68/ Phang:

Katie's Sidebar:
From inside of the courtroom, we're getting reporting that the jury is having a tough time staying alert for this cross-examination by Blanche. Jurors are rubbing their eyes, shifting in their seats.
I don't blame them. Once again, Blanche has lost the plot here. With cross-examination, you get in and get out. Dragging it out for more hours doesn't make any sense.

69/ Phang sidebar cont'd:

At some point in time, you'd expect the Prosecution to get up and object to the questions being "asked and answered," and yet, I'm thinking that the Prosecution is reading the room (more specifically, reading the jury box) and letting Blanche just be all out there boring them.

70/ Phang:

BLANCHE: How much were you paid in 2017 by Trump personally? COHEN: 9 checks, $35,000 a piece
BLANCHE: The other two came from the Trust? COHEN: yes
BLANCHE: you continued to get paid all 12 months, correct? COHEN: Yes sir
BLANCHE: That was the agreement that was struck? COHEN: yes sir

BLANCHE: you also did a ton of consulting work in 2017?
COHEN: I did consulting work, i don't how to define a little or a lot, i had consulting clients, 6 in total, I made $4 million

71/ Phang:

BLANCHE: You told Pres Trump you had 6 consulting agreements? COHEN: i did not specifically tell mr trump that, no
BLANCHE: at some point he found out? COHEN: I believe so

Blanche is running Cohen through all of his consulting clients, emphasizing for the jury how much Cohen made off of his relationship/connections to Trump.

72/Me: Sorry this is disjointed. Trying to find threads on Threads is impossible, ironically.

Phang:

BLANCHE: You told multiple people that Pres Trump knew nothing about the payment? COHEN: Yes sir
BLANCHE: you called Melania and told her trump didn’t know about it? COHEN: No, not that I recall.

73/Phang:

BLANCHE: Were you told you should keep that quiet? COHEN: Not that I recall, no sir BLANCHE: Putting aside whether you were told that, you didn’t keep it quiet? COHEN: I did not
BLANCHE: You spoke to [Maggie] Haberman and told her Pres Trump did not know about it and you said that on the record? COHEN: yes, on the record

BLANCHE: You told anybody who asked that Pres Trump knew nothing about the payment, you told reporters, friends and family? COHEN: correct

74/ Phang:

Now Blanche is asking Cohen about Robert Costello:
BLANCHE: On April 17th you had a meeting with Costello and Citron? COHEN: yes they came to me, i don’t recall how long. BLANCHE: You had multiple communications with Mr Costello over the next several months? COHEN: 10 calls, maybe a few more BLANCHE: after first meeting, a few days later, costello followed up and said he spoke to someone you’d asked him to speak to? COHEN: Yes sir

75/ Phang:

Katie's Sidebar:

As of last week, Robert Costello has indicated to NBC News that he has not been requested to testify, but that he was willing to do so.
Could we see Costello take the stand? I don't think it would be good for Trump for Costello to testify.
Costello's communications with Cohen are not good for Trump: i.e. "Sleep well, you've got friends in high places" and Rudy Giuliani is a backchannel to Pres. Trump)

76/ Phang:

Cohen testifies that he did ask Costello to have Rudy Giuliani find out why "the matter ended up in the SDNY and in particular who in Main Justice approved this," as Costello wrote to Cohen in an April 23, 2018 email.

On May 15, 2018, Cohen reads from an email that he wrote to Costello, copying Citron: "As I have stated in the past, when the right time comes, and now is not the right time, we will advance our conversations regarding the issue."

77/ Phang:

BLANCHE: Would it surprise you to learn you communicated with Costello 75 times? COHEN: It seems high but possible BLANCHE: would it surprise you to learn there were multiple calls that lasted over a half hour COHEN: No sir BLANCHE: that you spoke over nine hours with Mr. costello, would that surprise you? COHEN:: No sir BLANCHE: A Memorial day weekend call that lasted an hour and a half? Do you recall weekend calls that lasted a long time? COHEN: yes sir

78/ Phang:

BLANCHE: Based on your recollection did you initiate more calls or did Mr. Costello? COHEN: to the best of my recollection, “I believe Mr. Costello reached out more to me”
BLANCHE: Those nine hours of calls that you had, how many times did you meet in person? COHEN: once or twice I believe

79/ Phang:

BLANCHE: You understood those were privileged conversations? COHEN: yes sir, in anticipation of potential representation
BLANCHE: The fact that you did not sign an engagement letter did not mean those calls and meetings were not privileged? COHEN: correct

80/ Phang:

EXHIBIT B1013 JUNE 14th email at 11:44am EMAIL FROM COHEN TO COSTELLO "Trump’s campaign to discredit Michael Cohen is already underway”... "Since we are sharing this morning…they are again on a bad path"
BLANCHE: You were talking about Trump and his team trying to discredit you? COHEN: Correct
BLANCHE: You decided to cooperate shortly thereafter? COHEN: correct

81/ Phang:

BLANCHE: in the time you spoke with Costello to now, there was a change in whether trump org was paying for lawyers? COHEN: correct BLANCHE: what happened that caused you to write to Costello? COHEN: There were significant invoices being sent to Trump Org for payment and payment was not being paid in accordance with the invoices

BLANCHE: you wanted Costello in June 2018 to communicate to Giuliani that nonpayment was becoming an issue? COHEN: Yes sir

82/ Phang:

BLANCHE: you never signed engagement letter and never paid bc you didn’t sign an engagement letter? COHEN: Correct

Blanche now runs Cohen through the amount of money he has made in 2018 until now, from his books, podcasts, etc.

83/Maddow:

just before a ten minute morning break, trump defense counsel todd blanche lets the world know that there is a proposed TV show called "The Fixer" based on Cohen's life... that has not yet been picked up. (call now! operators standing by!)

84/ All caught up! Recess over.

Klasfeld:

Blanche resumes

Q: How long have you been working with the gentleman you described to pitch this show?
A: Approx 3 mos.

Cohen says the pitches happened after it was shot 7-8 months ago.

👉🏼Cohen confirms that he's considering running for Congress, agreeing it's partly because of his name recognition.

"My name recognition is because of the journey I've been on. Is it affiliated with Mr. Trump? Yes." But it's not because of Mr. Trump, he insists.

85/ Klasfeld:

Blanche notes that his journey has included near-daily attacks on Trump.

McB:

Back to Cohen's role as personal attorney to Trump:
You Trump trusted you? Yes. His family trusted you? Yes. His wife trusted you? Yes.
Part of your job was to give him counsel and discuss legal issues with Trump?

But Hoffinger asks to approach—sidebar.

86/ McB:

When did you view your attorney-client relationship w/ Trump as ending?

Objection—sustained.

Now some math from Blanche: Going back to the $420k you were paid, Blanche restarts, the "Stormy Daniels payment" was $130k and the $20k to RedFinch adds up to $150k, and the remainder was grossed up + the bonus.

You didn't claim that $35k on your taxes—objection, sustained.

87/ FYI, via Pagliery:

Here's Trump's full entourage, per his campaign:

- S Carolina AG Alan Wilson
- Reps. Eric Burlison, Rep. Andrew Clyde, Rep. Mary Miller, Rep. Keith Self
- John Coale (America First Policy Instit & Greta Van Susteren's husband)
- MO AG candidate Will Scharf
- real estate investor Steve Witkoff
- disgraced former NYPD chief Bernie Kerik
- Kash Patel, national security lawyer who promises a new Trump administration would jail journalists
- Ga state politician Vernon Jones

88/ Maddow:

Trump defense counsel Todd Blanche attempts to ask Michael Cohen about whether he paid taxes on the 35k/month payments he received from the Trump org to reimburse him for the hush money, etc.
Prosecution objects -- sustained.
Blanche asks to approach the bench. Bench conference.

89/ McB:

We resume discussing the exorbitant amounts of money Cohen made during much of the past decade, 👉🏼as an underpaid, overworked press corps has to report it.

90/ McB:

Q: If Trump is convicted that would benefit you personally, financially?
A: No sir.
Q: Then what is your financial interest in this case?
His personal interest, Cohen clarifies, is that he talks about the case on his podcast and TikTok.

91/ McB:

Blanche asks again: would you financially benefit if Trump is convicted?

👉🏼"It's better if he's not, for me, because it gives me more to talk about in the future," Cohen says unironically, getting a respectable laugh from the press.👈🏼

92/ NOTE: ANY TYPOS OR MISTAKES ARE THEIRS, NOT MINE. I WON'T CORRECT, THAT'S UP TO THEM, AND I ADD CORRECTIONS WHEN THEY MAKE THEM.

McB:

Blanche asks: Isn't it true that you're willing to lie under oath if it affects you personally? and mentions that Blanche testified to that previously. But Hoffinger objects—sustained.

You would lie under oath out of loyalty, correct?

Objection again—sustained again.

93/ Pagliery:

👉🏼Blanche's cross ends with something of a dud, setting up a punchline and then... not delivering.

Blanche: When you lied to congress, you said you lied out of loyalty correct?
Cohen: Yes sir.

Blanche: It's true that you will lie out of loyalty, correct?
Cohen: Yes sir.

94/ Phang:

BLANCHE: Revenge is a dish best served cold? COHEN: Best served cold
BLANCHE: You meant it when you said it then and when you said it now? COHEN: yes sir

BLANCHE: This trial affects your personal life? COHEN: yes sir
BLANCHE: you also have said to this jury but i want to make sure I understand, that you would lie under oath out of loyalty?
OBJECTION SUSTAINED

95/ Phang:

BLANCHE: when you lied to congress, you said you were lying out of loyalty, correct? COHEN: Correct
BLANCHE: it’s true that you will lie out of loyalty, correct? COHEN: Yes sir
BLANCHE: Your testimony remains that notwithstanding everything you said over the years, you have a specific recollection on the phone with then-candidate Donald Trump about the Stormy Daniels payment? COHEN: yes sir, no doubt

No further questions from Blanche. Michael Cohen’s cross is over.

96/ Maddow:

BLANCHE: do you have a financial interest in the outcome of this case.
COHEN: yes
BLANCHE: because if trump is convicted, then that will benefit you financially?
COHEN: no.
BLANCHE: then what is your financial interest? ... 1/2

97/ Maddow:

COHEN: i make money by speaking about it, but whether trump is innocent or guilty is not going to affect whether i speak about it or not.
BLANCHE: (heated) the question is whether a CONVICTION benefits you.
COHEN: (firmly and loudly) the answer is no. (more quietly) if he's not, it gives me more to talk about in the future. (audible reaction in the courtroom).
2/2

98/ Klasfeld:

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger begins redirect, by having Cohen clean up his answer about whether he testified falsely in Congress in 2019.

During cross, Cohen said he did, but the year he lied to Congress was 2017, he says now.

99/ McB:

Hoffinger begins redirect.

She starts with Blanche's question about whether Cohen testified falsely in Congress in 2019—did you testify truthfully in Congress in 2019? (Yes, ma'am, it was 2017 when he lied, his initial answer was a mistake.)

100/ McB:

Another clarification: defense asked whether Cohen discussed other matters with Trump on 10/26/16, in addition to the Daniels issue. He didn't have a "specific" recollection of other matters, but he does remember the Daniels matter bc it was important to him (yes ma'am.)

101/ McB:

Blanche objects—overruled.

Next, about how busy Cohen was in Oct 2016.
Weren't you busy all the time, not just then? Correct.

Were you too busy to finalize the payment? Were you too busy to get Trump's approval to make that payoff? No and no, ma'am.

102/ McB:

Q: Why wasn't there a retainer?

A: There was no legal work I was to be paid for, there was no representation agreement.

Q: Did the reimbursement have anything to do with a retainer agreement?

A:No ma'am.

103/ Just throwing this in here, via Acyn::

It is decidedly not cold.
Quote

Trump: I was supposed to be in a different state this morning and the judge actually decided to call it early…. I’m not allowed to have anything to do with politics because I’m sitting in a very freezing cold courtroom. It’s very unfair

104/ McB:

Did the $420k reimbursement payments have anything to do with legal work you did for Trump or his family? (No ma'am.)

Now to the consulting agreements: did you ever tell Trump that you'd work for only him? Objection—overruled.

No ma'am, Cohen says.

105/ Adding this from Phang for clarity:

HOFFINGER: did you ever send weisselberg a retainer agreement? COHEN: No, ma’am, there was no legal work to do or representation to send to them

106/ McB:

Back to RedFinch, we get more info on why Cohen hired them: a CNBC poll regarding the most famous businessman "in like the last century"—at the beginning of this poll he was polling toward the "very very bottom." Through the acquisition of IP addresses, RedFrinch said they 👉🏼create an algorithm to raise Trump in the polls.

107/ McB, more:

Trump wanted to end up as number 1, but Cohen and RedFinch thought that would be too suspicious, so they settled on Top 10.

👉🏼Kind of like when you're cheating on a test, everyone knows to flub some it to make it believable.