On Tuesday afternoon, Michael Cohen, once the personal attorney to Donald Trump, found himself on the receiving end of harsh inquisition during Trump’s criminal trial. The defence, led by attorney Todd Blanche, attempted to undermine Cohen, the prosecution’s principal witness. Blanche taunted Cohen for possible selective memory loss and avoiding questions. Additionally, he implied Cohen’s testimony stemmed from his animosity towards the ex-president and his attempts to financially gain from it.
Cohen stated that he was directed by Trump to suppress the account of an erotic film actress, Stormy Daniels, concerning their alleged 2006 sexual encounter at a Lake Tahoe hotel, by paying her $130,000 in hush money. As a result, Trump now faces 34 felony charges of concealing the reimbursement of Cohen through fraudulent business documentation. The 77-year-old Trump has repudiated these allegations and insisted that he did not engage in sexual activity with Daniels. If held guilty, Trump could potentially be sentenced to jail or probation.
Here are five notable points after the 17th day of Trump’s trial:
1. The trial is nearing its conclusion, with Trump being an unpredictable element.
On Tuesday, prosecutors hinted at Cohen being their concluding witness. The defence expressed hopes of completing their cross-examination by Thursday, the final court day of the week, indicating the end may be in sight. However, Trump remains a wild card in this case. Trump’s legal team informed Judge Juan Merchan that they are likely ready to present their case by Monday and Trump appearing on the stand remains a possibility.
2. There’s no conclusive victory in a critical cross-examination.
Blanche attacked Cohen right out of the gate, implying that the unstable Cohen had previously insulted him on the web. Although the judge halted this line of questioning, Blanche relentlessly bombarded Cohen with queries about his public communications and his lack of compliance with prosecutorial orders, as well as his feelings towards Trump. He further probed Cohen about his social media posts, including harsh judgements of Trump likening him to a captive animal and a cartoon villain. Cohen tactfully acknowledged these as likely his words, leaving the defence without any significant hit on his credibility.
3. Cohen speaks about feelings but doesn’t demonstrate them.
Cohen’s impending disclosure was expected to cause a stir. During Trump’s civil fraud case late last year, he was known to object to legalities from the witness stand, deliberately dodge queries, and draw upon court cases to aid his defensive stance. However, he has demonstrated surprising control during his initial testimonies, providing straightforward, concise responses and rarely veering off course.
Though Cohen verbalised some derogatory remarks about Trump, he also credited his ex-employer, alluding to his previous respect for Trump. Investigators might assume that this could validate Cohen’s principled approach as opposed to vengeful intentions.
The trial’s outcome hinges on paperwork: throughout the month-long trial, several testimonies were heard regarding adult film stars, hush money, and election campaign frenzies. But the jury, which may be given the case possibly even before next week concludes, will have a batch of documents to scrutinise.
These encompass a number of cheques addressed to Cohen, who repeatedly verified the fraudulent nature of the notion of these cheques being payments for legal service retainers on Tuesday. The jury is also likely to carefully read the transcriptions of Cohen discussing a 2017 meeting held in the Oval Office, where, according to him, Trump acknowledged the plan of reimbursing him.
House speaker Mike Johnson vocally supported Trump’s assault; in an unusual scene, Johnson – being the next in line for presidency – stigmatized the criminal prosecution as a “farce” outside a Manhattan courthouse. Johnson denigrated Cohen, referring to him as someone “bent on personal vengeance,” stating that “his words in there aren’t worth believing.”
Even though law enforcement support is a staple of the Republican Party, this style of aggressive speech has become common during Trump’s hearing, with Trump’s presumptive presidential nominee colleagues rallying in court to back him up, among whom were North Dakota governor, Doug Burgum, and prior presidential candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy.
Their defence of Trump is acting under gag order, prohibiting him from lashing out at the jury and witnesses including Cohen. Trump has already been charged with 10 breaches, along with a threat of imprisonment should he pursue this course.
In a morning interview with the press, Trump declared, “I have many representatives and they are speaking quite eloquently.”
The next participant at the proceeding, scheduled for Thursday, is not yet known as Cohen’s cross-examination is underway.
This piece was initially published in The New York Times.