Michael Cohen admits he wants to see Trump convicted in hush-money cross-examination – as it happened (2024)

Trump attorney Todd Blanche is asking Michael Cohen about his hundreds of podcasts and asks whether he talks about Trump in every episode.

I would say he’s mentioned in every one, yes?

Cohen explains why he started doing nightly TikToks. He does it to “build an audience to create a community. To really vent because I’m having a difficult time sleeping. So I found an outlet.”

Trump attorney Todd Blanche asks Michael Cohen about his testimony on Monday about his conversations with Donald Trump, and how he can have “no recollection of whether last March – just over a year ago – prosecutors told you to stop talking about the case”.

Cohen says:

What I’m saying to you, sir, I don’t recall having these conversations with Lanny Davis about not going on television.

Blanche said: “You don’t recall the district attorney telling you were ... helping Trump by going on TV?” Cohen said no.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche is asking Michael Cohen about how he gave two phones to the district attorney’s office.

“Two different phones, two different days?” Cohen says: “That’s correct.”

Does he remember going on TV two days later on Don Lemon, telling him that he had been in contact with the district attorney and turning over your phones? Does he remember the district attorney’s office being frustrated that you’d done that? Cohen says: “No, sure.”

Did Cohen leak to CNN that he gave his phones to prosecutors? Cohen says: “I don’t recall.”

Blanche presses: If it was leaked by CNN, not by you, who else could have?

Clearly, [Cohen’s former attorney] Lanny Davis, could be others, I don’t know.

Who else knew? “People in the district attorney’s office.”

We’re about 15 minutes into Trump attorney Todd Blanche’s cross-examination and prosecutor Susan Hoffinger has had at least half a dozen objections sustained.

There’s no rhythm here and it’s not clear where Blanche is going.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche immediately raises Michael Cohen’s commentary of the trial at the start of his cross-examination as a way of seeding the idea that Cohen hates Donald Trump.Blanche says:

On April 1 after the trial started, you referred to president Trump as a dictator douche bag didn’t you?

Cohen responds:

Sounds like something I’d said.

Blanche asks whether Cohen said he’d like to see Trump in a cage, “like a f*cking animal. Do you recall saying that? Cohen responds:

I recall saying that.

Blanche is asking whether prosecutors have asked him to stop commenting publicly about the case. “They might have, yes.”

Is it fair to say that the prosecutors have told him repeatedly to stop talking about the case. “Yes.”

During a sidebar this morning, Trump attorney Todd Blanche said, “We do not have any rebuttal witnesses as of now.”

Judge Juan Merchan asked: “You don’t have any?” Blanche said:

We do not have any rebuttal witnesses. As of now, pending the testimony of Mr Cohen. I believe the cross will continue until the end of the day Thursday. If it even finishes, it will be very near the end of the day and presumably there will be redirect. As for our expert, we have communicated with him and expect him to be here over the weekend. But whether we call him depends, in part, on the charge – we submitted the charge, just this morning, so I know you haven’t read it yet.

Michael Cohen eyed each of the jurors as they walked past him on the way to the witness stand.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche is beginning his cross-examination of Cohen.

On 23 April, you went on TikTok and called me a “crying little sh*t”, Blanche says. Cohen replies:

Sounds like something I would say.

We’re already having a sidebar after Blanche began his cross examination by raising two things Cohen has said about Trump’s lawyers during the trial.

Cohen glanced at the jurors as this sidebar is happening.

During a sidebar before Michael Cohen’s testimony began this morning, the prosecution said they had elected not to call another witness, a book publisher.

To that effect, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said:

I don’t know how long Mr Blanche’s cross-examination will be, but I think that it’s highly likely that we will get to the defense case, such as it is, on Thursday. And we don’t know who the defense witnesses are, except for an expert witness and potentially Mr Trump. They’ve indicated that the only other witnesses that they intend to call are impeachment witnesses.

Michael Cohen is back on the witness stand.

Donald Trump has entered the courtroom with his legal team and a big stack of papers.

Eric and Lara Trump are still here.

On the way in, Trump attorney Susan Necheles paused along the aisle and said to one of the court sketch artists: “I want your drawing.”