Michael Cohen faces cross examination in Trump trial: Live updates

Blanche is asking about what’s in a binder that he mentioned on his Political Beatdown podcast.

Cohen says it contains info on his guilty pleas.

Blanche is frustrated by Cohen’s answers — he is being a bit elusive by saying “Sounds like something I would say”.

You would like to see President Trump get convicted, yes?

Cohen: I would like to see accountability. That’s not up to me, it’s up to the jury.

Blanche: Yes or no? Do you want to see trump get convicted?

Is it fair to say that you responded during the course of this case and the indictment and investigation several dozen times?

I don’t know about several dozen times, but I have been on TV.

Do you have any doubt in your mind that you’ve been on TV more than 20 times?

He says he goes on his podcast two times per week all year long.

“Is it fair to say then you’ve gone on your podcast hundreds of times since the start?

I don’t know he replies, adding that the math probably adds up.

Cohen agrees that Trump is “mentioned” in every podcast episode.

He says he goes on TikTok to “build an audience, create a community, really vent because I’ve had a really difficult time sleeping. so I can vent”.

Blanche asks if one of the reasons he posts online is to make money?

Cohen first said “I can make money from it?” before later saying “Yes.”

Blanche: You testified yesterday about very specific recollections that you had with President Trump in 2016 but you have no recollection that last March, just over a year ago, the DA’s office told you to not speak to the press about this trial?

Cohen: I’m saying I don’t remember my communication with my lawyer about what the DA’s office said. He adds: “I don’t recall ever agreeing never to go on television.”

Blanche is trying to puncture his credibility but it’s not really working. It’s very convoluted. He’s talking about communications between Lanny Davis and the DA’s office where Cohen often isn’t involved.

You have been warned by the DA’s office many times to not talk about the case?

They told me not to talk about the case.

What does the DA’s office say to you about not speaking to the press?

“Probably better off if you don’t speak about it.”

Pressed on whether he continues to talk to the press about the case, Cohen said: “Sounds correct.”

This annoyed Blanche saying he wanted to know whether something “was correct.” Cohen replied, “That would be correct”.

Blanche: Are you the one that leaked to CNN that you had given your phones to the DA’s office?

Blanche: If it was leaked by CNN, who would have known?

Cohen says Lanny Davis, prosecutor Jeremy Rosenberg and “others… I don’t know”, he adds that he’s not sure if he leaked it or not.

Blanche: Do you remember in February 2021, you were going on TV talking about the investigation?

Cohen: I go on TV often, so I’m not sure I know what the topic was.

Cohen looks and sounds a little annoyed.

He said he remembered the DA’s office being frustrated that he kept talking to the press.

Blanche: There was a leak to the AP and you and your lawyer both denied being the source of the leak. Do you remember that?

He is shown an email that Davis told the DA’s office that neither Cohen nor he were the source of the leak.

Blanche: Do you remember your lawyer at that time, the DA’s office was frustrated that when they would say something to you or the lawyer about your investigation, you would then talk about it on TV?

Cohen: I do not recall, no.

Blanche: Is this trial important to you?

Blanche: You have also talked about President Trump?

Blanche: On April 23, you referred to Trump as a dictator douchebag, didn’t you?

Cohen: Sounds like something I would say.

There is no response from Trump when he hears “dictator douchebag” come out of Blanche — his eyes are closed, he’s leaning back, letting this all wash over him.

Blanche: Over the past several years, let’s go back to January 2021, is it fair to say that the government — the Manhattan DA’s office — has asked you to stop talking publicly about the case?

Blanche: I’m not asking you if they might have… I’m asking you if the prosecutors have repeatedly asked you to stop commenting on this case. correct?

Blanche: Mr [Lanny] Davis was your lawyer in 2021?

He adds that Lanny Davis is no longer representing him and stopped representing him in 2022.

Blanche: You have been following what’s been happening in the trial, correct?

Cohen: To some extent, yes

Blanche asks him if “you know if you’ve learned about things that happened in the jury selection process”.

Blanche is asking if he knew how a witness testified.

He refers to an April 23 TikTok about David Pecker’s testimony. He said in the video that Pecker had “corroborated everything I’ve been saying for 6 years”.

Cohen: Someone called me and told me that Mr Pecker had corroborated what I had been saying for a long time.

He adds: “I have watched CNN and MSNBC but I have not followed the trial… or religiously followed the full extent of the trial.”

Blanche: Thats because this trial is important to you, correct?

Cohen: I do it because I am interested in other issues and seeing what’s happening, like the protests and Israel, and this as well.

Lead Trump defense attorney Todd Blanche is conducting the cross-examination of Michael Cohen.

Kelly Rissman reports that it began like this:

Blanche: On april 23, after the trial started in this case, you went on TikTok and called me a ‘crying little shit,” didn’t you?

Cohen: sounds like something I would say.

Judge Merchan immediately cuts them off.

The overflow room is cracking up.

Cohen was stone faced in his response. The overflow room burst out laughing. No responses from inside the courtroom, it looks like.