#TrumpTrial Tues 14 May, 2024 🧵
#Trump has his posse again. Today it’s more #Republican elected officials. Today, Trump will be joined by the #House speaker, #MikeJohnson, as well as #NorthDakota’s governor, #DougBurgum, a contender to be Trump's running mate. Also present will be Representatives #ByronDonalds & #CoryMills of Florida, & #VivekRamaswamy, who was one of Trump's primary rivals this year. Both Donalds & Ramaswamy are longshot hopefuls to be Trump's running mate.
#Republican #LizCheney, the fmr congresswoman, #Jan6 cmte co-chair & #Trump critic, assailed #House Speaker #MikeJohnson for his impending appearance outside the courthouse where Trump's #ElectionInterference / #HushMoney trial is taking place. “Have to admit I’m surprised that SpeakerJohnson wants to be in the ’I cheated on my wife with a porn star’club,” she wrote on X. “I guess he’s not that concerned with teaching morality to our young people after all.”
Word has gone out to #Trump allies over the past few days that Trump wants to see a bigger show of support inside the courtroom. Trump's entourage is big enough today that they’re having trouble arranging themselves in the 2 rows of seats set aside for supporters of the defense's side.
Trump walks into the courtroom, trailed by #DougBurgum, #VivekRamaswamy, Eric & #LaraTrump, #BorisEpshteyn, & #AlinaHabba.
#Pathetic #loser #criminal #law #TrumpTrial #ElectionInterference #MobTactics #GagOrder
It’s worth noting that lawyers w/the defense are allowed to have phones, but members of the general public are not. The #Trump team has been pressing the rules on this for weeks now, & political allies live-tweeting from the courtroom is a new thing.
#MichaelCohen is called back to the stand.
Prosecutor #Hoffinger, will resume direct questioning.
Todd #Blanche, is expected to begin cross later.
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #MobTactics #GagOrder
#Hoffinger asks #MichaelCohen about meeting w/ #Trump in Jan 2017 & discussing getting reimbursed for his payment to #StormyDaniels. Cohen is shown an email sent a month later by #JeffreyMcConney, the #TrumpOrganization's controller, about the “invoices” [falsified]
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney #MobTactics #StormyDaniels #KarenMcDougal
#MichaelCohen describes meeting w/ #Trump in the #OvalOffice in Feb 2017. He says that Trump asked him if he needed money, & that he said no, he didn’t need any extra. He said Trump asked him to “deal w/ Allen,” meaning #AllenWeisselberg, who arranged the repayment plan for the #HushMoney. Trump also said, Cohen testified, that he’d receive a check for both Jan & Feb.
Prosecutors display a picture of Cohen visiting the #WhiteHouse at the time.
That was a key piece of testimony — in prosecutors’ own statement of facts, this is the only time that #Trump is said to have confirmed the repayment plan, which involved the payments being illegally disguised. But Trump only explicitly acknowledged it to #MichaelCohen, (at least per court testimony) Trump knew about the 2 checks that Cohen would receive in Jan & Feb.
Cohen is now explicitly testifying that the invoices he was sending to Trump were false docs.
#MichaelCohen is going through check stubs for the first 2 checks & saying the descriptions of them were “false.” Cohen says both #EricTrump, who is sitting in the courtroom, & #AllenWeisselberg signed the first 2, from Trump’s revocable trust account. At some point, it switched to #Trump’s personal account.
Cohen is now testifying about checks Trump started signing himself, from his personal account.
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #MobTactics
Right now #Republican #House Speaker #MikeJohnson is speaking in front of the courthouse at the #TrumpTrial, while #MichaelCohen testifies about specific false documents.
#Republicans #Cult #criminal #law #Trump #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney #MobTactics #StormyDaniels #KarenMcDougal
Back in the courtroom, jurors are seeing the documents that prosecutors say are false. Yesterday #MichaelCohen described the Jan meeting w/ #AllenWeisselberg, when #Trump heard Weisselberg say that the monthly payments would be a retainer for *legal services* It is that single line from a witness— the word “yes” —that most directly attaches Trump to the alleged #crimes. And the signatures on the checks from his personal bank account.
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #conspiracy #ElectionInterference
Prosecutors are arguing that #Trump’s sign-off on the repayment plan, along w/his knowledge that #MichaelCohen would be falsely reimbursed for “#legal services,” indicates that he approved of what they say was a #crime.
There’s mountains of documentary #evidence that #Cohen was paid for legal services he didn’t actually provide, & that these were reimbursements. The question of what Trump knew relies mostly on Cohen’s testimony.
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #conspiracy #ElectionInterference
Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, Speaker #MikeJohnson just accused prosecutors of advancing a “sham” trial against “one president to provide cover for another.” His comments come 1 week after Johnson escaped being removed as speaker of the #House by Rep #MarjorieTaylorGreene, who criticized him of not doing enough to defend #Trump. Guess this is penance to the false idol.
#Republicans #Cult #MAGA #Mob #criminal #law #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference
“I came here again today, *on my own*, to support *President Trump*, because I am one of hundreds of millions of people — & one citizen — who is deeply concerned about this,” #MikeJohnson said.
Note — #Trump, mins AFTER the vote happened, had encouraged #HouseRepublicans on social media not to oust Johnson —yet: “We’re not in a position of voting on a motion to vacate. At some point, we may very well be, but this is not the time.”
#MichaelCohen is asked about additional work he did for the #TrumpOrganization, some of it #legal work, including for the #Trump Organization’s general counsel, Alan Garten. Cohen is saying he didn’t expect to be paid for that work & did not send invoices for it. Trump’s lawyers have indicated that they may argue that Cohen was doing real legal work, & was being paid for that. This may be an example of the prosecution seeking to air an argument before the defense can.
#MichaelCohen is asked to estimate how many hours of #legal (or quasi-legal) work he did for #Trump in 2017.
Cohen: “Less than 10.”
Cohen is now saying he did some legal work for Trump in 2018 in response to #StormyDaniels wanting to go public, & Trump wanting an arbitration action filed against her over her NDA. He says he was contacted by #EricTrump, as well as by Trump himself.
#criminal #law #Trump #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney #MobTactics
#Hoffinger reviews #MichaelCohen’s testimony from yesterday about “monetizing” his role as #Trump’s personal atty by using it to attract other clients. Cohen confirms. This is inoculation against cross-examination.
Trump turns & whispers to his lawyer Emil #Bove as Cohen talks about how much money he made by monetizing his relationship w/him. Trump clearly mouths “four?” And Bove clearly mouths back: “$4 million.”
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference
#MichaelCohen is asked about his #House testimony on the #Russia investigation. This will lead to questioning about him lying to #Congress re plans to build a #Trump Tower in #Moscow. Cohen has said that he did it to protect Trump.
Cohen testifies that at the time the #TrumpOrganization was paying for his lawyer, & he was part of a joint defense agreement. Cohen testifies he felt he “needed” the protection of Trump at the time & to protect him in return.
#Trump looks directly at Cohen on the witness stand as he says that he lied for Trump “out of loyalty & in order to protect him.”
#MichaelCohen says that he was under a “tremendous amount of pressure” when he lied to #Congress but he was happy to have a lawyer paid for by the #TrumpOrganization. This is useful for prosecutors, many witnesses are still loyal to the TrumpOrg. Cohen underscores for the jurors those witnesses' possible motives.
#MichaelCohen has reached the part of his story where news of his payment to #StormyDaniels has broken into the public sphere. This was the beginning of the end for #Trump & Cohen. All of Cohen’s previous testimony has concerned a time when they were still allies.
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney #MobTactics #StormyDaniels #KarenMcDougal
#MichaelCohen, reads texts instructing #KeithDavidson, lawyer for #StormyDaniels, to “write a strong denial” from Daniels, saying that she had not had an affair w/ #Trump. This is a statement that jurors have seen— & that Trump wrote nonsense about on social media & was fined $1k for violating of his #GagOrder.
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney #MobTactics #StormyDaniels #KarenMcDougal
Prosecutor #Hoffinger brings up the joint defense agreement #MichaelCohen was part of, which meant the atty defending him was aligned w/Trump. She makes sure Cohen tells the jurors it was an advantage for #Trump, as well as for Cohen.
Cohen testifies about the#StormyDaniels statement in which she denied having had a “sexual &/or romantic affair” w/Trump. Her lawyer, #KeithDavidson, testified this statement was technically true, bc they didn’t have a full affair.
#MichaelCohen said that he made sure to tell #Trump that he got the denial from #StormyDaniels “to get credit that I was continuing to ensure he was protected.” He wanted Trump to know that he had “stayed loyal.”
Prosecution shows texts that Cohen was trying to get Daniels booked on #SeanHannity’s #FoxNews show on 18 Jan, 2018, to deny that she'd had an affair w/Trump.
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney #MobTactics
#MichaelCohen & #SeanHannity were long friends. Cohen even supplied legal advice to Hannity.
These texts from Cohen to #KeithDavidson, Daniels's lawyer show Cohen’s relentless work on #Trump’s behalf.
Cohen is asked about the complaint letter he received from the #FEC about his payment to #StormyDaniels, which was filed by a good-government group after WSJ published an article revealing the payment. He says his response to the FEC wasn’t false, but misleading.
#MichaelCohen continues to testify about #StormyDaniels’s statements to the press at the time the #HushMoney payment became public knowledge, he has admitted to lying a number of times — he just said he knew one of the statements was a lie because he helped “craft it.” This could be helpful to the defense once cross-examination starts. But, Cohen has long admitted that he was lying for #Trump.
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney #MobTactics
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