Live Thread: Trump's hush money trial begins in NYC

[mystery-ak]

4 minutes ago
David Dennison was based a real person: Cohen
By Kyle Schnitzer

The phony name David Dennison that was used in Donald Trump's hush money agreement with Stormy Daniels was actually a real person whom Stormy's attorney Keith Davidson knew.

"I believe he knew a David Dennison. Why Peggy Peterson — I don’t have an answer," Cohen said.

Cohen confirmed that the NDA contract between Daniels and Trump was a "perfectly legal contract" and "happens all the time."

Dennison was the alias Trump used in the contract; Peggy Peterson was used by Daniels.

[mystery-ak]

a minute ago
Cohen admits Stormy Daniels hush money contract was 'perfectly legal contract'

Jurors were shown the hush money contract struck with Stormy Daniels during Cohen's cross-examination.

“In your mind, then and now, this is a perfectly legal contract, correct?” Trump attorney Todd Blanche asked Cohen about the nondisclosure agreement.

“Yes sir,” Cohen said.

Blanche also noted that Trump did not sign the contract.

With Post wires

[mystery-ak]

Court done for the day....next court day is Monday.

[mystery-ak]

6 minutes ago
Jury excused for the day; will return Monday
By Kyle Schnitzer

The jury was excused a few minutes ago. They will return to court Monday — not Friday — since Trump will attend his son Barron's high school graduation in Florida.

[libertybele]

I hope he enjoys his son's graduation.  It's such a milestone to be celebrated!

[berdie]

I'm not a lawyer but my guess is that the best we can expect from this bunch is a hung jury.

I'm no lawyer either...but that is what I kind of expect. Surely there are people on that jury that can discern between a smear job and whatever the crime he  is accused of.

[mystery-ak]

an hour ago
Judge: Be prepared for summations Tuesday
By kschnitzernyp

A scheduling update: “Please be prepared to begin summations on Tuesday," says Justice Merchan.

Michael Cohen will resume cross-examination Monday, and Trump attorney Todd Blanche says that he expects to be done by the morning.

[mystery-ak]

32 minutes ago
Trump says he's spending a lot of 'my time and my money' in post-court remarks: 'What they want'

In his typical post-court remarks, Donald Trump blasted the 'hush money' trial on Thursday for taking up his time and finances.

After spending several minutes reading off a series of printed-out news clippings about his trial, Trump began by thanking his legal team.

"I just want to thank all the lawyers involved because they've been really working hard," the former president said. "And I'm spending a lot of time and I'm spending a lot of money which is what they want. They want me to spend my time and my money.

"I'm willing to do it because ultimately we have to fight for the Constitution. Thank you very much."

The jury had been excused just moments earlier after another day of testimony by Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen.

The trial is set to resume on Monday since Trump will be attending his son's high school graduation in Florida.

[Hoodat]

https://rumble.com/embed/v4t40wf/?pub=4

[mystery-ak]

DAY 19

Michael Cohen cross-examine continues

[catfish1957]

I'm no lawyer either...but that is what I kind of expect. Surely there are people on that jury that can discern between a smear job and whatever the crime he  is accused of.

Call me paranoid, but consider how easily the sleazy dims are able to change the results of a POTUS election with a few hundred thousand fraudlent votes,  12 empaneled more in an 90/10 dim jurisdiction ought to be a piece of cake.

[mystery-ak]

10 minutes ago
Judge: Closing arguments won't start before Memorial Day
By Kyle Schnitzer

Justice Juan Merchan said earlier Monday that he expects closing arguments to be next Tuesday — meaning Trump's hush money trial will continue after Memorial Day Weekend.

"Its become apparent that we’re not going to be able to sum up tomorrow," the judge said.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche said last Thursday that he expected to continue with his cross-examination of Michael Cohen into Monday morning, and the judge initially hinted that summations could begin tomorrow.

"It was either have a long break now or have a long break then, and unfortunately, the calendar is what it is," he said.

15 minutes ago
Trump steps into courtroom with entourage of supporters, son Eric, still no Melania
By Ben Kochman

Donald Trump stepped into the courtroom a moment ago flanked by roughly a dozen supporters, including the ex-con former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, whom Trump granted a presidential pardon on a tax fraud conviction in 2020.

Lawyer Alan Dershowitz, a frequent Trump booster, is here as well.

Trump’s wife Melania has still yet to make an appearance alongside him in court.

[mystery-ak]

08:01
Judge rejects Trump attempt to introduce an email into evidence

Trump's lawyers sought to bring in an email in 2018 sent by Jeffrey Citron, a lawyer, to Michael Cohen

The email was sent after a meeting between Citron, Cohen and Robert Costello, a Trump-aligned lawyer who Cohen considered working with after the hush money payment became public.

The email talked about how Cohen was ‘involved on multiple fronts’ and mentioned Citron’s hopes he could ‘bring you some peace’.

Todd Blanche, Trump’s lawyer, said the email suggested that Cohen had not told the truth about his dealings with Costello, who Cohen claimed he didn’t get along with.

Judge Merchan rejected the request to bring it into evidence, telling the court that ‘nowhere in this email does it express Mr Cohen’s state of mind’ as it was written by Citron.

[mystery-ak]

a few seconds ago
'They have no case, they have no crime' Trump said before entering courtroom this morning

Trump spoke for nearly seven minutes in the hallway before court began a bit ago — railing against "a very freezing cold, dark" courtroom and and a prosecution he says has "no case, no crime."

"I'm not allowed to have anything to do with politics because I'm sitting in a very freezing cold, dark room for the last four weeks," he said. "It's very unfair. They have no case, they have no crime."

The former commander-in-chief had printed-out news articles in hand, as has become his custom during this trial, and cited The Post this morning, saying "The New York Post editorial board has become really aware ... that the key elements to any prosecution is missing."

[mystery-ak]

8 minutes ago
Michael Cohen returns to the witness stand
By Kyle Schnitzer

Michael Cohen is back on the witness stand as Donald Trump attorney Todd Blanche resumes his cross-examination.

3 minutes ago
Blanche asks Cohen how many reporters he's talked to since last week

Trump attorney Todd Blanche started things off Monday morning by asking Michael Cohen how many reporters he's spoke to since testifying last week.

"I didn’t speak to reporters about what happened last week," Cohen said, but when Blanche followed up, Cohen admitted to having small talk with journalists.

"I’ve spoken to reporters who just called to say, 'Hello,' to see how I’m doing, to check in, but I did not talk about this case," Cohen said.

Blanche had previously quizzed Cohen on his relationship with reporters earlier in cross-examination.

[mystery-ak]

6 minutes ago
Trump sitting with eyes closed, Cohen staying calm during testimony so far

Trump is sitting at the defense table with his eyes closed while his lawyer Todd Blanche asks Cohen about other issues he was dealing with in October 2016, when he finalized the non-disclosure agreement with Daniels.

Cohen, wearing a dark blue suit and lavender tie, is staying calm so far while Blanche questions him.

a minute ago
Cohen tried playing peacemaker between Taxi King, decades-younger wife: testimony
By Kyle Schnitzer

Michael Cohen says he tried getting Gene Freidman back together with his decades-younger wife when she filed for divorce from the taxi king in October 2016.

Cohen was asked by Trump attorney Todd Blanche about what was going on with Freidman at the time, and asked Cohen whether he recalled Freidman going through "something personal."

"Martial problems," Cohen said, adding that he "tried to help assist in bringing them back together as well as talking to him about potential lawyers.”

Cohen also said he helped find Freidman an apartment.

Friedman was married to Sandra Freidman, a 24-year-old who was born in Moscow and grew up in Paris, before she filed for divorce in 2015. He was forced to move out of their three-floor town house on the Upper East Side.

They had been married for three years before the divorce filing.

[mystery-ak]

a few seconds ago
Cohen maintains he spoke to Trump about Stormy Daniels payoff in Oct. 26, 2016 calls

Cohen stuck to his story about speaking with Trump about the Stormy Daniels payoff in two phone calls on the morning of Oct. 26, 2016.

"My recollection is that I was speaking to him about Stormy Daniels because that is what he tasked me to take care of and that’s what I was working on," he testified.

 "It was important that I take care of it," he added.

13 min(s) ago
Cohen says he spent dozens of hours practicing testimony with prosecutors in Trump trial

Former lawyer Michael Cohen says he spent dozens of hours with prosecutors preparing and practicing his testimony in former President Trump's New York criminal trial.

Cohen made the statement during cross examination from Trump's defense team on Monday. He said he met with prosecutors in Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg's team as many as 20 times in the lead-up to being called to the stand. He says each of the meeting lasted more than 1-2 hours. He said prosecutors used the meetings to ask him many of the same questions they asked when he was on the stand last week.

Cohen is the star witness for prosecutors and was the final witness they called to the stand.

Trump faces 43 counts of falsifying business records in relation to alleged hush money payments he made to pornography actress Stormy Daniels. Daniels herself also testified earlier on in the trial.
Posted by Anders Hagstrom

[mystery-ak]

a minute ago
Cohen calmly admits 'stealing ' $30,000 from Trump Organization
By Ben Kochman and Kyle Schnitzer

Michael Cohen cooly admitted Monday stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization after overstating how much he needed to be repaid for fronting funds to a poll-rigging tech company called Red Finch.

Cohen testified that he handed the CEO of the company $20,000 in cash in a brown paper bag in exchange for services that included rigging 2016 election polls in Trump's favor.

But when Trump's chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg asked him whether he needed to be reimbursed $50,000 for this, Cohen went along with it -- pocketing the difference, he said.

"You did steal from the Trump Organization based on the expected reimbursement from Red Finch, correct?" Trump lawyer Todd Blanche, his voice rising into a high pitch, asked Cohen.

"Yes, sir," Cohen calmly replied.

Trump broke away from his eyes-closed position during this exchange and popped a mint before appearing to pay close attention to Cohen's testimony.

[mystery-ak]

09:20
Cohen maintains he did talk to Trump about Stormy Daniels in two phone calls

Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche is suggesting that Cohen talked to Trump about matters other than Stormy Daniels in the two phone calls they had on the day of the hush money payment - October 26th, 2016.

Blanche said: 'You do have a specific recollection on those two phone calls you just alked about the Stormy Daniels deal?'

Cohen: 'Because they were important to me.'

Blanche: 'So was fixing Tiffany Trump’s situation important to you?'

Cohen: 'It was important I take care of things but it was not personally important to me.'

Blanche: 'Woudln’t that be something you updated her father about when you spoke the next morning?'

Cohen: 'No sir.'

Blanche said there was also an opening ceremony for a Trump building that day, Trump was doing a big TV interview, and there was still fallout from the Access Hollywood tape.

But Cohen said the Stormy Daniels deal was what he spoke to Trump about on the phone because 'that’s what he tasked me to take care of.'

[mystery-ak]

8 minutes ago
Cohen's goodbye email to Trump Organization shown to jury
By Kyle Schnitzer

The jury was shown Michael Cohen's goodbye email to the Trump Organization that he sent on January 27, 2017, in which Cohen announced his new role as Donald Trump's personal attorney and said he would no longer be working out of Trump Tower.

“It was an incredible honor for me and I look forward to productive and exciting times," Cohen wrote in the email.

[mystery-ak]

5 minutes ago
Cohen made $4M doing other consulting work in 2017, didn't tell Trump: testimony

Trump attorney Todd Blanche pressed Michael Cohen on other consulting work he did in 2017 — which he said netted him $4 million from six other clients.

Cohen confirmed that he was paid $50,000 per month for a year by AT&T when they were trying to acquire Time Warner.

Cohen then was asked if he ever told Trump about these "consulting agreements" and he said he "did not specifically" reveal the contracts to the former president.

"It was Mr. Trump who introduced the CEO of AT&T to me, that's how I ended up retaining them as a client," Cohen said.

Trump smiled and shook his head after Cohen's response.

Blanche then tried asking Cohen if he knew that Trump was frustrated when he found out his work with AT&T, but the judge sustained the prosecution's objection to the question.

Trump was then seen having an animated conversation with attorney Emil Bove, who is sitting to his right at the defense table.

[mystery-ak]

2 minutes ago
Court takes first break with Cohen still on cross-examination
By Kyle Schnitzer

The morning break is here. We'll be back shortly.

[mountaineer]

@CollinRugg
JUST IN: ‘Star witness’ Michael Cohen admits he stole $30,000 from the Trump Organization while getting questioned by Trump’s attorney.  ...
https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1792570728103174361

[mystery-ak]

a minute ago
Cohen now testifying about TV show 'The Fixer'
By Kyle Schnitzer

Michael Cohen resumes testifying.

The show, "The Fixer," would be about Cohen's life, he testified.

[libertybele]

@CollinRugg
JUST IN: ‘Star witness’ Michael Cohen admits he stole $30,000 from the Trump Organization while getting questioned by Trump’s attorney.  ...
https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1792570728103174361

Gee, that doesn't exactly make him a credible witness.  He's a liar and a thief.