Author Topic: Live Thread: Trump's hush money trial begins in NYC (Read 88973 times)

libertybele · « **Reply #1075 on:** May 20, 2024, 03:47:39 pm »

Big names join Trump in court as trial continues

Former President Donald Trump is being joined in court Monday by another slew of big names, including a multiple members of Congress.

The group is expected to hold a news conference at Noon E.T.

Trump's guests include South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., and Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas.

Former Trump official Kash Patel, former Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones, actor Chuck Zito, and lawyers Alan Dershowitz and John Coale, among others, are also in attendance.

https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/may-20-trump-trial-michael-cohen-cross-examination

catfish1957 · « **Reply #1076 on:** May 20, 2024, 03:58:55 pm »

Didn't realize it, but Marchan was born in Columbia. How about that? A foreigner in charge of helping bring down American democracy.

mystery-ak · « **Reply #1077 on:** May 20, 2024, 04:11:47 pm »

Quote

Cohen confirms he considered running for Congress
By Kyle Schnitzer

After we returned from the morning break, Michael Cohen confirmed that he considered running for Congress — based on his name recognition, and not Donald Trump.

"My name recognition is because of the journey I've been on. Is it affiliated with Mr. Trump? Yes," Cohen said, but he wouldn't say it's because of Trump.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche then asked Cohen if his "journey" included "daily attacks on President Trump."

After some back-and-forth, Cohen eventually confirmed that the attacks are part of his journey.

Quote

4 minutes ago
Cohen made $4.4M from books and podcasts since 2020
By Tamar Lapin

Cohen testified that he's reaped about $4.4 million from his books and podcasts in the last four years.

The convicted felon was sprung from prison in 2020 and freed from home confinement the following year.

Since his release from lockup, he's made a new career as a vocal Trump critic.

With Post wires

Quote

3 minutes ago
Blanche done with cross-examination of Michael Cohen

Manhattan prosecutor Susan Hoffinger will now quiz Cohen on redirect examination.

Quote

12 minutes ago
Cohen's cross-examination wraps, he insists 'no doubt' he spoke with Trump about Stormy Daniels payoff
By Ben Kochman and Kyle Schnitzer

Donald Trump lawyer Todd Blanche's cross-examination of Michael Cohen ended with Cohen saying there's "no doubt" he had "specific recollections" of speaking with Trump about the Stormy Daniels payoff in October 2016.

Manhattan prosecutor Susan Hoffinger is now quizzing Cohen on redirect examination.

Quote

9 minutes ago
Cohen says he'd make more money if Trump is acquitted -- since he'd have more to talk about
By Ben Kochman

In one of the final questions he was asked during cross-examination, Michael Cohen answered "no" when asked whether a conviction would benefit him financially.

The opposite is actually true, Cohen claimed, saying that an acquittal would give him more material to discuss on his podcast and other media appearances.

"It’s better if he’s not [convicted], because it gives me more to talk about in the future,” he testified.

Quote

8 minutes ago
Cohen mistakenly calls female Manhattan ADA 'sir'
By Kyle Schnitzer

"Yes, sir ... ma'am," Michael Cohen said, quickly correcting himself, when answering a question by prosecutor Susan Hoffinger.

The response elicited smiles from both Hoffinger and Donald Trump attorney Todd Blanche, who spent hours grilling Cohen on cross-examination.

mystery-ak · « **Reply #1078 on:** May 20, 2024, 04:31:19 pm »

10 minutes ago
Trump rigged popularity poll, refused to pay company after finishing 9th: Cohen
By Kyle Schnitzer

Donald Trump refused to pay a tech company that helped boost his position on a CNBC poll about the most famous businessmen in the last century because he only finished in ninth place, Michael Cohen testified.

"Mr. Trump’s name was on that list. And in the beginning of this poll, he was polling toward the very, very bottom and it upset him," Cohen testified.

Cohen said he called up Red Finch, a technology company, to assist in the CNBC poll to create an algorithm that would help Trump "rise, rise significantly in this poll." The scheme would have Red Finch acquire IP addresses to boost Trump's polling position.

Cohen said Trump gave him his permission to go ahead with Red Finch, but Trump ultimately finished ninth in the poll.

"He refused to make a payment," Cohen said about Trump, citing where Trump finished.

Red Finch was ultimately owed $50,000. Cohen paid the company $20,000 and pocketed the remaining $30,000 because Trump stiffed him on his holiday bonus, he testified.

catfish1957 · « **Reply #1079 on:** May 20, 2024, 04:43:49 pm »

Red Finch?

See those on the Feeder all the time. Messy little buggers.

mystery-ak · « **Reply #1080 on:** May 20, 2024, 06:15:15 pm »

2 minutes ago
House Reps, other political supporters host press conference outside court
By Kaydi Pelletier

A bevy of Trump's political supporters held a press conference outside the courthouse during the trial's lunch break, including Rep. Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Illinois Rep. Mary Miller, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and Kash Patel, a high-level aide to Trump during his presidency.

mystery-ak · « **Reply #1081 on:** May 20, 2024, 06:18:37 pm »

https://twitter.com/JoeConchaTV/status/1792619917138645277

mystery-ak · « **Reply #1082 on:** May 20, 2024, 06:28:38 pm »

a minute ago
Cohen's ex-attorney Robert Costello could be called to the stand

Earlier, Trump's attorneys told the judge they were considering calling Robert Costello -- Cohen's former attorney who testified to Congress last week -- as one of their witnesses.

Trump's side also floated calling an election law expert and a paralegal to the stand.

But defense attorney Todd Blanche noted "there's still a lot in the air," and that he'd see how Cohen's testimony this morning went before making a final decision about having Costello testify.

mystery-ak · « **Reply #1083 on:** May 20, 2024, 06:31:16 pm »

https://twitter.com/MAGAIncWarRoom/status/1792619158699446672

mystery-ak · « **Reply #1084 on:** May 20, 2024, 06:44:33 pm »

02:37 PMMay 20, 2024
-
rrahman
Trump attorney indicates they have a witness

Trump attorney Todd Blanche indicated that Trump’s defense team has at least one witness who will testify.

But he said their case would be short and there is a “likelihood we will rest today,” a signal that the former president does not plan to testify.

“We have a witness in the back,” Blanche said.

The parties are still sparring over the admissibility of alleged photos showing Trump and his bodyguard physically together in October 2016 at a key moment.

Prosecutors want to recall one of their witnesses to get it admitted, but he does not live in New York, so doing so would throw the schedule up in the air.

— Zach Schonfeld

mystery-ak · « **Reply #1085 on:** May 20, 2024, 06:53:26 pm »

3 minutes ago
Trump had 'more than 20' conversations with Trump about Stormy in 2016: testimony
By Kyle Schnitzer

Michael Cohen says he had more than 20 conversations with Donald Trump about Stormy Daniels in October 2016. Those conversations happened in person and by phone, Cohen confirmed to Manhattan prosecutor Susan Hoffinger.

mystery-ak · « **Reply #1086 on:** May 20, 2024, 06:56:50 pm »

Andrew H. Giuliani
@AndrewHGiuliani
Merchan is seated. He is now discussing his decision with regard to whether or not he will allow a late submission from the prosecution, a photo of President Trump and Keith Schiller, minutes before the 8:02 call.

If Merchan rules with the prosecution on this, he would be violating his own earlier precedence regarding hearsay. Let’s see…
Last edited
1:49 PM · May 20, 2024

mystery-ak · « **Reply #1087 on:** May 20, 2024, 06:58:05 pm »

Andrew H. Giuliani
@AndrewHGiuliani
Blanche and the ADA are talking now while Merchan is standing waiting to end the day.

They decide that they will not call the CSPAN witness and instead they will present the picture of Schiller and Donald Trump on October 24th, 2016 to Cohen and the jury and verify that it’s a fair representation of Schiller, with Cohen being asked the question.

The trial continues today…

mystery-ak · « **Reply #1088 on:** May 20, 2024, 07:07:12 pm »

02:50 PMMay 20, 2024
-
rrahman
Attorneys agree to let Cohen introduce C-SPAN screenshot

Prosecutors’ questioning of a C-SPAN employee did not provide a strong enough foundation to allow the introduction of a critical screenshot from an Oct. 24, 2016 video showing Trump and his bodyguard, Keith Schiller, together at the time Cohen testified they were, the judge said.

The determination led to a mad dash to get the witness, who is based in Indiana, back to New York City to close out the Manhattan district attorney’s case – to which defense attorneys objected.

But, after some discussion, the parties agreed to stipulate that the screenshot did originate from a C-SPAN video, preventing the witness from having to fly in by tomorrow morning to testify.

— Ella Lee

Quote

a minute ago
Cohen: My life has been 'turned upside down' since turning on Trump

Michael Cohen said his entire life has been "turned upside down" as a result of turning on Donald Trump.

“My entire life has been turned upside down as a direct result. I lost my law licenses, my business, my financial security," Cohen said, responding to Manhattan prosecutor Susan Hoffinger's question about what his life's been like since he turned his back on Trump.

Cohen is now under additional questioning from Trump attorney Todd Blanche.

Quote

03:06 PMMay 20, 2024
-
rrahman
Jurors hear Cohen’s call with Stormy Daniels lawyer

Jurors heard part of Michael Cohen’s audio recording of an October 2016 phone call with Keith Davidson, who represented Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal as they negotiated their hush money payments.

“I can’t even tell you how many times he said to me, you know, ‘I hate the fact that we did it,’” Cohen said in the recording.

On the stand, Cohen told prosecutors that he was referring to Trump.

“And my comment to him was, ‘But every person that you’ve spoken to told you it was the right move,’” Cohen continued in the recording.

— Zach Schonfeld

mystery-ak · « **Reply #1089 on:** May 20, 2024, 07:14:13 pm »

a few seconds ago
Prosecution rests as Cohen steps down from the stand

Michael Cohen is now off the stand, and the prosecution has rested its case.

Trump's lawyers will now have the chance to put on their own case.

mystery-ak · « **Reply #1090 on:** May 20, 2024, 07:16:11 pm »

03:14 PMMay 20, 2024
-
elee
Cohen excused from stand

Michael Cohen has been excused from the stand after four days of testimony.

— Zach Schonfeld

catfish1957 · « **Reply #1091 on:** May 20, 2024, 07:19:12 pm »

Cohen's life till he croaks.....

mystery-ak · « **Reply #1092 on:** May 20, 2024, 07:20:00 pm »

03:17 PMMay 20, 2024
-
elee
Trump calls legal analyst to stand

Trump has called to the stand as his first witness Danny Sitko, a legal analyst who works on the defense team with the former president’s main lawyers.

Sitko has attended the duration of the trial, often passing notes to the other lawyers. He works at Blanche Law, the eponymous law firm of Trump’s lead attorney, Todd Blanche.

— Zach Schonfeld

mystery-ak · « **Reply #1093 on:** May 20, 2024, 07:20:37 pm »

Andrew H. Giuliani
@AndrewHGiuliani
Blanche now asking convicted felon Cohen about a waiver he signed about Costello, confirming that he signed off on waiving the attorney-client privilege for Costello.

Blanche shows the waiver document.

Blanche working to catch Cohen on why he waived the attorney-client privilege. Blanche shows that Cohen is evasive at the best and still potentially lying at worst.
2:07 PM · May 20, 2024

mystery-ak · « **Reply #1094 on:** May 20, 2024, 07:22:17 pm »

11:02 AMMay 20, 2024
-
rrahman
Cohen acknowledges initially claiming Trump had no involvement in hush payment

Cohen acknowledged to Trump attorney Todd Blanche that he previously claimed Trump was not personally involved in the hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels.

“You told multiple people when it first leaked that President Trump knew nothing about the payment,” Blanche said.

“That’s correct,” Cohen responded.

Cohen has since reversed his position, claiming he was lying at the time to help Trump.

— Zach Schonfeld

mystery-ak · « **Reply #1095 on:** May 20, 2024, 07:23:50 pm »

2 minutes ago
Paralegal first witness for Trump's attorneys
By Kyle Schnitzer

Trump's team first witness is Daniel Sitko, a paralegal from attorney Todd Blanche's law firm.

Sitko has been sitting behind Trump's defense table during the trial. He appeared court every day.

catfish1957 · « **Reply #1096 on:** May 20, 2024, 07:35:57 pm »

I am not a lawyer, and this is just a wild thought out of the blue. Considering the precedent setting of this case, would it be admissable for the defense to call Bragg and Letitia James to the stand to establish nefarious political motive? Ask direct questions around White House, and/or DNC interaction, sponsorship, or interference intent.

I'll bet there some kind of legal exemption, but would be interesting to know for sure.

mystery-ak · « **Reply #1097 on:** May 20, 2024, 07:40:56 pm »

13 minutes ago
Attorney Robert Costello to be next witness

Attorney Robert Costello will be the defense's next witness, attorney Emil Bove said.

Earlier, Donald Trump’s attorneys told the judge they were considering calling Costello — Michael Cohen’s former attorney who testified to Congress last week — as one of their witnesses.

catfish1957 · « **Reply #1098 on:** May 20, 2024, 07:42:43 pm »

Quote from: mystery-ak on May 20, 2024, 07:40:56 pm

13 minutes ago
Attorney Robert Costello to be next witness

Attorney Robert Costello will be the defense's next witness, attorney Emil Bove said.

Earlier, Donald Trump’s attorneys told the judge they were considering calling Costello — Michael Cohen’s former attorney who testified to Congress last week — as one of their witnesses.

Turley just told Fox that this might be the "Kill Shot"

mystery-ak · « **Reply #1099 on:** May 20, 2024, 07:43:00 pm »

Robert Costello, a lawyer who once advised Cohen and acted as a go-between Trump’s White House and his exiled fixer, has been called as the defense’s second witness.

During the state’s case-in-chief, jurors saw emails from Costello to Cohen encouraging him to stay loyal to the former president as his legal woes mounted. Cohen described Costello’s behavior as a “pressure campaign” to keep him in line.

Danny Sitko, the legal analyst, testified for only about 10 minutes, mainly to confirm call records between Michael Cohen and Robert Costello.

— Ella Lee and Zach Schonfeld