May15

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Trump Legal News: The Trial (Day 17)

For the second time in as many days, Michael Cohen was the star of the show in Donald Trump's criminal fraud trial. Here are the main storylines:

• Not a Right Cross: The prosecution finished their questioning of former Trump fixer Michael Cohen, and then it was time for lead defense attorney Todd Blanche to cross-examine. This is pretty much the crux of the case, and the time when Blanche should most earn his $1,200/hour (or whatever he is being paid). Here is the very first exchange between Blanche and Cohen:

  Blanche: You went on TikTok and called me a 'crying little s**t,' didn't you?
  
  Cohen: Sounds like something I would say. (Laughter in the court)

  This was followed by a question about Cohen's TikTok criticism of Blanche's co-counsel Susan Necheles, which was also answered in the affirmative by Cohen.
  
  We most certainly did not go to law school, and yet even we know you want to hit the ground running when you start a cross-examination. What on earth was Blanche thinking, since his questions had nothing to do with the trial, and nothing even to do with the defendant, while at the same time allowing Cohen to look like a basically honest and self-effacing guy? Judge Juan Merchan was not happy, and chewed Blanche out, while having both questions stricken from the record. According to more than one expert, Blanche completely blew his chance to get some momentum. And by the time he recovered (multiple hours later), Cohen had been able to provide pretty credible explanations of why he's told lies in the past, and why he came to loathe Trump.
  
  Blanche said he will need another full day for cross-examination; maybe he'll do better on his second attempt.
  
  
• Johnson in the Court: No not that one. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) became the latest Republican muckety-muck to make the pilgrimage to New York to prostrate himself before his Dear Leader. Speaking to reporters, the Speaker naturally parroted the talking points that the trial is a scam, Trump is being persecuted, blah, blah, blah.
  
  
• End-Run: There has been much supposition that the reason that all the politicians are showing up in court is so that they can "comment" afterward to reporters, including "commenting" on how bad the jurors/witnesses are. In other words, they are there to say what Trump cannot, and so to do an end-run around the gag order. Late last night, news broke that New York Magazine's Andrew Rice saw Trump working on statements for these "supporters" to deliver (thanks to reader D.E. in Lancaster, PA, for the tip). If so, then that would make it ironclad that Trump is actively subverting the gag order. We'll see what Merchan does with this, if anything.
  
  
• Who Else?: Last week, the prosecution said they had two more witnesses. Now, they are apparently saying that Cohen will be the last. Meanwhile, the Trump defense team insists their client will not testify. So, this could be headed to verdict pretty soon.

Whoomp! There it is. They'll be off today, as per usual, then back on Thursday, then off Friday so that Trump can attend son Barron's graduation. (Z)