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Well, it’s just another day in the sham ‘hush money’ trial against President Trump, featuring disgraced liar and convicted felon Michael Cohen. While he’s had a string of bad days, today might just top them all. Team Trump landed their hardest courtroom blows yet on the disheveled former attorney. Cohen is getting raked over the coals for literally stealing money from the Trump organization and lying under oath. He admits to both and yet has faced zero consequences. Go figure.
Cohen, on cross-examination, admitting stealing money from Trump. Cohen repeatedly told the FBI and DoJ this, and none of them pursued it criminally. https://t.co/Y2qxev22fx
— Bob Lonsberry (@BobLonsberry) May 20, 2024
Below are more details from today’s cross-examination.
Trump’s lawyer Blanche: But Allen Weisselberg grossed up to $100,000 – so you stole from the Trump Organization, right? Cohen: I did. Blanche Have you been prosecuted for larceny or even made to pay it back?
Trump’s lawyer Blanche: You stole from the Trump Organization? Cohen: Yes. Blanche: If you’d had a retainer agreement it would have been with Mr. Trump? Cohen: Yes. Blanche: Let me show you B-260, your email with Mr. Weisselberg, forwarding from Normal Ornelas?
Trump’s lawyer Blanche: Put up People’s Exhibit 1. The email from Allen Weisselberg to Jeff McConney. Why would Don Jr. and Eric approve your payments? Cohen: They were on the board of the Trust. Blanche: In 2017 you used Personal Attorney to President Trump? Yes
Trump’s lawyer Blanche: You told TMZ? You gave a little scoop to the NYT about it? Cohen: Yes. I was proud of the role. Blanche: Show B-261, an email. Do you recognize it? Your farewell email to the Trump Organization? Cohen: Yes. Justice Merchan: Admitted
Trump’s lawyer Blanche: You worked on a real lawsuit, with filings due, with Marc Kasowitz, right? Cohen: Yes Blanche: Show B-237. Subpoenas of the State Department? Did you do something on this? Cohen: Yes, sir. Blanche: In May 2017 Robert Mueller was appointed
Trump’s lawyer Blanche: But it was Mr. Kasowitz, at least initially, who represented Mr. Trump on that – how did that make you feel? Cohen: Probably happy. Blanche: You also did work for Melania Trump, right? Cohen: On personal matters.
Trump’s lawyer Blanche: Let’s talk about your consulting clients, starting with AT&T. Look at this – they paid you $50,000 a month – for how long? Cohen: For one year. Consulting and advisory work Blanche: What did you actually do? Cohen: They wanted to acquire TW
Trump’s lawyer Blanche: For 20 calls, you got $1 million. Nothing wrong with that, right? Cohen: Right. Blanche: How about Columbus Nova – how long? Cohen: Was supposed to be a year. But it was six months. Blanche: You never told President Trump of this?
Cohen: It was President Trump how introduced me to the CEO of AT&T. Trump’s lawyer Blanche: But you know Mr. Trump was frustrated you were getting paid to advise AT&T? Prosecutor Hoffinger: Objection! Justice Merchan: Sustained.
Trump’s lawyer Blanche: Were their clients you rejected – like Avenue Ventures? Cohen: They wanted lobbying Blanche: BTA Bank – who much did they pay you? Cohen: Supposed to be $150,000. It ended after three months. Also Franklin Haney, he had a nuclear facility
Trump’s lawyer Blanche: In 2018 when the Stormy Daniels payments leaked, you told many people that President Trump knew nothing about it? Cohen: Yes. Blanche: Did you tell people you’d told Melania that President Trump didn’t know? Cohen: I don’t remember.
Trump’s lawyer Blanche: Did you tell the BBC there was no way you would have told President Trump – and did you record the call with the BBC? Cohen: Yes. Yes. Blanche: Until the April 2017 FBI raid, you said President Trump knew nothing? Cohen: Yes
Trump’s lawyer Blanche: On 4/17, 2017 you met with Mr. Costello? Cohen: Yes. & Jeff Cintron. Blanche: Then you had multiple communication with Mr. Costello – how many? Cohen: 10 calls. Blanche: Let me show you B-1006…Look at the redacted email from Mr. Costello
Trump’s lawyer Blanche: You asked Mr. Costello to ask Mr. Giuliani to find out how it ended up at SDNY and how in Main Justice approved it, right? Cohen: Yes. Blanche: Now B-1008… Would it surprise you you had 75 calls with Mr. Costello? Cohen: He reached out
Trump’s lawyer Blanche: Nine hours of calls, two in-person meetings – all privileged, right? Cohen: In anticipation of possible representation. Blanche: B-1003, emails. You say, Great for Rudy. Then in June you emailed about the YouTube, Why send this to me? Yes
Trump’s lawyer Blanche: Then on June 14, on Trump Campaign to Discredit Cohen Already Underway, you told Mr. Costello, they are going down a bad path, right? Cohen: Yes. Blanche: You were discussing who was going to pay for Mr. Costello? Cohen: MWE was invoicing
Trump’s lawyer Blanche: You made $4.5 million in 18 months – but how did you get money between your guilty plea and the publication of your book? Cohen: I had no income. I started my podcast in the Fall of 2020.
Trump’s lawyer Blanche: How much do you make from your two podcasts? Cohen: $400,000. Blanche: You’re pitching a TV show based on your life? Cohen: There is a TV show. A guy who worked on Mea Culpa is working on it Blanche: Has it been picked up? Cohen: No.
You can read the rest of this powerful exchange by clicking here.
There are rumors floating around that Cohen flipped after the FBI threatened to go after his family.
Let me explain something. Threatening your family is standard operating procedure because the Supreme Court has given prosecutors ABSOLUTE IMMUNITY no matter what they do! That has corrupted our entire legal system. This is why you have all these prosecutors charging Trump, for they are ABOVE the law, as are judges.
Cohen asserted that he was pressured to accept a plead guilty to charges in 2018, including the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels.
“No one indicated you threatened to be guilty, correct?” asked Blanche, Trump’s lawyer.
“As I stated previously, I was provided with 48 hours within which to accept the plea or the Southern District of New York was going to file an 80-page indictment that included my wife, and I elected to protect my family,” replied Cohen.
“You do feel you were induced to plead guilty?” the Trump’s defense lawyer asked.
“I never denied the underlying facts, I just do not believe I should have been criminally charged for either of those two — or six — offenses,” said Cohen.
He stated that prosecutors never directly threatened to indict his wife and explained that he learned of this potential threat from his lawyers.
“I accepted responsibility,” said Cohen.
Turley also eluded to the possibility of the FBI’s special kind of “pressure” in a post today on X:
…Cohen admits that he told reporters (on the record) that Trump did not know about the payments to Stormy Daniels. He told BBC for example that “there was no way” that he would have told Trump. Cohen recorded the interview with the BBC reporter without her knowledge…
…Up until April 2018 that Cohen continued to tell reporters, friends, and family that Trump had no knowledge or involvement in the payments. Then on April 9th the FBI raided his home…
If true, the FBI held this threat over him, and just like that, they owned Cohen—he’d dance to any tune they played.
What this sham trial is really exposing is that the true criminal here is Michael Cohen, with that washed-up porn actress Stormy trailing not far behind.
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