Stunning lack of effort: Trump defense tepid in attack on Cohen's damning testimony
TLDRIn a courtroom drama, Trump's attorney, Todd Blanche, begins a cross-examination of Michael Cohen, Trump's former attorney and fixer, which is described as tepid and lacking a coherent narrative. The defense attempts to paint Cohen as an unreliable witness with various motives for testifying against Trump, including personal bias and a desire for financial gain. However, the defense's effort is criticized for not effectively dismantling the legal argument regarding potential felonies. Legal analysts discuss the strategy and its impact on the jury, noting that while the cross-examination may not have been a knockout, it did provide some damaging blows to Cohen's credibility. The discussion also touches on the importance of establishing Trump's criminal intent in the case, which Cohen's testimony is central to.
Takeaways
- 🗣️ The defense's cross-examination of Michael Cohen began with an awkward exchange between Todd Blanche and Cohen, highlighting Cohen's previous negative comments about Blanche on TikTok.
- 🚫 Judge Merchon intervened, instructing Blanche to focus on the defendant's potential bias rather than personal grievances.
- 💭 The defense attempted to paint Michael Cohen as an unreliable witness with multiple conflicting motives for testifying against Donald Trump.
- 🤔 There was a perceived lack of effort by the defense in providing a coherent narrative to argue Donald Trump's innocence.
- 🔍 The defense's strategy appeared to be more focused on discrediting Cohen rather than addressing the legal arguments around potential felonies.
- 🕵️♂️ The transcript reveals that the defense portrayed Cohen as a 'jolted surrogate son,' a 'disparaged prisoner,' and a 'greedy self-promoter,' among other things.
- 📉 The defense's questioning seemed disjointed and lacked a clear direction, which may have left the jury without a satisfying narrative resolution.
- 📚 Legal analysts noted that the defense did not seem to address the heart of the criminal charges, namely campaign finance violations.
- 👀 Observers felt that the jury was closely watching the interaction between Cohen and Blanche, which resembled a 'tennis match' in its back-and-forth dynamic.
- 🧐 The defense's portrayal of Cohen as someone monetizing his anti-Trump stance might have resonated with the jury, casting doubt on his credibility.
- 📉 The defense's approach did not appear to land any significant blows against Cohen's testimony, lacking a 'knockout' moment.
Q & A
Who is Michael Cohen and what was his role in the context of the transcript?
-Michael Cohen is a former attorney and fixer for Donald Trump. In the transcript, he is testifying against Donald Trump and is being cross-examined by Trump's attorney, Todd Blanche.
What was the general perception of Todd Blanche's cross-examination of Michael Cohen?
-The cross-examination was perceived as tepid and lacking in effort. It was criticized for not presenting a coherent narrative to explain why the jury should believe Donald Trump is not guilty.
What were some of the conflicting profiles of Michael Cohen presented by Todd Blanche during the cross-examination?
-Todd Blanche painted several conflicting profiles of Michael Cohen, including the unreliable narrator, the jolted surrogate son, the disparate prisoner willing to say anything to get out of jail, and the greedy self-promoter trying to cash in on turning against Trump.
What was the judge's response to Todd Blanche making the case about himself?
-Judge Mershon instructed Todd Blanche not to make the case about himself and to focus on whether Michael Cohen had bias toward the defendant, rather than the attorney.
Why was there criticism about the defense team not dismantling a legal argument about potential felonies?
-Critics were stunned by the lack of effort put towards dismantling a legal argument about potential felonies, suggesting that the defense team did not adequately address the criminal charges at the heart of the case.
What was the discussion about Michael Cohen's behavior regarding the case even after the involvement of the prosecutor's office?
-There was criticism that Michael Cohen continued to talk about the case publicly, despite requests from the prosecutor's office for him to remain silent. This behavior was used by the defense to question his reliability and intentions.
How did the defense attempt to portray Michael Cohen's motivations for testifying against Donald Trump?
-The defense suggested that Michael Cohen had various motivations, including revenge against a father figure, a desire to get out of jail, and an attempt to profit from an anti-Trump narrative.
What was the observation regarding the jury's engagement during the cross-examination?
-Observers noted that the jury appeared to be riveted during the cross-examination, with the interaction between Cohen and Blanche likened to a tennis match, indicating high levels of attention and engagement.
Why was Michael Cohen saved as the last witness by the prosecution?
-The prosecution saved Michael Cohen for last because they believed his testimony would be impactful, and they had built a case with other witnesses like David Pecker and Stormy Daniels to corroborate aspects of Cohen's account.
What was the significance of Michael Cohen's book and his anti-Trump merchandise in the context of the trial?
-The defense tried to use Cohen's book and anti-Trump merchandise to suggest that he was monetizing his position and had a personal vendetta against Trump, which could potentially bias his testimony.
What was the key issue that the defense needed to address regarding the campaign finance violation?
-The defense needed to address the issue of Donald Trump's criminal intent in the campaign finance violation. While the records case was established, the intent had to be proven to have occurred at the time of the alleged crime, not as a reimbursement afterward.
Outlines
🤔 Defense's Cross-Examination of Michael Cohen
The first paragraph details the second day of Michael Cohen's testimony, where the defense, led by Todd Blanche, began its cross-examination. The interaction between Blanche and Cohen was tense, with Cohen admitting to having made disparaging remarks about Blanche on social media. The judge intervened to remind Blanche to focus on the defendant's bias rather than his own. Throughout the cross-examination, Blanche attempted to discredit Cohen by presenting him as an unreliable narrator, a vengeful former surrogate son, a desperate prisoner, and a greedy self-promoter. However, the defense failed to provide a coherent narrative to suggest Donald Trump's innocence, focusing more on attacking Cohen's character than on dismantling the legal argument regarding potential felonies.
👥 Juxtaposition of Cohen's Testimony with Previous Witnesses
The second paragraph discusses the defense's strategy in the cross-examination of Michael Cohen and contrasts it with the testimonies of previous witnesses, such as David Pecker and Stormy Daniels. The commentators observe that while the defense did not land a knockout blow against Cohen, they managed to score some points by highlighting inconsistencies and potential motivations for Cohen to lie or exaggerate. The discussion also touches on the jury's perception of Cohen as potentially biased due to his anti-Trump book and merchandise, and the implications this could have on their view of his credibility. The paragraph also considers the broader context of Trump's business practices and the difficulty of finding a 'clean' person in the case, given the nature of the allegations and the parties involved.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Cross-examination
💡Bias
💡Narrator
💡Surrogate Son
💡Prisoner
💡Self-promoter
💡Coherent Narrative
💡Campaign-finance Violation
💡Prosecutors
💡Jurors
💡Rogue Operator
Highlights
Trump's attorney, Todd Blanche, began cross-examination of Michael Cohen, former Trump attorney and fixer.
Blanche's cross-examination started poorly, with the judge calling a sidebar over inappropriate remarks.
Judge Merchon instructed Blanche not to make the trial about himself but about the defendant's bias.
Blanche painted several conflicting profiles of Michael Cohen during the cross-examination.
Cohen was portrayed as an unreliable narrator, a jilted surrogate son, a desperate prisoner, and a greedy self-promoter.
The defense failed to provide a coherent narrative to explain why the jury should believe in Trump's innocence.
Chris Hayes expressed surprise at the lack of effort in dismantling a legal argument about potential felonies.
The defense's strategy seemed disjointed, lacking a clear direction or conclusion in their questioning.
There was a notable absence of a satisfying narrative climax where Cohen was caught in a lie.
MSNBC Chief Legal Correspondent Ari Melber and Katie Feng discussed the defense's approach from a legal perspective.
The defense did not address the idea of campaign finance violation, which was central to the case.
Cohen's credibility was questioned, with the defense suggesting he would not follow rules and may manipulate timelines.
The prosecution's strategy of saving Cohen for last as a witness was discussed, highlighting his unreliability.
The presence of Donald Trump as a larger-than-life figure influenced the perception of Cohen's actions and motivations.
The defense's portrayal of Cohen as someone who is monetizing his anti-Trump stance was critiqued.
The discussion highlighted that everyone involved in the case has some level of involvement in the controversy, with no clean hands.
The prosecution built a case around Michael Cohen before bringing him out as the last witness.
Cohen's testimony is key to establishing Trump's criminal intent in the campaign finance violation case.