George Conway: Stormy Daniels’ second day of cross-examination a ‘fiasco’ for Trump defense
Summary
TLDRThe video transcript discusses a tense courtroom situation involving Stormy Daniels and the former president, Donald Trump. Daniels' testimony, which was intended to undermine her credibility, backfired, leading to embarrassing moments for Trump. A key aspect of the case revolves around a $35,000 payment made to Michael Cohen, which is scrutinized for its implications on Trump's financial oversight. The defense's strategy is criticized for being overly aggressive and not sticking to a concise cross-examination. The discussion suggests that the case's outcome hinges on whether the prosecution can prove Trump's knowledge and involvement in the alleged falsification of records. The importance of Michael Cohen's testimony is highlighted, as it could provide the missing link between Trump's actions and the alleged cover-up. The summary also touches on the potential impact of the payment's structure and the need for the prosecution to establish a clear pattern of deception beyond just the signatures on checks.
Takeaways
- 🗣️ Stormy Daniels' testimony turned defense cross-examination into an embarrassment for the former president, showcasing her wit and undermining the defense's strategy.
- 💼 A Trump Organization bookkeeper testified about the close monitoring of financial transactions, including payments to Michael Cohen, highlighting the president's attention to detail.
- 🚫 The judge rejected a motion for a mistrial and denied a request to modify the gag order, indicating the court's stance on the ongoing case.
- 💭 Stormy Daniels' tweet suggested that real men would respond to such situations by testifying in court, implying the opposite about the former president.
- 📚 The defense's cross-examination of Stormy Daniels was criticized as a disaster, with the strategy described as a 'rabbit hole' that didn't need to be explored.
- 🧐 The defense's strategy was questioned for its focus on proving a negative, which was seen as counterproductive to their case.
- 🤝 The importance of Michael Cohen's testimony was highlighted, as it could potentially provide the missing link between Trump's actions and the alleged falsification of records.
- 🏛️ Madeline Webster, a former gatekeeper and executive assistant to Trump, provided insights into Trump's financial habits, including his scrutiny over a $650 frame purchase.
- 💰 The discussion around Trump's financial prudence and the $35,000 payment to Cohen raised questions about the legitimacy of the transaction and its documentation.
- 🔍 The prosecution's challenge was identified as needing to establish not just the payments but also the intent behind them and how they were recorded in Trump's financial ledgers.
- 🕵️♂️ The expectation that Michael Cohen's testimony would be key to bridging gaps in the case and potentially corroborating the prosecution's claims.
Q & A
What was the main issue discussed during Stormy Daniels' cross-examination?
-The main issue discussed was the credibility of Stormy Daniels' testimony, particularly her allegations about her encounters with Donald Trump. The defense aimed to undermine her credibility, but some aspects of the cross-examination turned embarrassing for the former president instead.
How did Stormy Daniels defend her allegations during the cross-examination?
-Stormy Daniels defended her allegations by stating that if she were making up her story about her encounters with Donald Trump, she would have 'written it to be a lot better,' implying that her testimony was genuine and not fabricated.
What was the purpose of the testimony from the Trump Organization bookkeeper?
-The testimony from the Trump Organization bookkeeper was to show how closely Donald Trump monitors the checks he writes, indicating his attention to financial details. This was relevant to discussions about payments made to Michael Cohen.
What was the outcome of Trump's motion for a mistrial and his request to modify the gag order?
-The judge rejected Trump's motion for a mistrial and denied his request to modify the gag order he was under. This meant that the trial would continue under the existing conditions, without alterations to the gag order.
What strategy did the defense employ during the trial, and why was it criticized?
-The defense strategy was criticized for going into unnecessary details, such as questioning Stormy Daniels about trivial matters like walking distances in heels, which was seen as irrelevant and counterproductive to their case.
What was the significance of the $35,000 checks discussed in relation to Donald Trump?
-The $35,000 checks were discussed to highlight the payments Trump made to his lawyer, Michael Cohen. These payments were significant as they were allegedly linked to the hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels.
How did the discussion of Trump's spending habits relate to the case?
-Trump's spending habits were discussed to demonstrate his meticulous nature in financial dealings, which was used to argue that he was likely aware and involved in how the payments to Cohen were structured and recorded.
What role did Madeline Webster play in the trial?
-Madeline Webster testified as Trump's gatekeeper inside the White House and previously at the Trump Organization. Her testimony likely aimed to provide insights into Trump's direct involvement and oversight over financial and operational matters.
How is the testimony of Michael Cohen anticipated to impact the trial?
-Michael Cohen's testimony is anticipated to be crucial as he is expected to provide a direct link between the payment arrangements discussed in the Oval Office and the actual payments made, potentially filling in critical gaps in the prosecution's case.
What was the main legal argument concerning the payments made to Stormy Daniels as discussed in the trial?
-The main legal argument was whether the payments made to Stormy Daniels, categorized as legal fees, were actually part of an effort to cover up the true nature of hush money payments. This involves proving intentional falsification of payment descriptions to mask their real purpose.
Outlines
🤔 Cross-Examination Fiasco: Stormy Daniels' Testimony
The first paragraph details the cross-examination of Stormy Daniels, who managed to turn the defense's attempts to undermine her credibility into an embarrassment for the former president. It discusses the testimony of a Trump Organization bookkeeper regarding the president's meticulous attention to financial details, and the judge's rejection of a mistrial motion and a request to modify the gag order. The paragraph concludes with Stormy Daniels' tweet, which sarcastically comments on the former president's lack of court appearance.
💼 Trump's Financial Scrutiny and the Missing Link
The second paragraph focuses on the implications of Trump's known attention to detail regarding finances and the significance of the $35,000 payments made to Michael Cohen. It discusses the need for evidence showing Trump's awareness of how these payments were recorded in the Trump Tower ledgers. The discussion suggests that the prosecution will need Michael Cohen's testimony to explain the 'missing link' and to establish a connection between the payments and Trump's knowledge or involvement in the alleged scheme.
📚 The Importance of Michael Cohen's Testimony
The third paragraph emphasizes the critical role of Michael Cohen's testimony in the case. It suggests that Cohen's evidence is pivotal in bridging the gap between the payments made and Trump's alleged involvement in a scheme to falsify records. The paragraph also touches on the strategy for undermining Cohen's credibility, highlighting his past legal troubles and the importance of reasonable doubt in the context of the jury's decision-making process.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Stormy Daniels
💡Cross-examination
💡Donald Trump
💡Trump Organization
💡Michael Cohen
💡Mistrial
💡Gag order
💡
💡Credibility
💡Bookkeeper
💡Non-disclosure agreement (NDA)
💡Prosecution
Highlights
Stormy Daniels' testimony turned defense cross-examination into an embarrassment for the former president.
Daniels claimed that if she were lying about her story, she would have made it more believable.
A Trump Organization bookkeeper testified about the president's meticulous attention to financial details.
Judge rejected Trump's motion for a mistrial and denied his request to modify the gag order.
Stormy Daniels' tweet suggested that real men would respond to testimony by taking the stand.
Conservative lawyer George Conway critiqued the defense's cross-examination strategy as a disaster.
Nicholas, a reputed lawyer, was criticized for not keeping the cross-examination concise.
The defense's strategy was questioned as counterproductive, focusing on proving a non-event.
The discussion of a map of South Lake Tahoe, Nevada, was highlighted as a low point in the cross-examination.
Jurors were observed trying to suppress laughter at some of Daniels' responses.
The defense's focus on minor details was seen as a strategic mistake.
The importance of stipulating facts not in contest to focus on key issues was emphasized.
Madeline Webster, Trump's gatekeeper in the White House, testified about her role and interactions.
An email exchange about purchasing a frame for a picture of Trump's mother illustrated Trump's frugality.
The prosecution's strategy to demonstrate Trump's attention to financial details was discussed.
The absence of direct evidence showing Trump's involvement in the ledger falsification was noted.
The necessity for the prosecution to present more evidence to secure a conviction was highlighted.
Michael Cohen's anticipated testimony was identified as a key component in bridging the evidentiary gap.
The splitting of payments over a year was suggested as indicative of a scheme to disguise the true nature of the payments.
The prosecution's challenge to demonstrate the intent behind the payments and their mislabeling was discussed.
Michael Cohen's credibility as a witness and his past actions were questioned as potential defenses.
Transcripts
Stormy Daniels wrapped up
two days on the stand, managing
to turn a portion of defense
cross-examination aimed
at undermining her credibility
into some embarrassing moments
for the former president.
At one point saying
that if she were making up her s
about sex
with Donald Trump, quote,
I would have written it
to be a lot better.
Today also saw testimony
from a Trump Organization bookke
about how closely he monitors th
he writes, detailing the attenti
he paid to amounts considerably
than $35,000 checks
he wrote to Michael Cohen.
The day ended with Judge one mot
rejecting another Trump motion
for a mistrial
and denying his request
to modify the gag
order he's under
so we can talk about Stormy Dani
and capping it all off.
Stormy Daniels tweet this evenin
saying this about the former pre
quote, Real men respond
to testimony by being sworn in
and taking the stand in court.
Oh, wait. Never mind.
Back with the panel.
Joining us, conservative lawyer
George Conway, who was in court
What were your takeaways?
My takeaway
was that they continue
good cross-examination of Stormy
was a complete disaster
and a fiasco for the defense. I
as because it was a rabbit hole,
they didn't need to go there.
It just was just
it just went on and on and didn'
she didn't have anything on her.
And you got to confine
crosses to basically
a few short lines of of of stuff
That's good.
They didn't do that.
I think what happened
was they had a day off.
And Nicholas is a very good lawy
by reputation.
I can
you can tell just by the way
she conducted themselves.
She knows how to cross-examine a
It knows how to ask questions.
But she was
she's her
client is a narcissistic sociopa
and who is obsessed with proving
that he didn't
have anything to do with Stormy
And so they went off on
this whole tangent on.
But basically it doesn't.
It does in a lot.
The defense's position should be
it doesn't really matter
whether that happened or not,
because even if it was extortion
you know,
it was extortion money,
it still could be a crime.
But we're trying to prove someth
that happened,
didn't happen, is
just it's just counterproductive
And it was
it just got to the point
of ridiculousness where she's as
a stormy about basically a
map of South Lake Tahoe, Nevada,
to figure out whether or not
she was walking in her
heels one block or two
where she took a cab.
It was just garbage
and it was embarrass Ussing
and to the point where, you know
if you control the wit
that you
by keeping your cross simple and
you can control the witness.
But the longer you go, the more
the witness can pop off at you.
And this woman is way smarter th
necklaces client.
And she got some really good
I mean,
I thought I saw jurors
at some point
trying to do what I was trying t
which was suppress laughter
at some of the at some of the sh
that Stormy got into.
I got into the record.
It was just
it was just a complete waste of
The good news for the defense is
that's not what this case
is going to be about
in the at the end of the day,
the mean
the defense made the mistake
also of putting this all into pa
They could have just stipulated
that we're not going to contest
what happened in South Lake Taho
and we're just going to focus th
in on the fact
of whether or not
there is proof that Donald Trump
knew about the records that that
that we claim were
that that the fact
that the prosecution
claims were falsified.
Now, let's leave apart
the fact that he
signed some of this stuff
with a backup next to it,
and he carefully read it,
it was $35,000 to his lawyer,
hadn't really done that much mor
Let's leave that aside.
That's what this issue
that if he gets off,
that's how he's going to get off
by by leaving this issue open
about what happened in that hote
they invited the prosecution
to dump all the stuff in the rec
Then they failed to object to a
some of the stuff that should ha
they should have objected
to like the bit about,
you know,
whether or not he wore a condom.
I mean, if the judge said today
he did it,
I think that should have gone in
But there was no objection
to the thing about the amount of
and what how closely
he pays attention to that.
It didn't get anywhere near
as much attention
as the Stormy Daniels cross-exam
But Madeline Webster,
who got on the stand,
it was the last witness today.
And she'll be back on the stand
tomorrow morning.
She was Trump's
gatekeeper inside the White Hous
and basically was the liaison
who was his executive assistant
at Trump organization, Trump Tow
They trained her of how to basic
that out of the White House.
And there was one moment
that the prosecution
clearly brought up where
there was an email
between her and Rhona Graff, Tru
assistant here in Trump Tower,
about buying a frame frame
from Tiffany's next door
because they didn't have any emp
for us,
a picture of Trump's mother
they wanted to put and run
a graph
responded in the email and said,
but the frames are about $650
with a 10% discount.
Can you check with him
if that's how much he wants to s
This is all Donald
Trump is the president
of the United States of America,
and he was
a Rona who knows him better
than anyone, essentially
was still checking to see
if that was too much money
for him to spend on a frame
and for her to expense it.
And I think that is where
we're going to see this go tomor
that they trying to get to the f
that he was a penny pincher
and he paid attention
to where every cent went
and we paid this guy $35,000 a m
And he has a reputation around t
of stiffing law firms like you.
Could you could
I mean, you can make a long list
notepad. There are all the refer
I mean, the recording
that Michael Cohen secretly
taped of his client, you know, T
sort of seem interested
in the details of payments.
I mean, he's talking about,
you know, in cash.
Yeah, can we do it?
Can we do it in cash?
So let me ask you this question.
Is, you know,
it seems to me
that there is a lot of evidence
that Trump in general
was very scrupulous about,
you know, how
he was spending his money
and in general looked at documen
you know, very carefully
before he signed them.
But there's not any evidence spe
physically
that he looked at these document
Do you think that's enough
for a conviction?
I mean, there is evidence
he signed those checks with the
but that's not evidence.
That's not That's not evidence.
That's the evidence that.
Is that clear?
It's clear
how you feel about President Tru
Okay.
I don't have feeling one way
or the other.
I'm looking at this as a trial a
Okay?
Looking at his objectively
as I can, as a former prosecutor
and as a current
criminal defense attorney,
what there's a big difference.
Yes, there's evidence
that Donald Trump signed the che
I've said that that's not the cr
And there's.
Caitlin, your point
up to the count on the count.
The checks, your
your point about the frame.
It's clear that he watches his m
but that's not the crime.
It's that second leap of how doe
then get written down
back in New York City?
Where is it listed? How is it li
Is it listed as reimbursement
to Michael Cohen or is it legal
Michael Cohen
There's been no proof whatsoever
that Donald Trump had anything t
with how it's listed on the ledg
in Trump Tower.
Can I try to
I can I try to frame this for a
I've posed a question to you, Ge
If the prosecution stands up tom
and says, Your Honor, at this po
can they possibly win?
They would have to dismiss the c
They could not necessarily.
And I think there's enough
circumstantial evidence
that they could infer it,
but they need to put some more o
And so so
I want to just so you know, so
it would be I agree with her.
I think if the prosecution
rested tomorrow,
it doesn't go to the jury.
So they need something
from Michael Cohen, right?
Yeah, They're going to need.
What do you think they need
from Michael Cohen?
Basically is going to explain
the missing link
that he needs to be meeting
in the Oval Office in 2018
where they basically discussed
how to do this.
And I think, you know,
and I think they're going
to do a cross on Michael
that is going to attempt to be b
the way they attempted to brutal
Stormy Daniels today.
And, you know,
and a lot of people
have low expectations for that.
But the fact of the matter is,
given everything that they appoi
to so far
from the commencement
of the hush
of the catch and kill scheme to
everything, everything,
like just fell off my mike
just to hold it up.
Basically what Michael has been
is going to say
has basically been pre corrobora
So, you know, it's going to be t
but it is going to be the key mo
I think that's exactly right.
And that bridges the gap
that I think we're seeing here,
which is there has to be that la
And Michael Cohen is going to sa
it's that meeting in the Oval Of
in 2017.
We're going to hear about
they actually
set the foundation for that toda
because the woman who testified
had an email showing
that this meeting was happening
doesn't tell us what's what was
But the jury knows that meeting
And Michael Cohen's testimony ab
Yes, I'm sorry, Go ahead.
I ask
this is going to be a dumb quest
but the fact that these payments
were split up
over the course of a year to me
seems like one of the most fishy
elements of this whole scheme.
If he were just going to reimbur
Michael Cohen,
he could have just written a che
that money was there.
But the fact that they split it
up, it seems to strongly suggest
they were trying to make it seem
like something that it was not a
that was being paid over the cou
of a long period of time, right?
GROSS up.
Well, yeah.
I mean,
I mean, regardless
of the regardless of the amount
the means to me,
I think
the prosecution hasn't
explained this or touched on thi
but that seems strongly
suggestive of a scheme
to make it seem like
something that it was not.
And that's exactly the point.
It's not enough for the prosecut
to show Donald Trump signed thes
He knew they were intended
to reimburse Michael Cohen
for the hush money payments.
They have to show that this was
of an effort to falsify
to falsely structure
these labels in the pull down me
as lawyer fees,
attorney fees in order to cover
the fact that they're really hot
How does he
but how does Michael Cohen
help on that question?
Well, look, at the end of the da
what's a reasonable doubt
or reasonable
doubt has to be that
there has to be some plausible
alternative explanation
for all these things that happen
And at the end of the day,
it's going to be
I think it's be hard
for the jury to believe
that Donald Trump
didn't know
that these payments were for Geo
I the end of the day, yeah,
an experienced lawyer view magni
You know what you would say