Transcripts For CNNW The 20240703

And theyre all coming . Those who are still with us, yes. Grandpa whats this . Your wings. Light em up gentlemen, its a beautiful. Day to fly. A pro painfree absorb been pro were how solomon in new york and this is cnn and it is just passed 9 00 p. M. Hours after an attorney for the former president did what he likely wishes he could but cannot because of again, gag order launch into a verbal assault on Michael Cohen, his motives and combustible pass the language was course from the start, prompting an immediate sidebar with the judge moments later, the defense returned to the colorful language cone is used on social media to describe his onetime boss painting, an image of him as a jolted former employee with dollar signs in his eyes also for the second day this week course of the former president s allies, some of whom were vp contender, showed up attacking the trial and cohen in ways once again, the former president cannot joining our team here tonight is korean ramy, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal has been following the trial from inside the courtroom. What stood out to you today i think that moment you just described that with todd blanche sort of coming straight out of the gates super aggressive at the beginning of cross very much stood out to me especially because of i think it was well, if the judge the answer is no or shawn shut it down quickly. And as we saw in the transcript, that sidebar, my sean said and dont make this about you for that perspective. No. But for the jury, i mean, i guess it did show that he was aggressive and his intention was to go after cohen, even if ultimately the rest of the cross are much of the rest of the cross was a little more toned down. You have a sense of what the reaction in the courtroom was or whether sure. How the jurors seem to interpret it throughout the jurors were quite engaged. They werent sort of captivated at the way that i think they were sometimes during the Stormy Daniels testimony, but they were engaged. They were taking notes. They seem to be taking it seriously. At times, i had a pretty good seat of like being able to see the jury today and lance would be asking about some of cohens Social Media Habits and hed be talking about a Chito Crusted Cartoon Villain or some such thing. And the jurors are like studiously writing notes. And wondering like they just write down Sciutto Crusted Cartoon Villain its very possible. Its robust. You said that you pointed out that cohens testimony is essential to prosecutors because hes the only witness who is tied to cover up a Hush Money Payment directly to trump do you think he was effective in doing so . And do you think in his testimony well, i think thats the big question here, is whether there are these moments that cohen talks about, that he is the only one who can tell that story, like prosecutors did the absolute best they could in having the phone records, having the pictures this morning when he was talking about the Oval Office Meeting prosecutors would flash things on the screen. There was a photo of cohen at a podium at a lectern and the white house, there was a calendar entry showing that he had recorded that he went to the white house on that certain day so i imagine theres no doubt in jurors minds that cohen was in the white house on that certain day but whether in that meeting trump had the conversation that cohen recalls having . I think thats something that jurors are going to be deciding over the next week of the trial. And for as much as as important as it is for Michael Cohen for the process the kitchen making their argument. Hes also the biggest witness for the defense and making their counterargument and saying that dlj i wasnt responsible for this there is so much writing on how Well Todd Blanche does handle that when Michael Cohen is back on the stand on thursday and what we heard from this afternoon is that trump was initially pleased with how this is the only thing todd blanche has really done in this case. He hasnt really crossexamined anyone else at length or taken much of a presence. Hes been there every day, but this is his entire job is to crossexamine Michael Cohen and to do so successfully, trump was initially happy with how todd blanche actually did today. Of course, trump judges everything that he really sees in his evaluation based on the perception and the coverage of it. So well see if that changes over the next. So just at that point elie, how did you think todd blanche did today . Well, i wasnt impressed with him with just based on the transcript and based on our feed, we had a cnn i thought he was a little bit all over the map and current im im interested in what you thought because weve been focused very much on what was Michael Cohens demeanor . How did he play in the courtroom . What was blanche like . Because i know him. I go back to the Southern District of new york with him. He was a pretty mild personality, like all of us. You can get more more jacked up for the courtroom. What was he like . After that initial aggressive questioning . Yeah, it was much more mild. I mean, it wasnt timid. It wasnt he wasnt afraid of cohen, but it was called it was he was clearly prepared. Hed clearly been practicing for this moments but he wasnt attacking cohen. Its interesting for the most part. Youve seen a lot of the trial up close. Do you feel that there is an explanation for this 420,000 other than what the prosecution has said that money is four. Whats the Defense Argument . For what this 420,000 is for it just because donald trump felt like giving it to Michael Cohen. I think prosecutors were trying to squash a few possible Defense Arguments today in their questioning, they talked about the legal work that cohen had done or even consulting work sort of post trumps election. And it was minimal like they were trying to make to say defense if youre going to argue that this is what cohens getting paid for. It will not cut it i think they made that case, but i think the question is not whether sort of what cohen was getting paid for or was this a legal retainer . It really is about whether trump himself directed these false Business Records that he is charged with and that is something that cohen is the one who can speak to that and michael, you dont think it took me nine think the prosecution is prove their case. You dont think that i dont think they have yet . I think theyre trying to with cohen. I think thats why weisselberg is such a big deal and it is absence from the trial is such a big deal. I think theyve gotten to the part of yeah, theres some false Business Records, but this next step of did they falsify the record with the intent of committing another crime . I think thats where you put trump in the room where you need somebody to to backup what gold . And as current said, i mean, i think the the main weakness in the governments case is the connection of donald trump not to the payments, but to the creation of the false Business Records. I mean, we heard about how those records were knowledge if he had knowledge that it was being knowledge is not enough. He has to have caused it. Now, he doesnt have to have done it himself. He doesnt have to have use the dropdown menu. He doesnt have to have put the words retainer on the on the check stub, but he has to have engaged in behavior that lead the people who did actually do the writing to have done that, but can you make the argument that his behavior if he slept for Stormy Daniels and he wanted to cover it up and he paid the such money that that caused the behavior. Well i think its got to be a little more direct than that. I mean it doesnt have to be him saying file this. No, it doesnt have to be an explicit instruction, but it does have to be behavior that led to this specific act of creating the false Business Record. And that is to me, still the weakest part of the governments case. Everything else i think is gone not into it is Michael Cohen saying that donald trump did approve it verbally when Allen Weisselberg showed it to him. That is really and its not clear theyre going to get much closer to that. So thats the question of truly it is up to the jury and if they view that as legitimate enough and far enough, the word the language in an indictment is crucial. And remember weve got two lawyers on this jury, which is unusual that might really look at the technical aspects of it and what it says is that the writing, the Business Record is done with the intent to defraud and the intent to commit another crime and aid and covering it up. So theyve got all of these things. Theyve got approved and im saying i dont think theyve gotten all the way across the finish line with them, but i think if im not mistaken, it may say antony dive in, but when the judge is going to instruct the jury on the law and its really going to be an or practically so its going to be enough for them to prove that it was done with the intention of concealing another crime. And i think all of us one thing they told the jury is that theres direct evidence and the circumstantial evidence but both are evidence. So we dont need necessarily that smoking gun moment where someone comes in and heres the video was something else. You could have certain Potential Evidence may think what the strength of the prosecutions case. Heres what weve been talking about, is gonna be this competing narratives we have a lot of evidence here and i think the idea that the prostate, but the jury is going to say yes, he did this for the campaign and yes, he he he on tape with Michael Cohen and yes. David pecker also met with him and yet he signed all these checks, did all that stuff. But the one thing he didnt know about was about the pacification of these documents. I dont think it really makes rational sense. I think if youre a Defense Lawyer, your case, your counter narrative has to make rational sense. I think here its not going to be enough to have these little next up credibility. Its not gonna be enough to say you really have a vendetta against the sky because for everything, theyve shown, Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels say about donald trump. They have another tweet, like you said, kaitlan, they have another more vitriol thats coming the other way. So really what were looking at, a lot of folks from the Defense Table to the cooperators who were all kind of dirty. And i think but those document mental working the prosecution, it tips over to having a pretty persuasive case current. I think oh, sorry. No good. I think the other thing the prosecution does is we have heard a lot the past couple of days about trump micromanaging, like they have really made a case that trump wasnt not only was trumping micromanager, but that cohen wanted that and really wanted trumps approval. Want to trumps attention and also check in with trump at every step of the way, every step of the way that cohen needed trumps approval, not just because trump wanted it, because cohen needed it. Let me ask you the former president has had a growing entourage and nonfamily members, but of various characters who are additional from Vice President and other things the group that was there today, what kind of an impact did that have in the i mean, were they noticeable . The courtroom, do they do doesnt change the dynamic in any way. The courtroom they were noticeable the sort of Courtroom Benches behind trump have at times been half empty, right . When i was there, like Boris Epshteyn was just there checking his phone and yet sometimes its like that and so theres this packed courtroom of reporters and like five people from the public in the back. And then these empty pews near where trump is sitting are behind where trump is sitting. But the past couple of days, its been packed that he has had all these supporters and its quite noticeable. And at one point today, some of these republican elected officials in the middle of cohens testimony, just walked in and it was so odd because theres a lot of rules in the courtroom that we cant just say go to the bathroom or have a snack or like do whatever you want or leave yeah. Eat in that courtroom. And it was in a moment with Michael Cohen was answering a question from the prosecution and the Morning Break had ended, they had all all trumps allies had gone outside to do a Press Conference because you can, we can still have our computers. You could see online they were outside speaking publicly. And only a few people came back in after the break. We assume they had just left because the bench was empty behind donald trump. And then while Michael Cohen is in the middle of a sentence in walks, byron donalds, vivek ramaswamy, governor burgum, and another campaign aide. I believe theres at least four people, maybe five, and they dont slip into the back and go to the back row. They walk all the way up to the front and they get in the second row. It wasnt clear from i was on the left side, so it wasnt clear how the jury if they looked if it distracted them, if it distracted Michael Cohen, but there was a moment where i saw the judge, Justice Marshall and ive been watching him throughout the case. He was essentially glaring at them. He looked noticeably annoyed at the fact that they just walked in and you just dont see that in that courtroom. It was the least i mean, its a very ordered proceeding. And that was the least order. But i think ive seen in the past couple of weeks you can use our binoculars if theyre in a sidebar. I mean, its that strict and theres multiple Court Officers Walking Around telling you you cant be talking, you cant be on your phone if youre a reporter the public. And it was just it was a kind of love. You have been oculars im going your binoculars really like those oculars actually more like special forces, things that like just thats important. Martas have them bring ramy. Do you wear glasses current . Do binoculars. You know, i dont have monocular is and i can borrow starting to think that i needed some. Now theyve been cracking thank you for having me. Everyone is going to stay here. We may not have video of Michael Cohens backandforth with the defense, but there is definitely heat than emanates off the transcripts. John berman joins us with that also ahead what was said in court today about with the former president would be testifying in this case were trying to save the planet with nuggets because we need the planet we also need nuggets impossible. Were setting the meat problem with more meat. But thinking im thinking about her honeymoon, about africa so far our Hot Air Balloon rides swim with elephants maintenance. Three, four to safari. Great question. Like everything takes a little planning for what the mind towards a down payment on a ranch in montana with horses. Lets take a look at those scenarios jpmorgan Wealth Management has advisors and chase branches and tools like wealth plan to help keep you on track when youre planning for it. All the answer is jpmorgan Wealth Management. Lets get the rest of these plants organic soil from miracle grow has grown me the best garden i have ever had, good soil and you get good results. This soil will blow you away its the Martha Stewart of soil youve got Better Things to do than clean out clog gutters, call me filter today, and never clean out clog gutters again, we filters Technology Keeps debris out of your gutters for good, guaranteed. Colleague the filter today, more physically filtered. Com from tried and true to try something new. So many ways to save ready wallet, happy. Thats 3605 by whole foods market. Youre calling. Some people find theres at an early age. Others later in life are calling was to build trucks and thats why trucks are what we do we put our everything and every truck so that when you find your call fallen nothing can stop you from answering during ram season, get 1,000 Cash Allowance on the purchase of most 2025 i am 1,500 trucks. Hurry, dont miss ramps Season Work Play Link Relief work Play Blinking really. The preferred better science, better results. How it really happened with jesse l. Martin. Sundays At Night On Cnn if one thing comes through loud and clear, the transcripts from todays trial and its something elie honig mentioned earlier. Theres no love lost between Michael Cohen and the former president and his, if we had any doubt about that at one point, the prosecution had cohen Reading Tweets from the president and the months after the fbi rated cohens office in 2018, trump had praised his former campaign manager, Paul Manafort and one for refusing to quote break. Cohen said he understood he was being told not to cooperate. John berman join us with more of the transcripts. I know youve been going through them. What else have you fast, so there was one exchange that caught my eye that gets to two points here that youve all been talking about. Number one, how a little Michael Cohen currently likes donald trump and how much he wants to see him convicted in to how Michael Cohen didnt directly answer a lot of the questions, at least at first, the todd blanche posed to him. So blanche asks him, youve also talked extensively on may a culpa, his podcast, your desire to see that President Trump getting convicted in this case, correct . Cohen says sounds like something i would say blanche says, well, sir, im not asking you if it sounds like something you would say im saying, did you have you regularly commented on your podcasts that you wanted President Trump to be convicted in this case. Cohen then says, yeah, probably and then blanche says, do you have any doubt cohen says, no. Then blanche says so why did you answer . Yes, probably cohen says because i dont specifically know if i use those words, but yes, i would like to see that blanche says, and so yes, you want to see President Trump get convicted from this case, correct . Cohen says, i would like to see accountability thats not its not for me, its for the jury and this Court Blanche says, i didnt ask what you wanted to see or nazi about accountability. I said, do you want to see President Trump convicted in this case cohen says, thats what we just said. Youre asking me if i want to see blanche says im just asking you to say yes or no. Do you want President Trump to get convicted in this case . Michael cohen ultimately says, sure this is what we call pulling teeth. I know it can seem like cohen had a couple witty rejoinders there, but i dont think witty rejoinders play well with juries. I wouldve, if i was on the prosecution sayyed, i would have much preferred Michael Cohen when the question was, youve start on your podcast that you want donald trump convicted. Yes, i have you hope that he is held accountable . Yes, i do. Youve wide yes, i did. When it gets into all this gap, probably how could it be . Yeah, probably he says that every single day of his life. So it makes cohen look like someone whos maybe willing to just shade the truth a little bit. And by the way ultimately, the defenses pitch to the jury is not that you have to believe that Michael Cohen is a fantasies to makes up things out of whole cloth. If you believe Michael Cohen just tweaks the truth a little here and there, throws a little, yet probably when the answer should be yes the evidence in this case is we were just talking about is close enough that that can be enough if you dont believe Michael Cohen hundred percent, you can throw this out. So i dont like those responses from inconstant i dont know if theres an argument that the prosecutors would make, but maybe its too strange, but if cohen really wanted to ally and convict trump, he could have said in this meeting with Allen Weisselberg and trump that trump definitively said, yes. Violet, as a legal absolutely. Thats a very thats a powerful argument. There are several meetings thanks where he doesnt say that. Trump said the most incriminating thing. The Oval Office Meeting, he doesnt say that trump came out and said, make sure the documents are the the the Business Records are false i mean, if this is the argument, this is something prosecutors do all the time, is they say if he was cooking up a story, he cook up a better story. Now, its not a perfect argument because you actually want a better story, but that does, i think help cohens credibility the fact that some of these exchanges are suggestive of of trumps guilt, but not conclusive proof. And i think it also lins to the argument that offense might make a look jury, the prosecutors asked you to that they wish they could have made them a better liar thats not thats not where you want to walk walk into it. I mean, i agree with you on sort of the backandforth that its game play. And i think sometimes were the witness. You have to use a cattle prod a little bit and say, look, youre not the smartest person in the room. Youre going to answer my questions. We can start this out. Were going to have a couple of days at this. And so im going to make you answer my question. Thats what i feel like he because they live at the same time, hes got to walk a line of not creating sympathy and look like hes going too hard on the witness because thats a dangerous place to be. So hes got a basically let the jury say, look, this guy thinks hes smarter than me. Ive got to rein him in some and then get his question was so comfortable acknowledging his lies that hes told before when the prosecution was questioning and obviously he knew generally where they were going, what they were going to ask because theyd asked it to him before they werent asking questions. They did know the answer to, but he was willing to say theyd purpose statement and youd say yes, that was a lie. Theyd asked him about something that he said publicly, he would say yes, that was a lie. What i told wolf blitzer in that interview when it was todd blanche, he seemed to be caged year and in those moments, not willing to acknowledge it because he seemed to be fearful. I mean, hes attorney he was before he was disbarred, if fearful that todd blanche was going to try to get him in a trap and that seemed to change the longer he was on the stand. But at the beginning, i mean, he wouldnt even acknowledge a lie was a lie at first, he was saying it was an inaccuracy of what he told special counsel, robert mueller. Obviously, it was alive is deceptive, and then he later did acknowledge it was alive i got better, but i will say though, that Michael Cohen, that weve all seen on television and the Michael Coleman weve heard so much Michael Coleman has showed up today, did seem like a distinctly different person than we all expected. So think that we had earlier is important. Putting a witness in context, and yes, hes not a perfect witness, but i think if we all get asked a few weeks out, what would be talking about the first day after crossexamination of Michael Cohen . I dont think we would be parsing out necessarily the word by word, his responses in the same way, i think we would have thought of Cost Examination would have torn him to pieces that would have shown this guy cant be trusted. And now here we are saying like, well, perhaps he should have just said yes faster. So i do think if im the prosecution that makes me feel pretty good tonight john, you have another part of the transcript. Well, look, money was a big part of this and there was the whole exchange about merch, they colon with selling on his podcast, but also how well Michael Cohen i want is done on the books that hes written, two of them about donald trump, at least tangentially, if not directly, blanche asieh, how much money have you made from revenge . One of the books that Michael Cohen has written, i dont know exactly, but i would say around 400,000. And knowing that in the first two months or so disloyal, thats the other book made around 2 million combining the two books, how much more did disloyal make after the 2 million that it made in the first couple of months, cohen answers maybe another million. So blanche asked you made im not expecting you to be exact. You made about 3. 4 million from those two books. Is that fair . Cohen says over the fouryear period, blanche says, yes, cohen says it is yes, sir. So 3. 4 million, theres a lot of money. Bravo. Bravo to Michael Cohen. Im doing something wrong with my books. That you should go on for donald end up in Prison Passion in life yeah, i guess i guess well, i guess all in all its maybe not worth it. Right government, right but thats what should try. The financial point i think came through pretty strongly, which is this is Michael Cohens livelihood. This is what he does. He profits directly off this end. I think theres a fair argument. He has a direct financial stake in the verdict because what happens if its a guilty verdict . Michael coe, will do a tour. Ill probably have heavier market for his book watch how quickly the bottom falls out of the Michael Cohen trashing donald trump market. So hes got, hes got it goes to his bias and its credibility. Its just a lot of money to, for a book. Its a lot of money michael, do you think the jury is going to register that or use anything thats looked around to every report are in the room who had written a book and yuri notice going like how do you think that plays with the jury . I mean, i think they absolutely look at that is just another reason that cast some some paul of question over his testimony in a statement. I mean, does he have another reason another motive to Say Something different and he does seem to be i mean, i called him a Grip Drumming earlier, but i mean, he does seem to be profiteering off of this whole feud. And so now we know his property and off the off right in the books and i just dont i mean, i think the jury theyre in there because they dont have these sort of Preconceived Notions, at least we hope thats why they were selected to be on this jury. But they dont have Preconceived Notions about people. So when theyre here this, theyre listening to somebody. So yeah, i had all these problems. I did all this and ive made 3. 2 million off saying these nasty things about that the defendant and then does that cause credibility in his testimony . The question i think it does. Now, one other thing that todd blanche asked michael well call it about that. I was interested in. Was he asked about all of his meetings with the da off the das office, generally, even before alvin bragg was the District Attorney here in manhattan. And he also asked him, have you ever met directly with alvin bragg and Michael Cohen said, no ive actually never met him, which i was told isnt unfamiliar. Alvin bragg doesnt typically meet with witnesses. Youd only meets with victims, but i dont know where todd blanche was going with that line of questioning. Had he said yes. Yeah. I would keep alvin bragg separated from any witnesses, especially Michael Cohen, by physical force, if necessary. I think that just and youre right right. That part of the cross exam sort of fell flat for me. I think he was just trying to say youre so eager to please the dia you are begging them to come in. Youve been trying to cooperate with them for months and months. Youve been hoping to get him indicted for a long time, which culminates and now youre hoping it gets in prison. I think it just goes more to the vendetta theory, but i agree. I felt fat in the way it came through to me and i do wonder whether but its a guided by the client. Right. I mean, so much of Donald Trumps framing of this case has been the judge, the da, right . Its the folks at the top that are leading the charge and i do wonder times whether some of that hasnt affected how blanche is thinking about his crossexamination because thats where i thought he was going to idea that alvin bragg is directly involved. You really are meeting with the folks at the top of the chain here. And i think its completely fell fat. Number men, thanks so much. Appreciate it coming up next perspective from a retired judge on todays crossexamination, Michael Cohen, also in judge merchans reigning in some of those its time yes. The time has come for a fresh approach to dark every day. Moore dog people are deciding its time to quit the kibble and feed their dogs fresh food from the Farmers Dog Aid Buybacks and delivered right to your door. Precisely portion from your dogs needs. Its an idea whose time has come hey there, brenda its carol actually. So which like are we operating on . You mean arm its all connected asking the right question can greatly impact your future. You share youre an orthopedist actually, im a sagittarius especially when it comes to your finances, give a question. Are you a certified Financial Planner . Yes. Im a Cfp Professional Cop Professionals are committed to acting in your best interest. Thats why its gotta be a cfb bind your Cfp Professional, and lets make a plan and. Org water would help with this dry spots. Thats the only disease. But scotts health plus will cure lung disease going around. So like other people have it and its not recover back of the Newscaster Field Are Healthy Plus Lawn through today start your with nature me. The number one pharmacy recommended Vitamin Supplement brand. Its never a good time for migraine especially when im on camera. Thats why my goto is nortech ott for the acute treatment of migraine with without Oraa There Preventive Treatment of Episodic Migraine in adults. Its the only Migraine Medication that helps treat and prevent all in dont take if allergic to nar taco dt allergic reactions can occur even days after using most common side effects are nausea, indigestion, and stomach pain. People depend on me without a migraine. I can be there for them to talk to your doctor sure. About neuro check ott today. You have chronic kidney disease, you can reduce the risk of Kidney Failure with bars sega because theyre places like to be for seeker can cause serious side effects, including ketoacidosis that may be fatal dehydration, urinary tract, or genital Yeast Infections and low blood sugar are rare lifethreatening bacterial infection in the skin of the perineum could occur stopped taking four sika and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of disinfection and allergic reaction or ketoacidosis im a guy lost the bet. Add my dignity as of watching my team, lu was wasnt punishment enough. Where do you look at at home when you its a one screen jim cut Red Car Serous Gi be paid for that yourself. So get all state ive youd better protected from i dont want you to move. Im gonna miss you so much. You realize well have Internet Waiting for us at the new place, right . Oh, we know. We just like making a scene. Transferring your services has never been easier. Get connected on the day of your move with the xfinity app. Can i sleep over at your new place . Can katie sleep over tonight . Sure, honey this generation is so dramatic move with xfinity. Like a pro painfree absorbing pro im Katelyn Polantz at the federal court in washington. And this is cnn well, the trump trial didnt go off the rail today with Trump Defense getting its first Crack At Star Witness Michael Cohen, but it easily could have if not for some immediate action by judge m. Or sean. Weve told you earlier, he called trumps lawyer, todd blanche to the bench. Only four questions in terrain in the line of questioning after it started off, ten sleigh with an expletive joining us now with more on that Balancing Act to keep things in line. Someone whos known judge merchan from one 15 years, former new york judge joel kahn visor so what you make of what happened there with the first crossexaminatio n question leading to an objection and a sidebar well crossexamination is the Beating Heart of the adversarial process. So as a judge, youre going to take a step back and let the lawyers do what they do. If they ask an absolutely irrelevant question or something that is just beyond the pale, its your responsibility to stop it, whether its question one question for question 400 and that is precisely what judge merchan did. So when a lawyer says to a witness on the stand, you said unkind things about me theres no relevance to that. The flip side of that is with respect to any witness who who has a bias toward the defendant in the case, that is fair game bias has never collateral. You can always ask those questions, but quite frankly, who cares what he thinks about the lawyer. But if thats how the lawyer wants to start off, like whats whats the harm and starting off that way to the defense. I mean, why would the judge intervened . The judge can just because its irrelevant, it doesnt matter. Its not something the jury could consider if they cant consider it, you shouldnt be able to ask the question. It was a bum throw something along those lines, fire throw. I dont know what you call it, but it was just something that he wants there you go. Mount. Thank you. Molotov cocktails. He wanted to throw it and he knew he was going to get that sustained. Objection. Hundred percent. I really hundred percent. What did you think of the second the second question was todd blanche was trying to go to the fact that Michael Cohen recently had said its crazy statements. Michael cohen said he said the media is going to do facial recognition on the jury and track you down and camp out on your own. What blanche started to go down that line. There was another objection and the judge upheld that. We do have upheld would you sustain that objection . Probably i dont know what it does other than to put your jury on edge, which is the last thing you want as the charge you trying to keep them as a cohesive unit for as long as you can. It doesnt it doesnt get it doesnt prove prove anything in this case. How about if the Defense Argument is just hes unhinged he says wild, ridiculous, irresponsible things. Is that a fair line of cross . Then it could be if he makes that argument, i would probably choose a different question to go to figure out whether or not were going down in unhedged path and then try again. You see, judge, you see what im saying and i want to now ask that question then maybe, judge, what do you make of trumps allies that we saw inside the white house today. Obviously, hes allowed are inside the courthouse. Hes allowed to bring whoever he would like with him. But jd vance and doug burgum both it and moments outside the courthouse this week attacks the judge, but also his daughter, which is precisely what led the judge to expand the gag order here, ive mentioned its obviously difficult. I mean, they both add that theyve made those statements that they were here on their own. I imagined its difficult for the judge to prove in the gag order that trump had instructed them to make those statements, which it prevents him from doing. Well, first of all, it is a public courtroom so they can come and they can talk and they do have First Amendment rights, which of course weve sat on the show many times First Amendment rights are fundamental, but theyre not absolute, but certainly they can say what they want. But if you look back at the at the gag order judge merchan upheld when when donald trump posted some other things, people, other comments from other people, someone from fox news named jesse. I think they put on and the judge said, you know what that is a violation of the gag order because you are accepting it, you are putting it out there. Youre giving it your imprimatur, and thats gonna be a violation of the gag quarter so i think as a similar analysis here because look, all of a sudden, everyone didnt just descend on the courthouse. Theres some conversations. I i pretty much guaranteed trump didnt call up and say, come on down and say these things. But someone probably did so is it a violation of the gag order . Only if the people can prove and its their burden that trump had something to do with it. But it is pretty curious and troubling that everything these outstanding statesman said was precisely with the defendant has tried to get out and is unable to get out because of the gag order, judge, let me ask you a question about the jury. Were now a month into this trial and there hasnt been a single alternate brought in. It. All 12 are still intact. That strikes me in my new york experience as pretty unusual in a trial of this length and does that tell you anything about the jury in this case . Well, does it tell me anything if i was able to tell what jurors were thinking or doing, you know, i i would i be a rich woman, i guess you never really know, but i agree with, you completely. It is unusual its been my experience that in every criminal case, whether its a misdemeanor, thats being tried homicide or this very significant press worthy case with the former president , the United States there are always issues whether its with the jury, whether its with a gag order, whether its with people in the audience, whether its gang affiliated, theres always something, but it is incredibly surprising that every juror is still involved. No ones late, no one had an emergency, no one has a root canal i agree with you one month into it and its surprising what does it tell me . It tells me either theyre wonderfully upstanding civic minded people, or its just completely unusual and coincidental or they really want to be there or any any version of all of those thats what it tells me. Nobody wants out. Because if you want out, you can get out on this. I mean, if a juror came in one day and said, i went into my social media feed and i saw something i probably wasnt supposed to see and its tainted my view of the case. I mean, anyone could could have asked out with probably gotten out of this case. Ive done cases less highprofile than this. Weve gone three for alternate, steve. Sure. And here we are not a single one, so i think its a good indicator, just that the jury is focused and doing its job. Yeah. Well, heres a hypothesis. I would imagine a jury this committed to doing their job doesnt want to hang, doesnt want to come back and say, well, we just couldnt do our job i would think this is a jury thats going to try hard to reach a verdict in this case. Is that is that a possible theory . Possible. I would like to think that too, but you could have two camps that are entrenched and theyre not speaking about the case. They are told at the beginning in the middle and therell be told again, you may not discuss this case. Theyre talking about lunch or theyre talking about the weather, or theyre talking about, you know, what their coop board is doing. I dont know, but theyre not talking about the case. So you dont really know where anyone is and we wont unless and until they go back there, theyve been charged. Theyve heard all the arguments and they start their deliberations and then well know overall, are you surprised at all by the pace of things by how this entire case has been handled. I am i am surprised how smoothly its gone. And quite frankly, the only thing that gone off the rails is the defendant who has goes before the microphone says whatever he wants, talks about his Constitutional Rights being violated when hes wrong. Hes wrong every time he says it. And even today, the Appellate Division on an article 78 mandamus application found that a judge merchan did the right thing in terms of the gag order, that it was narrowly tailored. The order was justified and he used the least restrictive means, so they out and out dismissed his claims. Right there. Its kind of visor. Thank you so much. Its great to have you ahead. How the Trump Defense responded today when the judge asked whether donald trump himself hello, be testifying adrenaline just like my shot of adrenaline right . School hard work meets ball, new thinking to help you see untapped possibility and relentlessly work with you to make them real when i was diagnosed with hiv, i didnt know who i would be, but here i am being me. Keep being you and ask her Health Care Provider about the number one prescribed Hiv Treatment. But tare the carvey is a complete one pill once a day treatment used for hiv and many people, whether youre 18 or any with one small pill, pick tobi fights hiv to help you get to undetectable and stay there. Whether youre just starting or replacing your Current Treatment Research Shows that taking Hiv Treatment as prescribed and getting two and staying undetectable prevents transmitting hiv through sex. Serious side effects can occur, including Kidney Problems and Kidney Failure, real life threatening side effects include a buildup of lactic acid i said in Liver Problems to not take battarbee if you take dofetilide or rifampin, tell your Health Care Provider about all the medicines and supplements you take. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have kidney or Liver Problems, including hepatitis, if you have hepatitis b and that stuff, taking victory without talking to your Health Care Provider common side effects with diarrhea, nausea, and headache, no matter where life takes you, big tar we can go with you, talk to your Healthcare Provider today. If you have graves disease, your eyes symptoms could mean something more that gritty feeling can be brushed away even a little blurry vision can distort things. And something serious maybe behind those itchy eyes. Up to 50 of people with graves could develop a different condition called thyroid eye disease, which should be treated by a different doctor. See an expert, find a ted is specialist at is it ted. Com can the riva support your brain health . Mary janet, hey eddie. Now, frazer, franck. Franck. Brad, how are you . Fred, fuel up to seven brain Health Indicators including your memory . Joined neretva brain Health Challenge work play blank relief. Work way blinking really, the only three and one extended release formula for dry eyes thank imagine a future where plastic is not wasted. But instead remade over and over into the things that keep our food fresher our families safer and our planet cleaner. Typos get their americas plastic makers are investing billions of dollars to create Innovative Products and new Recycling Technologies for sustainable change. Because when you push for smarter solutions, week thing this can happen real two. Com is the only sayyed that lets you find homes with assumable mortgages. So you could take over the sellers mortgage at a lower interest rate. Dont all have to do that. Not really. Go to realtor. Com to learn more the ups stores, not just the ship and store, where the shipping store the leave the packing to us store the we understand this is more than a Package Store where the packet shifted guaranteed store the Peace Of Mind store, where the right around the corner go to we should get all store the ups store be unstoppable come in for a Mailbox Today and good secure package acceptance priceline helps families, they 60 on familyfriendly hotels. So many great trips we might just leave here with another video occasion, maybe ill take it easy. Paris and u2 for mona. Lisa wasnt toledo. Garia, happy priceline how wed really happy with jesse l. Martin sundays At Nih On Cnn the prosecution says Michael Cohen will be its final witness, prompting this question from judge merchan today to team trump, do you have any indication whether your client is going to testify Donald Trumps lawyer, todd blanche said no were sound follows up with no determination yet and heard another no, not surprising since trumps really been all over the map i would have no problem testified. I didnt do anything wrong. Im testifying. I tell the truth. I mean, all i can do is tell the truth and the truth is that theres no case. They have no case. Well if its necessary well, im not allowed to testify. Im under a gag. I guess i can testify the gag orders not for testify. Do you plant testify in court probably so i would like to i mean, i think so cnas not going to testify, scan legal and im not illegal. Analysts, but i can tell you that this legal analyst, norm eisen, was also so the coordinate today he wants investigated trump as counsel to House Democrats in the first impeachment is litigated cases involving trump previously, hes also the author of trying trump, a guide to his first election interference, criminal trial. Norm do you think trump will testify . Anderson, i hope youre not going to replace me as a cnn legal analyst because you hit the nail hello. On their head there . No, no, no way that he is going to testify and his lawyers wont allow it. Of course he is known to override his lawyers. It would be suicide for him to do that it not only would harm him in the case in chief, or at least they havent argument, they can make in my view, the prosecution just cleared the proof Beyond A Reasonable Doubt hurdle with cohens testimony, solidified it with cohens very solid Performance Today on cross but on sentencing, if trump is found guilty, if the judge believes that he got on the stand and lied to him and his jurors. It virtually assures a sentence of incarceration. So i think that even trump is not foolish enough to make that decision i know. You love a good legal frehse. Explain how the prosecution was drawing the sting today yes. My Eye Write A Cnn Trial Diary for every day of trial and today was about drawing the staying. Its a trial lawyer for term. Elie did it often with some of his more dubious witnesses that he had to put on as a prosecutor its fronting all of the bad news. So that the jury doesnt hear the negatives that Michael Cohen lie, that hes pled guilty to nine felonies, that one of those felonies was for perjury its getting all this all out there and they did a very sophisticated job Susan Hoffinger learning from her misadventures on the stormy hey, daniels direct was very adept and it actually was sophisticated. She planted a number of seeds that will only flourish when we come back on thursday on all of the main Leinz Vectors attack norm. Let me ask you about that because, okay, its good to draw the sting its good to front the bad news. But what about the bad news . I mean, what about the fact that hes made 3. 4 million off of trump hating. What about the fact that he has said he wants this jury to convict . I mean, whats the answer to that . I have found mostly in my life as a Defense Lawyer before my foray into prosecuting donald trump, that if a witness is honest on the stand honest with the jury, if they fess up to what they did before, if they express remorse for what they did before, if they have a plausible Redemption Narrative if theyre likable that juries will accept them. And i thought that cohen did all of that. And indeed he has one advantage over some of the clients who ive represented, some of the cooperators and many who cooperate hes not working off time hes out so in that respect, hes situating what you mean by working off time very often the cooperator will be arriving from prisons, slapped in a suit and a tie to testify. But the their freedom depends on how well they do in cooperating with the prosecution. Thats not the case for Michael Cohen. So thats an advantage. And i saw something very interesting today. Its the first time that ive noticed that in this trial again and again, Susan Hoffinger was trying to get cohen to talk to the jury and he started talking to the jury several times today, they put down their Writing Instruments and they just listened to him and it felt to me like a conversation youd never know wellies constantly reminding me you cant read the minds of the jury. I did bring my Jury Consultant with me which i havent common with travel, susan susan nicholas, i brought her one day because i wanted her insights on what this jury was thinking, but i do think that Michael Cohen had a little bit of a bond that was established over his examination with the jury that is very dangerous for donald trump. Todd blanche had to knock cohen afi had one shot at a First Impression as my mother always said, you only get one chance at a First Impression. He blew it what did your jury and consultants say to you she said that she did not think we were going to get a hung jury in this Case My Very First Cnn Trial Diary was about trumps strategy one angry juror, what do you think . Hung juries are very uncommon, very small percentage of trials turnout in hung juries. And she, theres certain telltale signs when you have an angry or an alienated juror or you look for the jury michael knows this, you look for one of the members of the jury, smile it persistently smile at the defendant or wink or show some tail coming in and out over hostilely, who prosecution, she watched all day long. She didnt see any of it. How would you Defense Lawyer extrordinary have opened your crossexamination of michael color . I would have hammered him on his perjury and i would have gone for the jugular on the some of the bad answers on crossexamination nobody says oh the Clarence Darrow of our time, alina habba. But alina habba did get some tricky answers from Michael Cohen. I would have gone for the jugular right back for that having to do with the most sensitive issues for him, he pled guilty, but we saw today that cohen would have been ready for even that that was one of the things that Susan Hoffinger drew. He had a good answer about whether he was honest when he made his initial blei, he said he pled guilty. So he told the judge he was guilty and he said, since i wasnt telling the truth to that, judge, but he explains he doesnt deny the facts. He was coerced by the Southern District and threat of prosecuting his wife to plead to crimes that he didnt commit. One of the most distinguished judges of the Southern District, judge ray cough as a whole book why the innocent plead guilty and the guilty go free that was what michael explain today. I thought it was very plausible. One of the most contested issues in this case is one of the lowest profile issues, which is the the Business Records himself do themselves, do you think cohen helped present the jury with an explanation of how trump himself was responsible for creating the false Business Records he did he took us through the notes that Allen Weisselberg made of the gross step scheme. And then he put trump in two meetings, one with him and weisselberg and trump tower, another in the white house buying into that scheme, if you believe Michael Cohen, i think the jury does proof Beyond A Reasonable Doubt that donald trump falsified those records, normalize and thank you. Greg, saying a great account of what happened today. Quick programming note this friday with Hush Money Trial in recessed or miss a three 60 special my interview with karen mcdougal, i talked to her back in 2018 right after the story broke of her alleged affair with the former president s something he denies. Its the only tv interview shes ever done. Watch the interview this friday at 8 00 p. M. Eastern. Thats it for us. The newest right after a break when the competition is a nuclear competition, spying is extraordinarily important for were trying to spy on us. We were spying on them its very difficult to determine whom you can trust i was study frank everything got Out Of Control this is a war. But secret was the secrets and spies, a nuclear game premier sunday, june 2, that tan on cnn water would help with this dry spots. Thats long disease. But Scott Healthy Plus will cure lung disease going around. So like other people have it and its not recover bag and the Newscaster Field Or Healthy Plus lawn through today get it back, man, does it like a snack wonderful pistachios, get cracking at Morgan Stanley old School Hard Work meets ball, new thinking to help you see untapped possibilities. And relentlessly we work with you to make them real now, adt professionally installs google Nest Products youre all set on this system. We should go with the most trusted name and Home Security as the intelligence of goods google and you have a home with no worries brought to you by Adt With Priceline vip family, you can unlock deals five times faster. You dont even have to be an actual family. Id be the dad on the day he physically its clear that im the dad. Okay. So which data is paying you life is better with the credit gods on your side rewards once available to the view, are now accessible to the many Credit One Bank get cashback rewards the lids large brand new bridge. This assignments on in my bag like a bunch of groceries. Are these cheese and greens just contemplate freedom you can take your eyes off the new 2020 for wrangler in gladiator sheep, theres only one right now during cheap four by four season to 2,000 bonus Cash Allowance on the 2024 cheap gladiator visit jeep. Com, and hurried your local jeep dealer today . You give and you give now you get with Straight Talk wireless, you get unlimited data and you get to choose who gets on your family plans starting at just 25 a line, doesnt have to be family more lines, more savings, switch to Straight Talk for plants starting as low as 25 a line called gutters can cause big problems fast until now, call a33 lee filter today for your free gatera ive had terrible Flooding Problems on my porch. Now i understand why right now, we filter is offering a free inspection on your Schedule Leaf filters heres a permanent gutter solution. So you never have to worry about costly damage from clog gutters again, call us today and schedule your free Inspection Schedule your free inspection hello. 833 leaf filter today, morphism leaf filtered. Com. And just one year i had over 900 in banking fees. I had enough i switched to china. Theres no overdraft fees, no monthly fees. Im saving hundreds for my daughters feature for normal guy like me, ive given myself a small raise, join me at trying. Com, if you know, luxury its not just awardwinning rewarding sad for mattresses supports all types of sleepers with terrible steel coils and plush organic cotton. Luxury are used handcrafted in american factories and brought directly to you with our free inhome white glove delivery service, which is why were 90 of customers would recommend saada to friends and family saada luxury mattresses made affordable with absorbing grow. Pain will hold you back from your passions is the only solution with two max strength and aesthetics to deliver the strongest numbing pain in relief available. So do your thing like a pro painfree absorb been pro im tom forming in washington and this is cnn closed captioning brought to you by in Vet Help Call 18071 000 to o dealer invention idea, but dont know what to do next. Collin van help today, they can help you get started with your idea called now 807, 100020 outfront. Next sparks fly. I was in the courtroom as trumps attorney went to battle with Michael Cohen a brutal start for trumps attorney but was it enough to sink cohen plus it outfront exclusives Stormy Daniels, husbands speaking out for the first time. What he said, he adds stormy will do if trump is found not guilty and breaking news, President Biden now reportedly sending his National Security advisor to israel. Will this trip the enough to pull netanyahu back from