For many Americans, the Memorial Day holiday means a three-day weekend of barbecues, flag parades, and glory. But for those centrally involved in Donald Trump's criminal trial, including the defendants, it will be an uneasy countdown to the climax of the American president's first trial.
After 15 days of testimony and 20 witnesses, including four intense days on the stand from Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, prosecutors rested today. A bitter confrontation ensued between Judge Juan Marchan and defense witness Robert Costello, a lawyer who had consulted with Cohen.
Mr. Costello said he spoke with Mr. Cohen after the FBI searched his home in April 2018, and that Mr. Cohen “knew nothing” about Mr. Trump's payments to the porn star at the center of the case. He said he spoke. He added that Cohen said he “did this to himself and did this over and over again.”
But Mr. Costello's testimony was overshadowed by his actions, including saying “Wow” in response to prosecutors' objections. After turning away jurors, Marchan scolded Costello for not showing “appropriate decorum” in the courtroom, accusing him of “looking the other way.”
Moments later, Marchan chased reporters out of the courtroom to continue reprimanding Costello. This was a dramatic move and put the defense on notice about controlling the witnesses scheduled to return tomorrow morning.
Marchan's move ended a stressful day of grinding gears that consisted mostly of stops, starts and scheduling. The justices had already decided that closing arguments would not be held until next Tuesday, the day after Memorial Day.
Marchan said jurors are expected to return tomorrow for an extended vacation, but their decision could be invalidated if Trump suddenly decides to testify in his own defense. That seems highly unlikely. If that happens, he will have all kinds of questions about his actions and the cases he lost in the past.
Final argument coming soon
Trump is charged with falsifying 34 business records related to reimbursing Cohen for $130,000 in hush money he paid porn actress Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 election.
Mr. Cohen and Mr. Daniels are now the pillars of the prosecution's case. Daniels testified earlier this month that she had a brief sexual encounter with Trump in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, in 2006. Cohen said he paid her and then had a series of sexual encounters with her. He himself signed some of Trump's redemption checks. Prosecutors will argue that the payments to Daniels were made to improperly influence the 2016 election.
These checks and other documents (such as ledgers and invoices) may be even more important than the famous witnesses. Both men faced intense cross-examination, with defense attorneys suggesting they lied for financial gain.
Later this afternoon, Blanche hinted that Cohen was so dishonest that Marchan should dismiss the case, but Marchan replied, “Cohen's lies are irrefutable, but he's a 12-year-old New Yorker.'' “Are you trying to trick someone into believing a lie?”
Still, that offensive line will likely meet the defensive closing, as well as several other themes. One is that paying Mr. Daniels as part of a non-disclosure agreement was not unusual (although the state's lawsuit is not based on the contract, but rather on the reimbursement of false claims). record).
Another defense argument is that Trump was only acting to protect his family from “salacious” rumors. It could also argue that the payments to Mr. Cohen were made as compensation for due legal process rather than to cover up payments to Mr. Daniels, but Mr. Cohen's claim is not true.
Trump, on the other hand, denied the charges and that he had a sexual relationship with Daniels. He continues to denounce the case as politically motivated, while predicting a possible conviction over emails related to fundraising efforts, including yesterday's email promoting black MAGA hats. (“To remember what could be one of the darkest days in American history!”)
Trump has now been in court for six weeks. Last week, he oversaw a sweeping rebuke of Cohen, who admitted lying and stealing from the Trump Organization.
If Thursday's performance by Todd Blanche, President Trump's chief lawyer, was pure “Perry Mason,” today's performance is more Hercule Poirot, poking and prodding Cohen. I was looking for flaws in the story. He repeatedly attacked Cohen's credibility, including again mentioning an Oct. 24, 2016 phone call in which he implied that Cohen had lied on the witness stand. Cohen said the call was to brief Trump on Daniels. Blanche said it was about a series of prank calls Cohen received.
Do you have a “no doubt” in your mind? Blanche asked.
“Absolutely,” Mr. Cohen replied.
The final blow to Cohen
Mr. Blanche has repeatedly attacked Mr. Cohen's motives, suggesting that Mr. Cohen is only in it for the money, and the exchange seemingly suggests that Mr. Trump's biggest enemy is actually Mr. Trump's It seemed to reveal an interesting paradox of benefiting from success.
Toward the end of cross-examination, Blanche asked Cohen if he had a financial interest in the outcome of this case. Cohen said yes.
He explained that Trump has been the subject of his podcast and TikTok posts.
“They're making money,” he said, adding: “Whether Mr. Trump is ultimately found innocent or guilty has no bearing on whether I talk about it.”
He quickly added that it would be better for him if Trump was acquitted. “Because we can talk more in the future.”
That future may soon become clear. After a follow-up from prosecutors aimed at cleaning up some of the damage Branch had done, including Cohen's admission that he stole $30,000 from the Trump Organization, the afternoon He left the stand around 3:15 p.m. Cohen admitted it was wrong, but said it was anger at having his bonus cut so drastically.
“It was almost like self-help,” he says.
At one point, Blanche seemed dismissive, mentioning Cohen's ambitions, including a possible run for Congress and a reality show (dubbed, naturally, “The Fixers”). He suggested these choices stemmed from his own fame, or notoriety, in his relationship with Trump.
Mr. Cohen replied, somewhat philosophically, that his popularity comes from “the journey I've been on.”
“My journey is about telling my story,” he said.
Here it is Teams we report on clinical trials to. We will be sending more frequent updates during the hearing, including breaking news and weekly analysis on Thursdays.
your question
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How can members of the public attend court? Are you lining up outside?How long have they been waiting? — Johanna Lautenbach, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Jesse: The public, as well as members of the media, can access the courtroom on the 15th floor or the overflow courtroom down the hallway, where more seating is available, outside the courthouse at 100 Center Street. are lined up. Some people line up for hours or even all night to secure a seat (and in some cases sell their seats online).
What else to see
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The first of a series of hearings on President Trump's classified documents case will be held in Florida on Wednesday, until late June. The hearing will concern an attempt by one of Trump's co-defendants, Walt Nauta, to have the charges dismissed.
Where does each criminal case fit in?
Mr. Trump is at the center of at least four separate criminal investigations at both the state and federal level into matters related to his business and political career. The position in each case is as follows.
