Stormy Daniels attorneys just a second ago. Do you know how many times he worked with prosecutors and now with prosecutors to go over to prepare for today. I mean, it must have been alive. Yes. I, was with them every time. A lot of people made fun of me because i want are the same tan jacket all the time, anderson, i had to try to get another jacket we walked in and out of that Prosecutors Office first and the first set of prosecutors i first called cy vance and asked him to come up to otis field federal satellite penitentiary, he was sent to interview them for the first time, secretly in prison and that was in 2019. So count the years, how many sessions weve had with the prosecutors. First piecing together a financial fraud case, ultimately that went to the York Attorney general. Can which 100 or more and sometimes hours and hours at an end. So if i counted them up over five years, at least 100 or more you probably another j. Mean, i was there so it was painful i dont he just write questions for you one, you said earlier to wolf blitzer that every word of Michael Cohens testimony will be corroborated, but is there a way to corroborate what he testified to today . One of the biggest moments there at the end where he said that trump did approve the agreement that that he and ellis on weisselberg, ed, come to of how he would be repaid well, i think we had missed mcconney, hey verify that he was aware of the true up of those numbers. That is Allen Weisselbergs handwriting and trump dictated well, the approval. Allen weisselberg writing it up and trump knowing that he was not paying Legal Expenses. Rudy giuliani said that on television, donald trump at first said he knew nothing about the Stormy Daniels matter. We denied the affair but the fact of the Legal Expenses is going to be the key fact that the jurors just have to use their comics. Theyre common sense jurors. So go to bed at night and dont see snow on the ground in wake up in the morning and see snow on the ground have not seen it snow, but they use their common sense. Theres no other reasonable alternative donald trump in the oval office, why does this shock us and shocked me the first time michael told me it was before the congressional hearing. I said, how did you get paid michael the money that you laid out for Stormy Daniels . He said, oh, he wrote me checks when well, in the oval office when i visited him as president , he wrote, you checks in the oval office where are those checks . Oh, well, their home. Well, could you ask laura to take a photograph and send them to my phone so i can get them to the congressional committee. So what is the explanation that donald trump would say why he wrote 35,000 checks from our personal bank account while he was a sitting president. Yeah. Unless lets see testifies and i invited him today to testify. He said he would testify. Why wont he testify unless michael is telling the truth and hes afraid to testify. Yeah. I have a feeling hes not going to get on the stand, but i do want to just remind everyone in this one moment because you bring up the oval office. I agree with you. I actually asked donald trump about Michael Cohen when in the oval office, this was after the fbi had raided his home and his office, and trump had been saying publicly that the New York Times is trying to get Michael Cohen to flip on him and just, you can see the level of anger and trumps face as he doesnt answer these questions. Thank you very much thank you lets keep going what is on the other tapes mr. Obviously, after that, trump had his aides banned me from the white house, but i just wonder what you think it was like for Michael Cohen to be there in the room with donald trump today and for donald trump to listen to that testimony. Well, honestly, i listened to michaels voice last night and he sounded relieved to me and burdened because he finally after all this time he finally going to be able to Tell The Truth what happens to mr. Trump, whether he is acquitted or convicted is really not my concern nor should it be anybodys concerned. Its up to a jury thats our jury system and if he is acquitted than i accept that, but what i wanted was for michael as delta, his lawyer, to Tell The Truth and get his life back and when he called me and he said he was doing this for his wife and his family and his country. I believe tim because i knew he was only opening the door to a lot of suffering who is going to go to jail is going to be vilified by mr. Trump and all of his supporters, and hes faced nothing but pain. But i think theres something relieving about telling the truth and going through the pain of telling the truth. And thats what i hear heard in his voice last night when its ally here, good to see you. Its been a little bit. I just wanted to follow up so almost exactly 12 hours ago, i asked you, is Michael Cohen going to testify that donald trump approved these payments . In what you had termed the mob boss style, the general. Go ahead and get it done, or is he going to say that donald trump specifically authorized the specific Retainer Payments . You said 12 hours go it was going to be the mob boss style, but actually Michael Cohen did the opposite. He gave specific testimony. He finished up his testimony by saying there was a specific time when albert weisselberg and i net with donald trump laid out and retain her payments. And he said, do it. Were you surprised by that no. Sorry, ellie, i either misspoke. I didnt speak clearly or im just plain tired. No, of course, ive heard michael telling me that it was very specific. The understanding was he waited and waited. David pecker and the people at the National Enquirer were telling them you got to pay. It was Panic Setting in as election day approached. And finally, michael was waiting and waiting and then he got the instruction. Go ahead and pay it no question. But he also many times got the code from donald trump and lots of other incidents that he testified to in his congressional hearings. I think that was referring to that elie lanny, let me ask a question about the charges in this case. This is a case about false Business Records prepared by the trump organization. Does and this was something i was a little unclear about from the testimony today. Does Michael Cohen know specifically how donald trump caused false Business Records to be made . Or did he just take the money and assume the false business Business Records were made . Im not aware in all the hours that i spent with him which over 100 hours in this prosecutors moon, that he saw the recording of those Business Records as Legal Expenses which made them fraudulent. And of course enhances the 34 counts into felonies as a means of concealing the crime that i dont think theres any doubt that he was motivated for political reasons. Everybody. I just dont get that argument on that any longer. And of course, im trying to give him the benefit of the doubt because hes innocent until proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Geoff. But on the actual recording of the expenses, i think its more like the famous circumstantial evidence test that i said earlier. He knew they werent Legal Expenses of that is certain. Those numbers were recorded as Legal Expenses. So is he going to argue that he didnt know they were recorded as Legal Expenses when he knew he was Writing Checks from the oval office to reimburse a crime and that is the what the jury has to use. Its common sense about and the old song that i mentioned. If you go to sleep at night, theres no snow on the ground you wake up in the morning, theres snow on the ground, theres no direct evidence that its node this jury is going to have to use its common sense. Did donald trump really lie about there being Legal Expenses and then they recorded as Legal Expenses and it wasnt because of his instruction that there should be a concealment of the real crime, which was the crime that Michael Cohen went to jail for, which is paying money for political reasons right before an election. Lennard davis, i really appreciate your time tonight. Thank you. Could i say one thing, andrew serwer. Go yell. Spent a long time since ive said that to you. So go yeah you have a good night. Thank you. Thank you. Everyone else does stay with us where the full transcript from todays testimony coming up, Michael Cohen testifying on the fallout of the access Hollywood Tape plus the former president brought an entourage, republicans with them today to say the things a gag order prevents him from saying thats ahead russia. Were trying to spy on us. We were spying on them this is a secret, war. Secrets and spies premier sunday, june 2, the ten home cnn i have moderate to severe Crohns Disease. 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Call today welcome to the world of spycraft keep your eyes glued to the action lets get down. Lets get funky what are you concealing your communist sympathizer . Just supervisor. Streaming exclusively on the full transcript of todays testimony by Michael Cohen is out. He became the latest witness to testify just how scared the former president of 2016 Campaign Staff was when the access Hollywood Tape surfaced one former aide who worked at the rnc when the tape came out, previously testified that members there were rattled than that she remembers conversations about possibly needing to replace trump as the republican president ial candidate. Today, cohen gave more testimony about the fallout and john berman joins us with some of those transcripts. Yeah, it was really the Stormy Daniels matter following Access Hollywood that according to Michael Cohen, in rage, donald trump are really set him off. Hes describing a moment when Stormy Daniels people is to be Keith Davidson a