Stunning lack of effort: Trump defense tepid in attack on Cohen's damning testimony

In the courtroom, Michael Cohen, former attorney and fixer for Donald Trump, faced cross-examination by Trump's attorney, Todd Blanche. The defense's approach was criticized for its lack of a coherent narrative to argue Trump's innocence. Blanche attempted to discredit Cohen by painting him as an unreliable witness, a vengeful surrogate son, a desperate prisoner, and a greedy self-promoter. However, the defense failed to dismantle the legal argument regarding potential felonies. The discussion highlighted Cohen's ongoing commentary on the case, despite requests for silence from the prosecution. Legal experts noted the absence of a clear strategy by the defense to counter the allegations of campaign finance violations and manipulation of records. The cross-examination was described as disjointed, with moments that seemed promising but ultimately did not lead to a satisfying resolution or revelation of dishonesty on Cohen's part.

Takeaways

• 🚨 Michael Cohen, former attorney and fixer for Donald Trump, testified for a second day, facing cross-examination by Trump's attorney Todd Blanche.
• 🎭 The defense's cross-examination began with an attempt to highlight Cohen's bias, but the judge instructed the jury to focus on the defendant's potential bias, not the attorney's.
• 🤔 The defense painted several conflicting narratives of Cohen, questioning his reliability, motives, and character, but failed to provide a coherent argument for Trump's innocence.
• 📉 The defense's strategy seemed disjointed, lacking a clear narrative or focus, which could have left the jury without a satisfying resolution or revelation.
• 💰 There was an emphasis on Cohen's potential financial motivations, such as selling an anti-Trump book and merchandise, suggesting he might be monetizing his testimony.
• 🤐 The prosecution had previously built a case with witnesses like David Pecker and Stormy Daniels before bringing out Cohen, highlighting his unreliability.
• 📚 The defense did not adequately address the potential campaign finance violation at the heart of the case, which involved records manipulation and felony charges.
• 👀 The jury's engagement was compared to a tennis match between Cohen and Blanche, with no knockout blow but several significant exchanges.
• 🧐 The defense's approach was criticized for being too scattered, failing to land impactful 'zingers' that would significantly undermine Cohen's credibility.
• 🚫 The transcript reveals that the defense struggled to get Cohen to stop discussing the case, despite requests from the prosecution.
• 🕵️‍♂️ The importance of establishing Trump's criminal intent, rather than just the act itself, was highlighted, with Cohen being a key witness to this aspect of the case.

Q & A

Who is Michael Cohen and what is his relationship with Donald Trump?

Michael Cohen is a former attorney and fixer for Donald Trump. He has been involved in various legal and financial matters concerning Trump, and his testimony is significant in the context of the case discussed in the transcript.

What was the general strategy of Todd Blanche, Trump's attorney, during the cross-examination of Michael Cohen?

Todd Blanche's strategy was to portray Michael Cohen as an unreliable witness with multiple conflicting profiles, such as an untrustworthy narrator, a vengeful surrogate son, a desperate prisoner, and a greedy self-promoter. However, the defense did not provide a coherent narrative to suggest Donald Trump's innocence.

How did Judge Mershon respond to Todd Blanche's approach during the cross-examination?

Judge Mershon instructed Todd Blanche not to make the trial about himself and to focus on whether Michael Cohen had bias towards the defendant, rather than the attorney.

What was the public reaction to the defense's cross-examination of Michael Cohen?

The public, including legal analysts, expressed surprise and disappointment at the lack of effort by the defense to dismantle a legal argument about potential felonies and the absence of a clear strategy to discredit Cohen's testimony.

What were some of the conflicting theories presented by the defense regarding Michael Cohen's testimony?

The defense presented several conflicting theories, including that Cohen was lying about anything, that he was trying to get back at Trump as a 'surrogate son', that he would say anything to get out of jail, and that he was a greedy self-promoter trying to cash in on his situation.

Why was the defense's cross-examination considered 'tepid' in the context of the attack on Cohen's testimony?

The defense's cross-examination was considered tepid because it lacked a strong, coherent narrative to counter Cohen's testimony. The defense seemed to focus more on attacking Cohen's character rather than providing substantial evidence to dispute the allegations.

What was the role of Michael Cohen in the case, and why was his testimony significant?

Michael Cohen was a key witness in the case against Donald Trump, as he had firsthand knowledge of Trump's business and legal dealings. His testimony was significant because it potentially implicated Trump in various legal issues.

How did the defense attempt to discredit Michael Cohen's credibility during the cross-examination?

The defense attempted to discredit Cohen's credibility by highlighting his past dishonesty, his potential motivations for testifying against Trump, and by suggesting that he was monetizing his situation through an anti-Trump book and merchandise.

What was the general sentiment among the observers regarding the defense's handling of the cross-examination?

The general sentiment among observers was that the defense's handling of the cross-examination was disjointed and lacked a clear strategy. There was a sense that the defense failed to effectively challenge Cohen's testimony.

What was the significance of the discussion about Michael Cohen's book and anti-Trump merchandise during the cross-examination?

The discussion about Cohen's book and anti-Trump merchandise was an attempt by the defense to suggest that Cohen had a financial incentive to testify against Trump, thereby casting doubt on his motivations and credibility.

What was the role of the jury in the cross-examination process, and how were they expected to react to the defense's strategy?

The jury's role was to listen to the cross-examination and weigh the evidence and arguments presented by both sides. The defense's strategy was intended to influence the jury's perception of Cohen's credibility, but the disjointed approach may have left the jury without a clear understanding of the defense's case.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 Defense's Cross-Examination of Michael Cohen

The first paragraph describes the defense's cross-examination of Michael Cohen, former attorney and fixer for Donald Trump. The defense attorney, Todd Blanche, initiates the questioning by establishing that he and Cohen have never met or spoken before. Cohen acknowledges Blanche's public criticism of him on TikTok. The judge, Merchon, intervenes to remind Blanche to focus on the defendant's bias rather than personal grievances. The defense attempts to paint Cohen as an unreliable witness with multiple conflicting motives for testifying against Trump, including revenge, a desire to reduce his prison sentence, and personal gain. However, the paragraph suggests that the defense fails to provide a coherent narrative to argue for Trump's innocence, focusing more on attacking Cohen's credibility than addressing the legal arguments regarding potential felonies.

05:01

👊 Juxtaposition of Cohen's Testimony with Other Witnesses

The second paragraph discusses the dynamics of the cross-examination and the jury's perception. It contrasts the defense's approach to Michael Cohen with that of previous witnesses, Daniels and Pecker. The speaker notes that while there was no 'knockout blow' against Cohen, the defense managed to land several impactful points. The dialogue between Cohen and Blanche is described as a 'tennis match,' with the jury seemingly engaged. The paragraph also touches on Cohen's post-scandal activities, such as monetizing his anti-Trump stance through a book and merchandise, which might influence the jury's perception of his motives. It concludes with the acknowledgment that Trump's own larger-than-life and controversial image might affect how the jury views Cohen's actions and credibility.

Keywords

💡Cross-examination

Cross-examination is a legal procedure in which a witness is questioned by the opposing counsel to test the credibility and consistency of the witness's testimony. In the context of the video, it refers to the questioning of Michael Cohen by Trump's attorney, Todd Blanche, to challenge Cohen's reliability and motives for testifying against Donald Trump.

💡Bias

Bias refers to a preconceived opinion or preference that can influence judgment. In the video, it is discussed in relation to Michael Cohen's potential bias against Donald Trump and the defense's attempt to highlight this bias to the jury, suggesting that it may affect the credibility of Cohen's testimony.

💡Narrative

A narrative is a spoken or written account of connected events. In the context of the video, the defense's lack of a coherent narrative is criticized as they fail to provide a clear argument for why the jury should believe in Donald Trump's innocence. The term is used to emphasize the absence of a persuasive storyline from the defense.

💡Conflicting profiles

Conflicting profiles refer to the different and contradictory portrayals of a person. The video discusses how the defense attorney painted several conflicting profiles of Michael Cohen, such as an unreliable narrator, a vengeful surrogate son, a desperate prisoner, and a greedy self-promoter, to discredit his testimony.

💡Campaign-finance violation

A campaign-finance violation refers to the illegal use of funds in political campaigns. The video mentions this in relation to allegations against Donald Trump, where the defense team is criticized for not adequately addressing the issue during cross-examination.

💡Rogue operator

A rogue operator is someone who operates independently and often in defiance of rules or authority. In the video, it is used to describe Michael Cohen's actions, suggesting that he acted on his own without regard for the instructions or expectations of others, particularly in the context of the case discussed.

💡Disbarred

To be disbarred means to be removed from the legal profession, typically due to misconduct. The video refers to Michael Cohen being disbarred, highlighting his fall from grace as a lawyer and potentially influencing the jury's perception of his credibility.

💡Monetizing

Monetizing refers to the process of making something profitable, often by converting assets into cash. In the video, it is suggested that Michael Cohen is monetizing his anti-Trump stance through book sales and merchandise, which the defense may be using to question his motives for testifying.

💡Juror

A juror is a member of a jury, the group of people sworn to render a verdict in a trial based on the evidence presented. The video discusses the jury's perception and how the defense's strategy might influence their decision-making process regarding the case.

💡Criminal intent

Criminal intent refers to the mental state that a person must have in order for their actions to be considered a crime. It is a crucial element in criminal law. In the video, the discussion revolves around whether there is sufficient evidence to prove that Donald Trump had the criminal intent to commit the alleged campaign-finance violation.

💡Prosecutors

Prosecutors are legal professionals who represent the state or government in a criminal case and are responsible for presenting the case against the accused. The video mentions the prosecutors' office in relation to Michael Cohen's case and the broader context of the legal proceedings.

Highlights

Michael Cohen, former Trump attorney and fixer, took the stand for a second day.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche began cross-examination, which started off poorly.

Blanche attempted to establish Cohen's bias against him by mentioning Cohen's comments on TikTok.

Judge Merchon instructed Blanche not to make the trial about himself but about the defendant's bias.

The defense painted several conflicting profiles of Cohen, questioning his motives for testifying against Trump.

Cohen was portrayed as an unreliable narrator, a jolted surrogate son, a disparate prisoner, and a greedy self-promoter.

The defense failed to provide a coherent narrative to argue for Donald Trump's innocence.

Chris Hayes expressed surprise at the lack of effort in dismantling a legal argument about potential felonies.

The defense's strategy appeared disjointed, with conflicting theories and no clear direction.

The defense spent significant time on Cohen's continued discussion about the case, despite prosecutor's office's wishes for him to be silent.

Ari Melber noted that the defense did not address the idea of campaign finance violation, which was central to the case.

Todd Blanche's cross-examination seemed to lack a knockout blow against Cohen's testimony.

Katie Feng observed that the jury appeared riveted during the back-and-forth between Cohen and Blanche.

Blanche highlighted Cohen's admission of being obsessed with Trump and monetizing his situation.

The discussion suggested that Cohen's actions might be influenced by his personal vendetta against Trump.

The defense's approach was to hit specific areas rather than follow a direct or chronological line.

The prosecution had built a case around Cohen's testimony, suggesting his unreliability.

The jury was left questioning Cohen's respect for the system and the rules, potentially affecting their view of his credibility.

Cohen's testimony is key to establishing Trump's criminal intent, which is central to the case.