I would totally have a beer with Cohen. If he put up his card for the tab.
Trump doesn’t want a lawyer to tell him how to do things in a legal manner; he wants a lawyer who will make what he’s doing legal.
So I was thinking some more about the question of, will Trump pay Weisselberg, and I remembered this post:
Take a look at that. This isn’t just a lump sum, it’s structured so that they each have a gun at the other’s head.
Trump doesn’t want Weisselberg talking before the election, but Weisselberg wants to get paid before the election. So they spread the payments out over the course of the election campaign. If Trump cheaps out in June or September, Weisselberg talks. If Weisselberg talks, Trump cuts off the remaining payments.
I’ll bet good money that if Trump wins, he’ll stiff Weisselberg for the December payment, because by that point, Trump will have everything he wants.
He’d still have jeopardy for NY state crimes, and I’m guessing W could still sink him in that regard. But your thought is still plausible. If Trump feels bulletproof, whether or not he is, he stiffs W. “I paid enough.”
But then you run into the whole “Can’t indict a sitting president” mess. Trump will take the four years and rub it in everyone’s faces. Who knows what happens after those four years?
Yep, that’s why nonpayment seems plausible to me, when a sane billionaire would just pay the $250K.
Two strikes. He’s neither.
If the suggestion was that Cohen acted alone on the catch/kill operation to shield Trump (perhaps by suggesting he was working for Pecker without actually contacting him) and then was generally reimbursed for “services rendered”, I’d probably buy it. But with Pecker and the other witnesses and evidence, that’s a much stronger and more damning case.
It’ll be neat to hear how many little jabs Cohen can sneak in during testimony - I’ll help keep tally.
I don’t think he’s quite as witty and quick on his feet as Stormy - better he stick to the facts and sink him that way.
Agreed. If he makes lots of cracks at Trump’s expense, that feeds the narrative that he just doing it for revenge. “Just the facts” is better testimony.
cohen has been called to the stand. here we go…
After the comments the judge made to the defense about objecting to Daniels’ testimony, anyone got an over/under for how many times they will object during Cohen?
Michael Cohen is giving his family background information. He said he’s been married for “going on 30 years.”
“Actually, I really didn’t want to be a lawyer. My grandmother wanted me to be a lawyer. My family is comprised of doctors and lawyers,” Cohen said.
“I wanted to go to Wall Street — my grandmother’s like that’s not going to happen,” he said.
Michael Cohen is asked if he sees Donald Trump in the courtroom.
Cohen leans to his right, stands up and identifies his former boss as wearing a blue and white tie.
There’s no reaction from Trump. His eyes appear closed as Cohen identifies him.
Michael Cohen is now describing how he began working for Trump when he lived at Trump World Tower, explaining how he had helped orchestrate a co-op board takeover to resolve an issue, which was “to Mr. Trump’s satisfaction.”
Michael Cohen, describing how he began working for Donald Trump, says that after the co-op board situation was resolved, he helped him with other legal issues.
When asked by prosecutor Susan Hoffinger if he got paid for any of that work at the time, he responds, “No ma’am."
Michael Cohen is testifying about the time that Trump offered him a job when he met him at the office to inquire about a $100,000 bill for work he did for Trump Entertainment Resorts.
Cohen says that Trump asked whether he was happy at his “sleepy old firm,” and then asked whether Cohen wanted to work for him.
“And I was honored, I was taken by surprise,” Cohen says.
Trump is leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed as Cohen is testifying about his hiring.
Michael Cohen says he never went back to his old job after accepting the position at Trump Organization, “not even that day.”
Trump sent over some Trump Org. employees to pack up his stuff, Cohen says.
Michael Cohen says he didn’t work for the general counsel’s office at the Trump Organization.
Asked by the prosecutor who he reported to at the time, Cohen responds, “Mr. Trump.”
Michael Cohen said he would go into Donald Trump’s office to tell him when he accomplished a goal.
It was “really to obtain credit so that he understood that again I was accomplishing what he wanted.”
Cohen said he felt, “like I was on top of the world” when Trump said it was “fantastic or great.”
my thoughts are they are showing that trump had a habit of not paying bills, and that cohen was working hand in glove with trump.
While Donald Trump is sitting back in his chair with his eyes closed, his attorney Todd Blanche is leaning forward and closely watching Michael Cohen’s testimony.
Blanche is expected to conduct the cross-examination of Cohen.
Jurors are watching intensely, volleying between prosecutor Susan Hoffinger and Michael Cohen as he testifies.
Many are taking notes, though not all.
Michael Cohen testified that interacting with the press was a “portion” of his job.
Cohen said he pushed positive stories about Trump with the media and reiterated, “if there was an article that caused him displeasure I would speak to them about them as well.”
Michael Cohen says he’d speak to Trump in person or on a cell phone.
“Mr. Trump never had an email address,” Cohen says.
Cohen says he’d get to Trump through others like his executive assistant Rhona Graff or his longtime bodyguard Keith Schiller who Cohen called Trump’s “personal attache.”
“During certain conversations, he would comment,” Cohen say, that “emails are like written papers. He knows too many people who have gone down as a direct result of having emails that prosecutors can use in a case.”
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger clarifies with Cohen, asking, “Going down, you mean getting in some sort of trouble?”
“Yes ma’am,” Cohen says.
Michael Cohen’s office was moved closer to Donald Trump’s in Trump Tower.
He testifies he took Ivanka Trump’s old office on the 26th floor when he started working there.
Eventually, he moved to an office about 50 feet from Trump’s office. He spoke to him “every single day and multiple times a day.”
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asked if part of Michael Cohen’s job was to keep Donald Trump updated on his work.
“It was actually required,” Cohen testified.
“When he would task you with something he would then say, ‘keep me informed. Let me know what’s going on.’ What he was saying, what everybody did, as soon as you had a result an answer you could go straight back and tell him especially if it was a matter that was troubling to him,” Cohen testified.
Michael Cohen explains that Donald Trump wanted to always know what was happening.
“If you didn’t immediately provide him with the information and he learned it in another manner that wouldn’t go over well for you,” he says of his days working for the Trump organization.
Michael Cohen continues to recount his experience working for Donald Trump.
“It was fantastic,” Cohen said. “Working for him, especially during those 10 years was … an amazing experience in many many ways. There were great times.”
“There were several less than great times but for the most part, I enjoyed the responsibilities that was given to me. I enjoyed working with my colleagues at the Trump Organization. The Trump children. It was a bit (of a) family,” Cohen said.
Prosecutors are beginning to lay the foundation of how Donald Trump would assign a task and then set expectations on how to report back progress.
We have been waiting for testimony on how Trump gave orders.
Was it just intimating or instruction? Michael Cohen is suggesting that Trump’s irritation with not updating him guided Cohen’s understanding of what he was expected to do.
Before Cohen’s testimony, the judge denied the Prosecution’s request to admit the Weisselberg contract into evidence.
Michael Cohen explains how he had more than 30,000 contacts on his cellphone, which came up during earlier testimony.
He says he was “spending a significant amount of time with Mr. Trump, and we ultimately decided, he agreed, to have his contact numbers synced to my cell number, to my account as well.”
When they were traveling and Donald Trump wanted to speak to somebody, Cohen had the number, he explains.
Michael Cohen is now being asked about David Pecker, the former National Enquirer boss.
“Do you know someone named David Pecker?” the prosecutor asks.
“I do,” Cohen says.
Cohen says he knew Pecker before he knew Trump — they had mutual friends and met at a function on Long Island.
Michael Cohen says sometimes he and David Pecker communicated using the encrypted messaging app Signal.
“Depending upon the matter. Sometimes we thought that encryption and not having the event traceable would be beneficial,” he says.
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger follows up and asks if the encrypted app was used for matters he wanted to keep confidential?
“Yes, ma’am,” Cohen says.
“Prior to Mr. Trump announcing his run for the presidency, are you aware of AMI ever paying to suppress stories?” prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asks.
“No, ma’am,” Cohen says.
Michael Cohen is speaking about his relationship with former American Media Inc. chairman David Pecker.
When asked if he would say he had a good relationship with Pecker, Cohen said “I would, yes.”
“I spoke with everybody by phone, email and in person,” Cohen said. (edited)
Cohen said he also communicated with Dylan Howard, who worked for Pecker.
Cohen says that Howard “worked for Mr. Pecker, to the same extent I worked for Mr Trump.”
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger is now asking about Donald Trump’s consideration of a presidential run in 2011, which Michael Cohen says he took to Trump when he saw an article with a poll saying 6% of people thought Trump should be president.
According to Cohen, “He said it’s interesting we should look into it."
Cohen says they looked into it and created a website that posed the question if Trump should run for president.
Trump didn’t run in 2011, Cohen says.
“There were several large real estate projects that he had acquired as well as another season of the ‘Apprentice.’ As Mr. Trump told me, ‘you don’t leave Hollywood, Hollywood leaves you,’” he testifies.
Cohen is choosing his words very carefully as he describes the 2011 discussion. He is pausing between words, prolonging the sentence.
Michael Cohen is recalling Donald Trump’s announcement at Trump Tower in June 2015.
Cohen explained how he didn’t have a formal role on the 2016 campiagn.
Michael Cohen appeared relaxed on the witness stand as he gives his high-stakes testimony Monday morning.
Initially, Cohen sat with his hands close to his body, almost as if he was sitting on them. But as he continued his testimony, he placed them at his side on the arms of the chair.
He also spoke slowly in a very measured tone, occasionally chuckling to himself as he recounted some stories. Cohen’s demeanor and pacing indicates that he has been prepped by the prosecution to wait for the question and answer only that question.
(which is what you should do when testifying in court. listen to the question, pause for any objections, answer the question.)
Michael Cohen says Donald Trump worried about stories about his personal life as he weighed a run for president.
"Did he express to you any concern about negative stories about his personal life that might effect his candidacy?’ prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asks. “Yes,” Cohen said.
The former fixer says Trump told him:
"You know that when this comes out, meaning the announcement, just be prepared there’s going to be a lot of women coming forward.”
Michael Cohen confirmed to the prosecution that he would leverage his press contacts for Trump’s 2016 campaign.
Cohen says “I would frequently provide comment to press regarding different matters that kept popping up.”
Cohen added that he would go on TV, on MSNBC, CNN and ABC, on Trump’s behalf.
Cohen explains how he didn’t have a formal role on the 2016 campaign.
“I wasn’t going to be part of it. I was going to be a surrogate,” Cohen said.
Michael Cohen is now testifying about the 2015 meeting with David Pecker and Donald Trump.
“Yes ma’am,” Cohen said when asked about whether they met in 2015. They met in “Mr. Trump’s office on the 26th floor.”
“What was discussed was the power of the National Enquirer in terms of being located at the cash register of so many supermarkets and bodegas that if we can place positive stories about Mr. Trump that would be beneficial,” Cohen said.
“And if we can place negative stories about some of the other candidates that would also be beneficial,” Cohen added.
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asked whether Pecker offered anything else. “What he said was that he could keep an eye out for anything negative about Mr Trump, and that he would be able to help us to know in advance what was coming out and try to stop it from coming out,” Cohen says.
Hoffinger confirmed with Cohen that Pecker via American Media Inc. executed that plan.
Michael Cohen has confirmed that American Media Inc. (AMI) would sometimes send over covers to him before they published. Cohen says he would “immediately show it to Mr. Trump.”
“So that he would see that David (Pecker) was loyal, on board, was doing everything that he said he was going to do in that August meeting — he was actually doing it,” Cohen says.
Prosecutors are showing an email from Michael Cohen to AMI’s Barry Levine and Dylan Howard from January 2016.
Levine wrote:
“As our readers can’t get enough of Mr. Trump, we are repackaging and repurposing past material from our files and adding additional material – of course, also of a positive nature.”
In a January 2016 email, Cohen responded to AMI with specific edits:
"Yes. Take out the part of the penthouse pet Sandra as it offers nothing. Also, I would like to reword the part about Atlantic City. Let’s speak tomorrow.
Prosecutors are now showing the jury the National Enquirer cover of the headline, “The Donald Trump Nobody Knows!”
Cohen said he learned about the doorman story circulating about Trump having fathered “a love child.”
“I spoke I went to him immediately to advise him that there was a story because it was a negative story for him and to get his direction on what he wanted me to do,” Cohen said.
“He told me to make sure that the story doesn’t get out — ‘you handle it,’” Cohen testified that Trump said.
Michael Cohen says he saw the National Enquirer deal with the doorman as it was being finalized.
“I reviewed it to ensure that Mr. Trump was fully protected. I also asked them to send it to me so I could show Mr. Trump it was being taken care of.”
He emphasized the word “show” as he said this.
Cohen says that he advised AMI to add the $1 million penalty for any violation of the agreement and he recommended removing the end date to “make it in perpetuity,” meaning it lasted forever.
Cohen turns to the jury and explains: “That means it’s forever. They own the story forever. It can never come out.”
On December 19, 2015, Dylan Howard of the National Enquirer emailed Cohen confirming he added the liquidated damages clause. The email was shown in court.
Forget the Stormy Daniels thing, wouldn’t this kind of cooperation between them constitute a massive campaign contribution to Trump? How much of their annual publishing budget was directed to what were effectively election ads that favored Trump? Did anyone ever report this donation to the proper election officials?
This wasn’t just a newspaper publishing news and opinions about Trump. They were directly coordinating between the two entities, with the Trump org having at least some editorial control over the content of the stories. This can’t be legal, can it?
Clearly, Trump operated on the Stringer Bell rule: “is you taking notes on a criminal fucking conspiracy?”
Prosecutors are now showing Michael Cohen the amendment to the agreement with the doorman that includes the $1 million liquidation clause and the perpetuity clause.
“AMI bought the life rights as part of what Mr. (David) Pecker had agreed to at the Trump Tower meeting with you and Mr. Trump in August 2015,” prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asks.
“Yes,” Cohen says.
Cohen says that he went to Trump to tell him the agreement was completed, as well as to get credit for executing it. He told Trump, “in order to get credit for accomplishing the task.”
According to Cohen, Trump responded at that time, “That’s great.”
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger is now asking about former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who alleged she had an affair with the former president.
Cohen says he again received a call from either Dylan Howard or David Pecker about the story.
Asked what impact the story would have had on Trump’s presidential campaign, Cohen says, “significant.”
Michael Cohen said he alerted Donald Trump “immediately after I got off the phone with AMI.”
He went to his office and said, “Hey boss, I gotta talk to you.” Cohen said he he asked him if he knew who Karen McDougal was.
“His response to me was, 'she’s really beautiful,”" Cohen said.
Cohen testified, “I said ‘okay, but there’s a story that’s right now being shopped.’”
Trump told him to “make sure it doesn’t get released,” Cohen said. He took that to mean that they needed to acquire the story.
Cohen continued, “the purpose is to stop the story from being sold or marketed to an outside source.”
The jury is now seeing texts between Michael Cohen and former National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard in June 2016.
Cohen is now reading through the texts.
On June 16, 2016, Howard texted Cohen: “Meeting will be on Monday -per their terms. Dylan.”
“Understood Thank you for everything,” Cohen responded.
“This is about meeting with Karen McDougal and her people,” Cohen says, explaining the texts.
Susan Hoffinger is now showing call records that Donald Trump and Michael Cohen spoke by phone for 2 minutes, 31 seconds on June 16, 2016.
After the meeting with Karen McDougal, Dylan Howard texted Michael Cohen:
“Spoke to DP. We just broke. I’m wrapping up with them. And then we will convene a three way call between us all to sort this out. Understand I’ve got this locked down for you. I won’t let it out of my grasp.” (DP is a reference to David Pecker.)
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asks Cohen whether he insisted on having a call with Howard, right after he met with McDougal.
“Yes, ma’am,” Cohen says. “Because I needed to get an update so I could provide it for Mr. Trump.”
Judge Juan Merchan sustains an objection to Hoffinger’s question about whether Howard expressed to Cohen whether he thought McDougal’s story was true.
Michael Cohen says he was in Trump’s office when the former president had a call with David Pecker about the Karen McDougal matter.
“He had the call put through and he had a speaker box on his desk.” Cohen added that Trump used the speaker box instead of picking up the phone and so Cohen could hear the conversation.
Cohen says of Trump during the call, “He asked him how things were going with the matter.”
“David said, ‘He had this under control, and we’ll take care of this,’” Cohen says of Pecker during the phone conversation with Trump.
While discussing the Karen McDougal story, Michael Cohen says he told Donald Trump it would cost $150,000 to “control the story.”
Trump replied, “No problem, I’ll take care of it,” Cohen testifies.
Cohen says that meant that Trump was going to pay him back – though he says it was not discussed on the call how that might occur.
After the call with Trump, Cohen says he followed up with David Pecker in another call to confirm the details.
Michael Cohen is reading more texts he sent to National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard.
In one text, Howard said he had “not heard back from our guy yet, so no update.”
Cohen said this was a reference to Keith Davidson, Karen McDougal’s attorney.
Howard told Cohen in a text on July 28, 2016, that “They rejected the offer. I told them to come back to me by EOD with a realistic number. He agreed to do that. He fears she’s been convinced to tell her story to ABC, and really wants to. I implored my guy to GET IT DONE. He’s getting back to me.”
Cohen said they had a “concern that the story was going to find its way to ABC, meaning ABC News.”
Michael Cohen said he learned from David Pecker that the Karen McDougal deal was finalized.
“That they got it. That this is locked down. We prevented the story from being released on ABC News and effectively the story has now been caught,” Cohen explained in court.
Some context from CNN’s Laura Coates: Cohen is corroborating David Pecker and Keith Davidson’s testimony earlier in the trial that it was a bulletproof agreement.
Donald Trump was delighted when the Karen McDougal deal was finalized, according to Michael Cohen.
“Fantastic. Great job,” was his reaction when Cohen told him, his former fixer testifies.
bragg is in the courtroom.