prosecutors have invited trump to testify next week before a grand jury. it s a move that typically indicates an investigation is nearing its end and that an indictment could be mimminent. the former president is at the center of many criminal investigations but this grand jury is looking into the hush money payments to adult film star stormy damages during the 2016 presidential campaign. while president mr. trump was asked about the payment and he denied making it and directed questions to his then personal lawyer, michael cohen. less than a year later, cohen testified to congress. watch. did you know about the $130,000 payment to stormy daniels? no, no. why did michael cohen well, you ll have to ask michael cohen. michael is my attorney. you ll have to ask michael cohen. i am providing a copy of a $35,000 check that president trump personally signed from his personal bank account on august 1st of 2017, when he was president of the united states. the president of
Coverage of Donald Trumps criminal trial, in a week that could be make or break as key witness Michael Cohen took the stand, and found himself on defense with trumps fate now hanging in the balance. The star would take the stand against donald j trump. Michael cohen is the star witness in the new york versus trump trial. The expresident came face toface with the man who used to do his dirty work who has now turned into the key witness. Everything required mr. Trumps sign off. Will he keep his cool when trumps lawyers begin what could be intense . The punches are building. I think that tuesday, there were bruises and today, there is blood. If i was a juror in this case watching that, i would say, this guys making it up as he goes. Is he . Weve heard different people, leaguer legal experts and other advertisers. Several times, covering this trial, including the key cross thursday. Michael did give the d. A. S what they wanted, including corroboration of what he says words realtime proof
And again that matters. Because the question being raised whether past the point of anger which hes allowed to feel and into something that involves a vendetta where the truth might be sacrificed. Or lied about that history. He said he did ask to be President Trumps personal attorney, but not a different rule of general counsel. It went on and on like this today, if you will. Ke this just like it did the other day. And so its possible or dilute the larger. Defense attorneys are trying to make, but that they are trying to raise. Its possible on the other hand, and i was watching Michael Cohen go through it, that the cuts can slowly eat away as the key witness to Donald Trumps State Of Mind. Another way to put this is without the other money guy, Allen Weisselberg, who is in jail can certainly make trump look bad here in the real world. Others can factor that in, the guys have been to jail twice now. Without the cfo they needed the other trump aid who knew about the state of his mind. In
Starts now. Welcome to this twohour the beat. Michael cohen is Donald Trumps selfdescribed fixer. As defendant he was rolling deep today. Trump not only arriving with Top Republican figures but also one of his own codefendants from a different one where hes charged. Jeffrey clark was in the courtroom. I saw him myself and briefly greeted him. It was in that courtroom that we continued that Group Coverage of the defenses, the witness, the lawyers. That was a few hours ago when i was in front of the new york criminal courthouse. I am, of course, a member of our whole wideranging Team Reporting on this historic trial for you. While the d. A. Has been on offense for weeks, with damning receipts, strong witnesses weve told you about. Todays continued heat on Michael Cohen is certainly slowing the prosecutors momentum in this trial. Trumps lawyers conducting a winding relentless crossexamination that has the d. A. s case wobbling. The worse news for the d. A. Is that the jury has now seen Mi
Have a good show. Thank you, nicole. Welcome, everyone, to a twohour edition of the beat tonight as we go through a big day in court. Im ari melber, we have our Special Coverage, and we begin right now with the prosecutors star witness taking the stand. You may have heard about it, you may have readied for it, we are now here. The former trump lawyer Michael Cohen testifying about the work he did for trump, saying under oath this was the dirty work of a, kwot, fixer. And recounting today and the jury hearing it from his mouth for the first time, the road to the payments at the center of this physicalny case against Defendant Trump. Big day in the criminal trial of former president donald trump. The star witness takes the stand against donald j. Trump. Form fixer Michael Cohen now the star witness in the new york versus trump trial. Cohen on the stand. An extraordinary showdown today in court. The man at the center of the Hush Money Payments Scandal is testifying. The expresident coming