Transcripts For CNNW The 20240703 : comparemela.com

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. Preferred better science, better results im Elizabeth Wagmeister in los angeles in this 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 a gag hey, Border 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 karen ramy reported 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 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 theyre shawn shut it down quickly. And as we saw in the transcript of the sidebar, my sean said, dont make this about you. And so 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 youre how the jurors seem to interpret it throughout the jurors were quite engaged. They werent sort of captivated the way then 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 being able to see the jury today and blanche 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 likely 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 was tied the 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 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 prosecution making their argument. Hes also the biggest witness for the the defense and making their counterargument and saying that donald trump wasnt responsible for this. And so there is so much writing on how 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 take you can 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. Suggested that point, ellie, 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 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 sort of 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 moment 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 . Fleurs other than what the prosecution has said that money is four i mean, 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 things. The prosecution has proved their case. You dont think that i dont think they have yet. I mean, 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 wake up to backup. What go in. And as her and 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 led 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 than that cause 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 theyve gotten to 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, youve got to lawyers on this jury, which is unusual. So that may 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 a 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. I think all of us would think they bill 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 is something else. You could have Circumstantial Evidence may think what the threat to the prosecutions case. Heres what weve been talking about is going to be this competing narratives and we have a lot of evidence here, and i think the idea that the prosper the jury is going to say yes, he did this for the campaign and yes he on tape with Michael Cohen and yes. David pecker also met with them and yes, he signed all these checks. Did all that stuff . But the one thing he didnt know about was about the ossification of these documents. I dont think it really makes rational sense. I think if youre a Defense Lawyer, your case, youre counternarrative has to make rational sense. I think here its not going to be enough to have these little next of credibility. Its not going to be enough to say you really have a vendetta against the sky because does, for everything theyve shown Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels say about donald trump. They have another tweet, like you said, katelyn, 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 documents were i the prosecution at tips have over to having a pretty persuasive case current. I mean, i think oh, sorry. No good. I think the other thing that prosecution does is we have heard a lot the past couple of days about trump and 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. One on a 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 for Vice President and other things the group that checking his phone and threaten. Yeah, sometimes its like that. And so theres this Pact Courtroom Empty Fuse near where trump is sitting or behind where trump is sitting. But the past couple of days and 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, like in the middle of cones 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. You cant even 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 of trumps alice 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 hi, donald trump. And then while Michael Cohen is in the middle of a sentence in walks, Byron Donalds vague ramaswamy, Governor Burger at another campaign date, i believe theres at least four people, maybe five, and they dont just 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. And 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 sort of the least i mean, its a very ordered proceeded and that was sort of the least order that i think ive seen in the past couple of weeks, we can even use our binocular 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 Member of the public. And it was just it was a kind of love that you have an oculus im going to look like those oculars are actually more like Special Forces things that like just thats important in martas have that britain rabid, you wear glasses current dewalt, the binoculars, you know, i dont have an oculars and i was starting to think that i needed some. Now theyve been cracking down here quinn randy, its great to have you. Thank you. Thanks 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 foreign president would be testifying in this case the whole myth has to be reimagined fee if you didnt know whether you were next they are both tied up. Yeah. Yeah. I was called in and i saw what turned out to be the Big Stark Heist in history. He went from gold medal winning icon to a pariah would really happen with jesse l. Martin sundays at nine on cnn how do i love thee . Let me count the ways love can go. Get a little messy good thing. Theres resolved love the love resolve the mess. No station fee. If you apply by may 31st at University Of Maryland Global Campus, offering online and hybrid courses and lifetime career services. Learn about are more than 125 degrees inserted tickets at umg c dot edu high, its christina again, im here to tell you about an all new special offer from my friends at jacuzzi Bathroom Model that you dont want to miss, you already know jacuzzi has been making waterfilled great for more than 65 years. And now theyre bringing you this special tv offer. Were bibi and all Installation Costs and postponing, all payments for up to one year to cruzy Bathroom Model has a design you love at a price you can afford and best of all, they can install it. 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