per cnn:
Trump attorney Todd Blanche continues to speak about the “catch and kill” stories that prosecutors have brought up in the hush money trial through witness testimony and exhibits.
“So again we’re here talking about a conspiracy between Mr. Pecker, President Trump and Michael Cohen to catch and kill stories…and here you have Ms. Daniels coming forward right after Access Hollywood, this is our chance… this is it and David Pecker says ‘nah, I want nothing to do with it.’ That’s our conspiracy? That’s the three catch and kills?” Blanche says.
“‘I want nothing to do with it. I’m not buying that story.’ That’s what they’re telling you.” Blanche continues, raising his voice, pacing in circles, raising his arms as he acts exasperated to the jury.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is watching defense attorney Todd Blanche as he talks about the “Access Hollywood” tape.
Blanche describes that tape as “an extremely personal event for President Trump.”
according to msnbc the defence has moved on to the costello testimony.
Trump attorney Todd Blanche is now arguing that Stormy Daniels’ story was “not a doomsday event” for the Trump campaign.
“It was one of many stressful stories that came up during the 2016 campaign. It was not a doomsday event,” Blanche says.
Blanche says Trump “never thought it was going to cause him to lose the campaign, and indeed, it didn’t.”
“Michael Cohen, however, had a different view,” Blanche adds.
Nothing was criminal in entering into this NDA," Trump attorney Todd Blanche says, referring to the nondisclosure agreement with Stormy Daniels.
“It doesn’t mean when Trump was out campaigning that he knew about it. The only person at trial who told you President Trump knew about it in October, September, August, was Michael Cohen,” Blanche continues.
Blanche poses the question to the jury, “why did prosecutors call Stormy Daniels, when there was no dispute that there was an NDA settlement and she knew nothing about Trump’s internal business practices?”
“Why? I’ll tell you why. They did it to try to inflame your emotions, they did it to try to embarrass President Trump,” Blanche says.
Judge Juan Merchan overruled an objection from Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass over this statement.
“That’s why,” Blanche says again.
Defense attorney Todd Blanche is playing a recording of Michael Cohen speaking to Keith Davidson in October 2017 where Cohen says “who else would do that for somebody? Who else? I did because I care about the guy. I wasn’t going to play pennywise pound foolish. And I’m sitting there and I’m saying to myself what about me?”
He argues that the phrase gives insight into Cohen’s state of mind.
“It made perfect sense for Mr. Cohen in 2016 to make payment without telling President Trump about it,” so he could get a fancy job if Trump won, and a better job internally if Trump lost, Blanche says.
Blanche reminds the jury that Cohen said, “what about me.” He suggests that recording is telling as to Cohen’s state of mind when he brokered the settlement with Daniels.
Blanche reminded the jury that Cohen testified about his personal wealth and said:
“So the idea that Cohen never would have made that $130,000 payment without getting approval from President Trump is something you should question.”
Todd Blanche is addressing the Stormy Daniels agreement, which Donald Trump never signed.
“What President Trump knew in 2016 you only know from one source, and I said that a few times but it matters and that’s Michael Cohen,” Blanche says.
“They showed the phone records and they showed him calls between him and others to help his testimony seem more corroborated and more credible. But we all know how that ended,” he says.
oop, we have the first bench meeting of the day!
reporting is that bragg is taking notes on his tablet, sounds like team nyc will have a meeting during lunch.