Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox
Get our free Inside Washington email
Donald Trump’s hush money trial has wrapped up for the week after a day of heated cross-examination of key witness Michael Cohen by defense attorney Todd Blanche. The former “fixer” for the defendant spent the whole day on the witness stand in Judge Juan Merchan’s Manhattan courtroom.
Much of the questioning revolved around previous occasions in which he had lied under oath. These had been previously brought up by the prosecution with Cohen noting that his lies were to protect Mr Trump, then his boss.
Blanche zeroed in on whether Cohen, who received tens of thousands of calls per year, could specifically remember what was discussed in a 90-second call in 2016.
The witness remained calm and steadfast during his testimony, also walking the jury through the strategy allegedly employed by Mr Trump’s inner circle to delay making the $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in October 2016 to buy her silence about the sexual encounter she claims he had with the politician in July 2006.
As court ended on Thursday, Judge Merchan asked both sides to prepare for closing arguments on Tuesday.
Alex Woodward is covering the trial from Manhattan Criminal Court.
Sketchy characters: The best courtroom drawings from Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial
But with no cameras permitted inside Manhattan Criminal Court, it has been left up to the courtroom sketch artists to give life to the proceedings, with the drawings of professionals Jane Rosenberg, Elizabeth Williams and Christine Cornell capturing the key moments and helping to illustrate the many twists and turns.
Joe Sommerlad looks at some of the best of the work:
Will Trump testify?
As proceedings wound down today, Judge Juan Merchan instructed both sides to be prepared for closing arguments on Tuesday.
Lead defense attorney Todd Blanche told the judge he expects to conclude his cross-examination of Michael Cohen on Monday morning and the prosecution says re-direct will take approximately an hour.
That means things will then turn over to the defense if they want to make a case and call witnesses.
Donald Trump has said he will testify but he has said that before without it happening.
Blanche said there would be a quick decision regarding rebuttal witnesses (perhaps as soon as tomorrow) but we likely won’t find out whether Trump will take the stand himself until Monday. Blanche said the former president has yet to decide whether he will or not...
Professional ‘line sitters’ charge hundreds for access to Trump trial
Professional ‘line sitters’ are making hundreds of dollars from holding spaces in the queue for Donald Trump’s hush money trial.” The press has been hiring us for this court case. That’s $50 per hour” Owner of Same Ole Line Dudes, Robert Samuel, told The Independent. For members of the public his team of more than 25 line sitters charge $25 per hour.”We have sleeping bags and tents and tarps” Mr Samuel said on a wet and rainy morning in Lower Manhattan.
Trial hears audio of Michael Cohen celebrating Trump’s indictment: ‘I hope he rots'
Alex Woodward reports from the courthouse in Lower Manhattan:
Scathing audio played at Donald Trump’s hush money trial revealed Michael Cohen celebrating his former boss’s indictment on criminal charges, saying “I hope he rots” in jail “for what he did to me”.
During a tense morning of cross-examination on Thursday, Mr Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche sought to undermine Cohen’s credibility as the prosecution’s star witness, painting the former lawyer and fixer as a revenge-seeking liar.
The defense played audio from an October 2023 episode of Cohen’s podcast Mea Culpa, in which he excitedly says he “truly f***ing hope” that Mr Trump “ends up in prison”.
“Revenge is a dish best served cold,” he says.
Read on...
Trump’s hallway remarks in brief
Per the pool report:
Trump spoke for around 11 minutes, again reading off papers.
“I think it was a very interesting day, a fascinating day and it shows what a scam this whole thing is.”
He quoted at least 13 people, by my count, and dropped a couple references to Engoron and Kaplan. Spoke on electric vehicle mandate, inflation, china and Russia working together.
“I didn’t violate any law. It’s a scam.”
“That was my crime — I won an election I wasn’t supposed to win against Hilary Clinton.”
“When I announced I running again it was a hot iron again.
“These are people who were Democrats and they want to vote for Trump”
“That beautiful resolute desk in the Oval Office
“This is a witch hunt. This is prosecution without a case this is all political. This is done to damage your political opponents like a third world country would do.”
“You look at Judge Engoran you look at Judge Kaplan, it’s disgraceful.”
On Merchan saying court could go later to get the case done on time:
“We’re here early in the morning and we leave in the evening. Now the judge wants to extend the time periods so that we can get this thing done fast, before the election. It’s terrible. Nobody’s seen anything like it, that includes the civil cases too.”
“I’ve been sitting here for almost four weeks and we still have a long way to go. And I just want to thank all the lawyers involved because they’ve been really working hard. And I’m spending a lot of time and I’m spending a lot of money which is what they want. They want me to spend my time and my money.”
So here’s what is next...
By the end of this week: Blanche will have a decision on rebuttal witnesses for the defense’s case, but they will likely be brief on the stand.
Over the weekend: Merchan will think about Bove’s arguments to expand what their expert witness can say about campaign finance laws.
Monday: Defense will have made a decision about Trump testifying. Blanche will finish his cross-examination of Cohen. Prosecutors will do re-direct, then the defense will do re-cross.
Tuesday: Closing arguments begin – maybe.
If they don’t, and the defense does want to present a case with witnesses that eat up time on the clock, then that’ll play out over next week.
Reminder: Court is off tomorrow for Barron Trump’s graduation.
Court is also off next Friday and the following Monday for Memorial Day.
Blanche says he’ll be done with Cohen on Monday morning. There are no further prosecution witnesses.
Is there a defense case? asks Judge Merchan.
Blanche anticipates making a decision about bringing up rebuttal witnesses soon, maybe later today, but they’ll be quick.
That doesn’t include Trump, he says.
Merchan wants everyone to prepare for closing arguments on Tuesday.
What happens with Trump is basically a whole ’nother conversation.
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMid2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmluZGVwZW5kZW50LmNvLnVrL25ld3Mvd29ybGQvYW1lcmljYXMvdXMtcG9saXRpY3MvdHJ1bXAtdHJpYWwtbGl2ZS1uZXdzLXVwZGF0ZXMtbWljaGFlbC1jb2hlbi1iMjU0NjQxOS5odG1s0gEA?oc=5
2024-05-17 06:01:07Z
CBMid2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmluZGVwZW5kZW50LmNvLnVrL25ld3Mvd29ybGQvYW1lcmljYXMvdXMtcG9saXRpY3MvdHJ1bXAtdHJpYWwtbGl2ZS1uZXdzLXVwZGF0ZXMtbWljaGFlbC1jb2hlbi1iMjU0NjQxOS5odG1s0gEA
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar