It is good to see you, my friend. It has been a while, alex. This is the courtroom roundtable tonight. Everyone joining me of course was at the courthouse and it will basically be the gabfest we would have hanging around in the hallways. Can i just say, we didnt talk about this on our show, but trump ordered 14 pizzas for lunch. How many pizzas did you have . Zero. I did not know where the pizza was. You know, he is not the best at sharing, i guess. I mean, who even likes a Chicken Ranch pizza . That was one of the orders. I am excited to see your courtroom gabfest. Have a good show. Michael cohen was on the Witness Stand for 4 1 2 hours today. He was as steady and calm and as unfailingly polite as he has been throughout his testimony, to virtually everyones surprise. The politeness seems genuine. He says yes sir and his answers to Donald Trumps lawyers Cross Examination questions. There was even a moment where the politeness went both ways between Donald Trumps lead criminal Defense Lawyer todd blanche after Michael Cohen gave a detailed explanation of the new York City Taxi business, including the regulations of the taxi and Limousine Commission back when Michael Cohen owned very valuable taxi licenses. Todd blanche said, quote. Understood. Thank you. To which Michael Cohen said, youre welcome. And they both seemed to munich, which brought hints of smiles to the faces of some of the jurors that how polite the politeness could be. Todd blanche smartly went out of order in his questioning of Michael Cohen, out of sequence. Assistant District AttorneySusan Hoffinger, who did the direct examination of Michael Cohen, took them through the chronological story of his life before donald trump and then his life with donald trump, ending with his Life Of Crime and guilty pleas and admissions of perjury. In that chronological flow over 11 years, his story of lying for donald trump to protect donald trump made since as his role as Donald Trumps personal lawyer and fixer. Lying for donald trump is what got Michael Cohen indicted. When you take Michael Cohens lying out of order, as todd blanche did, it is a much messier story and harder to follow. The incentives for lying are deliberately left out in the flow of questioning that todd blanche chose. The problem for todd blanche during at least four hours of questioning today is that it was covering ground already covered by the District Attorney. So every lie that todd blanche was underlining to the jury had already been revealed to them in the District Attorneys direct questioning. About five minutes of that questioning, maybe as much as 10 by todd blanche, right before the lunch break today, paid off in the way that every criminal Defense Lawyer is hoping crossexamination questions will pay off. Todd blanche pointed Michael Cohen to a phone call logs that the District Attorney used to identify a phone call between Michael Cohens phone and his bodyguard, Keith Schillers, phone. Here is how that testimony went on monday with assistant District AttorneySusan Hoffinger about that phone call. Question. Lets take a look at the call on october 24 at 8 02 p. M. Do you see that call . Answer, yes, maam. Question. Was it 8 02 p. M. . Answer. Yes. Question. Do you know why you were reaching out to mr. Schiller in the evening . Yes. Question. Why . Because i needed to speak to mister trump and i knew that keith, Keith Schiller was with him. Question. Why did you need to speak with mister trump . Answer. To discuss the Stormy Daniels matter and the resolution of it. And did you have an understanding about whether during that conversation resolved that, you are moving forward to fund the deal . Answer, yes. That was then under direct examination. Today todd blanche revealed some text by Michael Cohen about an hour before his call to Keith Schillers phone. Those were to and from a phone number that had been making harassing phone calls to Michael Cohen and the person sending the text eventually apologized to Michael Cohen and claimed to be 14 years old. Today, question. Do you recall at 7 48 texting Keith Schiller about this 14 yearold, do you recall that . Answer. I dont recall. Question. Do you recall texting Keith Schiller at 7 48, who can i speak to regarding Harassing Calls to myself and office, the dope forgot to block his call on one of them, you dont recall that . Answer, it sounds right, yes sir. Question. You recall your initial text at 7 48 and then he says call me, to you, right . Answer, yes, sir. Question, when you testified on tuesday that you had a specific recollection of that one minute and 36 second phone call was not with Keith Schiller. You finalized the deal with Stormy Daniels and you said we are going to move forward and he said yes because you kept him informed all the time. That was your testimony, right . Answer, thats correct. Question. That was a lie. You were actually talking about the fact you are getting harassing phone calls from a 14 yearold, correct . Answer, part of it was the 14 yearold, but i know keith was with mister trump at the time and it was more than potentially just to this. That is what i recall based on the documents i reviewed. Question. That is not what you testified to on tuesday. You said you had a recollection of a phone call on a over 24 where you called mr. Schiller and he gave the phone to President Trump and you told President Trump about the updates, that you are moving forward with the funding and he said okay, go. That was a lie. You did not talk to President Trump on that night. You talked to Keith Schiller about what we would just went through. You can admit it. Answer, no sir, i cant. Im not certain that was accurate. Question. You were certain it was accurate on tuesday when you are under oath and testifying. You were certain it was accurate. You had a phone call to President Trump, but now you are saying you are not certain it was accurate. Answer. Based on the records i was able to review in light of everything going on, i believe i also spoke to President Trump and told him everything regarding the Stormy Daniels matter was being worked on and it is going to be resolved. Question. We are not asking for your belief. This jury doesnt want to hear what you think happened. Objection. The court, sustained. Michael cohen adjusted his testimony to say that he probably first said something to Keith Schiller about the harassing 14yearold, before talking to donald trump to get his approval for the Stormy Daniels deal. Michael cohen said i always ran everything by the boss immediately. And then it was time for the lunch break. Todd blanche handled those few minutes with crossexamination very effectively. Very effective in the courtroom. That phone call at 8 02 p. M. Is not the only part of Michael Cohens testimony that delivers Donald Trumps approval of the Stormy Daniels deal. Earlier, in october, 2016, donald trump said just pay it, just do it, according to Michael Cohens testimony to the District Attorney on monday. Here is that testimony from monday. Question, what, if any, additional pressure did you feel to close this deal with Stormy Daniels as a result . Answer, because the daily mail was in play and they were anxious to sell the story. Question, did there come a time after that, again, still in october, 2016, that mister trump expressed to you he could no longer delay this transaction . Answer, yes. Question, and describe that conversation you had with him. Answer, he stated to me that he had spoken to some friends, some individuals, very smart people and that it is 130,000, you are like a billionaire, just pay it. There is no reason to keep this out there, so do it and he expressed to me, just do it. Go meet with Allen Weisselberg and figure this out. Question, following that conversation with mister trump did you in fact have discussions about trying to figure out how the payment would be made . Answer, yes. Todd blanche has not asked a single question about Michael Cohens discussions with Allen Weisselberg to arrange payment of hush money. Todd blanche told the judge today that he would use about two hours to finish his questioning on monday and todd blanche will surely then try to create Reasonable Doubt about that meeting that Michael Cohen described where Allen Weisselberg handwrote the payoff plan on the left side of that Bank Statement of Michael Cohens that showed Michael Cohens 130,000 payoff to Stormy Daniels. Todd blanche is going to have to come up with an alternative explanation for the 1 written in Allen Weisselbergs own handwriting on the document. A document which Michael Cohen says they then brought into Donald Trumps office and discussed with donald trump, that very document. The three of them in the room, looking at that document. Donald trump, Allen Weisselberg, Michael Cohen. In this trial, Michael Cohen will be the only person who was in that room it will room who will offer under Oath Testimony about that room. The defense indicated there is no plan to call Allen Weisselberg to the Witness Stand, who could conceivably testify on behalf of donald trump and maybe say that meeting never took place. That testimony is not going to happen. The defense has all but admitted to the judge that donald trump will not testify, so the jury is going to be instructed that the lawyers questions are not evidence. Testimony by witnesses is evidence that the jury can accept or reject, but questions by lawyers are not evidence. Questions by lawyers proved nothing, so todd blanches big moment today where he raised his voice to the loudest level we have heard in that very polite courtroom from anyone in that room, saying to Michael Cohen, that is a lie, is not evidence in this trial. The jury will be instructed to that effect. The only actual evidence we have in this trial about that 8 02 p. M. Phone call is what Michael Cohen has said about that phone call. Donald trumps lawyers could call Donald Trumps bodyguard to testify under oath about that phone call, but they have indicated that they will not call Keith Schiller. And so a loud and jarring and very effective question was asked by todd blanche before the lunch break today, but it is not evidence. There were other moments that todd blanche had today that are, to put it mildly, perplexing. Todd blanche said something about Karen Mcdougal that undermines one of the pillars of the defense. Karen mcdougal was the playby play model who had a longterm affair with donald trump and her story was then suppressed by the National Enquirer on behalf of donald trump during the campaign when the National Enquirer paid Karen Mcdougal 150,000 for her life rights, so the national and buyer could then kill that story, prevent it from ever coming out. Todd blanche actually said to Michael Cohen that donald trump, quote, didnt think this story would hurt him. What about the milani a defense . The Defense Position is that whatever donald trump did in relation to the Karen Mcdougal story or Stormy Daniels story was all about protecting the feelings of his wife, not protecting his president ial campaign. Todd blanche said in court today that donald trump did not think the Karen Mcdougal story would hurt him. Why . Because she wouldnt care . Because she knows this is what her husband is up to all the time . At 3 43 p. M. Today, just before the end of Michael Cohens testimony for the day, todd blanche said to Michael Cohen, quote, President Trump reimbursed you from his own funds. Answer, either from President Trumps own funds or from the trust. So todd blanche admitted in that question today that donald trump reimbursed Michael Cohen. The reimbursement has already been proved beyond a Reasonable Doubt in another case, in a civil case in california. Donald trump admitted that he reimbursed Michael Cohen 130,000 for Michael Cohens payment to Stormy Daniels. That is a settled legal fact, but todd blanche doesnt seem to think so, because in his Opening Statement to the jury, todd blanche said you are going to learn that this was not a payback. The 35,000 a month was not a payback to cohen for the money that he gave to ms. Daniels. Todd blanche has not proved that. Todd blanche has not asked a single question about the money Michael Cohen received, for which Michael Cohen says he did absolutely no work and that it was, indeed, payback for which Michael Cohen has provided Allen Weisselbergs handwritten notes. Calculating the payback. So the essence of the charges in this case have not been touched by todd blanche is crossexamination yet. This is a case of falsification of 34 Business Records, which were falsified as part of a conspiracy to illegally affect an election. Donald trumps handwriting is on 11 of those false Business Records. The 11 checks made out to Michael Cohen. There is nothing in Cross Examination that is going to get Donald TrumpsSignature Off of those checks. 12 other falsified Business Records according to the indictment are Ledger Entries in the trump bookkeeping system. No, donald trump did not personally make those Ledger Entries in the bookkeeping system. The bookkeepers who made those entries have testified about how they made those Ledger Entries, but the law that donald trump is accused of violating makes it a crime to falsify or cause to be falsified in the new York Business record and the other 11 falsified Business Records in the indictment are Michael Cohens invoices that Michael Cohen sent to the Trump Organization<