Pronounce a verdict about donald trump or to get on a political is a trout guy that i got interrupted. Sorry, a Courtroom Break after Michael Cohen testified this morning the donald trump told him, take care of it. The it were Claims Being Made By Adult Film Star and director Stormy Daniels calling add it, cohen adding quote, this was all about the campaign get cnn special live coverage continues with markup today with us welcome to cnn Special Coverage of former President Trumps Hush Money Criminal Trial. Im wolf blitzer in washington. Laura coates is outside court in new york. Today, trumps former for fixer and lawyer Michael Cohen has taken the stand so far. The prosecutions star witness has testified about his work for Trump Zeroing In on two instances where he worked with the National Enquirers david pecker to catch and kill negative stories about trump and that includes a false allegation from trumps former doorman about trump supposedly having fathered a love child. Cohen testified, im quoting him now. Trump told me to make sure that the story doesnt get out. You handle it. Close quote laura over to you thats right. I mean, cohen also, were kinda telling trump about former playboy model Karen Mcdougal shopping her story and a month long sequence get a fair. He also testified that trump told him to quote, make sure it doesnt get released. And just before court took a Break Prosecutors began questioning cohen about what is at the very heart of this case, the 130,000 Hush Money Payment to Adult Film ActressStormy Daniels, and the alleged disguised reimbursement with be a cnn legal analyst, if fares corresponded, the chief paula reid and cnn Correspondent Kristin its an homes is also here. Ladies, i guess actually got out of the courtroom and let me tell you, it was a kind of a surreal moment to see Michael Cohen inside this courtroom with donald trump obviously, people have been anticipating that this is the star witness weve heard so much about him. But what struck me immediately was just how deferential he still seemed in the sense that he acknowledged it being an honor. He said we asked to work for him. He talked about his On Top Of The World when there was praised that was given from donald trump. And he was so paste in a way that he did not interrupt the prosecutor he was hoping to every question answered it directly. He was really, really prepared to have this moment. But i think that one of the most important things to remember about Michael Cohen is this kind of really unbalanced . Lets relationship that he had with the former president. This idea that he really worship ten and some sort of ways. They never went back to his other job afterwards. You just had somebody from trump organism the station, pack up his stuff and then he was so thrilled to work for the former president. And this is really what you see a lot with the former president you, theres a lot of questioning out there throughout the country of how these people stay with donald trump, given all of the potential legal hurdles they might eventually face. And this is because he somehow has a ability to bring people in to where they feel happy and they get some sort of praise by im looking for the ultimate kind of scrap of acknowledgment and thats really what you saw from Michael Cohen, the part of that also is the fact that he has to say that because we have already heard it from other witnesses. Remember, all these other Witnesses Tests . Two, five to the fact that Michael Cohen they were telling donald trump he would jump in front of a bus for you. You take a bullet for you. So part of that is also the prosecution has to remember, remind everyone that thats true. Michael cohen did feel that way at one point and yet important part to thinking about from the prosecutions perspective is hes also been somebody who will scribe is very biased against trump right . Having a vendetta again since i havent his demeanor and said display some level of fond memories, his voice almost 20 African Child when he would talk about that phrase that he was looking in wanted but there was a moment, paula, everyones wondering, waiting to hear about up till now, weve only ever heard about the intimations that trump would make. The word instruct has not come out told directed commanded none of these things come up. But then today, they began to come into the testimony about what Michael Cohen said. Trump had them do. Yeah. This is a really interesting place to stop right . Thats intermission and i think things are going to get a lot more intense as we go into the afternoon because were now getting into the heart of what is alleged here, right . This alleged Conspiracy Dorsey to falsify Business Records and Michael Cohen is the only one who can testify to trumps direct involvement because the only other person who could do it is Allen Weisselberg. Hes in rikers, hes not going to be called so so far, i dont know if youve got this impression being inside court, but so far this seems to be the easy part of cohens assignment. Hes going through things because if people have already testified to Michael Cohen has already said publicly, now, its going to get tricky because now theyre getting into the heart of the criminal allegations. What did trump . Direct you to do visavis this Hush Money Payment . How involved was he and in terms of falsifying these Business Records, getting him repaid, what were their conversations . One truck once trump was in the white house in 2017 because that is something so far, no one has been able to directly testify to. Its going to be huge. This afternoon. Really, this is going to make or break the prosecutions case. You know, Kara Scannell just left the courtroom as well and qarrah, i want to bring you in here because paul is ripe. I mean, if this was the easy part as a day, when you talk about your bio and whether you are married and your resume and all those things that your memory up till now . Well, now only will the crossexamination, if that occurs today . But also will be something that youll think about how he will respond, what will his demeanor be like . You had a Front Row Seat. Ive got to understand from you what was the former president . And in doing when Michael Cohen would come into the room . What was his Body Language selling you well, Michael Cohen is on the stand, say, all morning and his demeanor has been very measured, very even. Hes mostly been looking at the prosecutor when hes answering these questions, you only looked over at donald trump when he was asking to identify him otherwise, he has been very focused on the prosecutor speaking very slowly, very in control of the message and the story that he is testifying to donald trump during his testimony for the most part has been leaning back in his chair, sitting back with his eyes closed at times when Text Messages were up on the screen, we saw donald trump leanin to read some of them. And when Michael Cohen had testified about melania, because one of the questions that he was asked was about making this payment the access Hollywood Tape, the news of the storming of daniel story Stormy Daniels story about to become public. And cohen, its said that trump didnt care what this meant for millennia it was focused on the campaign and trump had made a face kind of reacting to that, that is consistently the types of things weve seen him have more reflects so reactions to during this trial, he had it then, but for the most part, he has been occasionally passing a note to his lawyer, but really sitting back of with his eyes closed dublin question that everyone is kind of joking about. It is meditating. How is he able to be so in control of himself while this testimony has been taking place throughout this trial. But with cohen and trump on the stand, there has not been a moment where it looks like theyve made any Eye Contact Cohen entering and leaving the courtroom has kept his face forward, his eyes looking a little bit around him, but not an all looking the direction of donald trump and trump when cohen is entering has often been talking to his attorney, someones passing notes to them. So we havent seen him lock eyes with Michael Cohen. Right now. The mood in the courtroom is pretty calm. I mean, there were theres a lot of expectation that may be cohen would be more bombastic and his testimony, he has been very measured so far and has trumps reaction up until this . Zero as were getting now into the mechanics of this 130,000 payment and some of the testimony that would be the most damaging to trump and most helpful to the prosecutions case because cohen is talking about how trump wanted him to delay making this payment until after the election, saying that if you drag it out but as long as possible, and if i when its not relevant, if i lose, then i dont even care, but he wanted this payment either to be made to keep the story silent, or to drag it out he didnt have to make the payment at all and were just getting to this point of tension here, getting into this book, cohen has already said several times, that donald trump was doing this for his campaign not assembly, which is what the prosecution has to prove in this case not only that it was falsified Business Records, but that trump was doing it to commit or conceal another crime which they say is related to the election. Laura and qarrah it struck me as well to think about just how measured he was in terms of whos responsible he wouldnt interject you only answered the questions he was asked. You compare that to say a fermi daniels, another blockbuster witness. We had many objections trying to control the witnesses. She wouldnt meander in some ways, go down rabbit holes. That was not the case here, but youre absolutely right. Were getting right into the meat of the matter now of whether or not its just him suggesting or whether as the skies very beginning, kara right. His job was to report to donald trump and his job was to ensure that his conference were first and foremost, no one else itd be very, very foreshadowing Down The Line right right. I mean, what weve heard cohen say and thats why prosecutors had them begin by talking about the early todays working at the Trump Organization and cohen testified that he was kind of like a Puppy Running right back to Donald Trumps office to tell him what work he had done so that he could get credit for certain things that he did, and that was laying this pattern in place for the jury as now, Michael Cohen telling the jury that he was executing Donald Trumps orders, that he told me knew that donald trump wanted this Taking Care Of, that he was Taking Care Of it. And just this last bit at the end, again, theyre showing an email between cohen and keith david its announced Stormy Daniels, attorney asking cohen, where is this payments giving a deadline for it and cohen telling the jury that he was dragging it out. He said i was following orders thats what i was doing. So trying to make clear during his testimony that he wasnt making any of these decisions on his own, but he was doing this after speaking with donald trump. And because he knew who that is what donald trump wanted him to do kara, thank you so much, paulo, chris and say with me, wolf, it strikes everyone that weve heard a lot of this before. Why . Because chronologically , weve seen other witnesses already by trusted credibility of Michael Cohen, by testifying before him back to you thank you, laura, the drama continues clearly want to bring in our panel of experts to assess what is going on. And elie, let me start with you. Do you think cohen has done a good job so far . A bad job. Hows he doing . Well off so far so good from prosecutors perspective, and thats all you can ask for at this point. And i based on a couple of things. One, i think that Michael Cohens testimony has been quite clear, even following it along with the updates from incourt, laura just said the same jurors can understand where hes going. Number two, he has given various accounts of this in various forms in the past congressional testimony and testimony, hes given to investigators, and theres no obvious inconsistency yet at this point, no major inconsistency. And three, and this is a classic prosecutorial tactic. Theyre backing him up with texts, with checks, with documents, with recordings at every possible turn. Now the real test, of course, will come on crossexamination and to that end, i think where theyre going to attack Michael Cohen is say fine. No quiet, nobody questions. You had a series of texts with Keith Davidson. Nobody questions. Got a phone call with pecker but the key part of Michael Cohens testimony, i was keeping donald trump informed that largely rides and falls solely on Michael Cohens words. So i think thats where theyre going to focus on the cross. Very interesting elliott when he was asked whether trump expressed any concern about all the negative stories on his personal life that potentially could affect his candidacy. This is what cohen said and im quoting him now. You know that when this comes out, meaning announcement, just be prepared, theres going to be a lot of women coming forward what do you make it that i make the fact that theyre aware that this was a concern that the Trump Organization and the former president had. Now, again whether there were other women number one, isnt really going to come up at trial. Theyre not going to be able to establish evidence that there were additional affair first its not good for information like that to come in front of the jury because they are hearing all of this and they are drawing their conclusions about the defendant in these witnesses this isnt so on now, to ellies points so far, Michael Cohen has been quite credible, at least in terms of what the prosecutors needed him to do up until this point. Now, the rubber meets the road in the next portion of his testimony in that in crossexamination in the next portion of his testimony, thats where it comes in. Really happened with respect to Stormy Daniels how the scheme was structured, what Donald Trumps intention was with respect to the payments and so on. And then was there can he provide any evidence of efforts to falsify Business Records . But that the aside about other women its not helpful at all to the defendant, but doesnt really change. Gloria. So for during the testimony this Morning Trump has largely had no reaction, at least visible reaction hes leaned back in his chair, closes his eyes sometimes. What do you make of trumps demeanor in court, at least so far today . Well, i think hes been told not to react in any visible way to Michael Cohen . I think that he probably wants to run up there and ring his neck, but hes not going to hes not gonna do it. And i think in the same way that Michael Cohen is very sort of subdued. Today. He was told to act like that because in real life, if these two guys got together, i guarantee you it wouldnt be quiet. It would be it would be loud. The most remarkable thing to me though, was when Michael Cohen according to michael had a conversation with donald trump in which she asked about melania. How do you think melanias going to react to this . And Donald Trumps response, im still trying to get over it was how long do you think ill be on the market . For which means if she were to leave me, im a hot commodity. Im im a hot ticket here. That doesnt seem to me to give away any real concern. The donald trump had about whether melania heard about this or not . Now again, it came from Michael Cohen. Im sure it will be challenged, but it was quite a striking comment. But thats something that has nothing to do with the Heart Of The Matter except of course, the jury can. Thats very personal thing. So im anxious to see if thats followed up. In crossexamin