CNN’s Cooper: Trump’s Attorneys ‘Cornered’ Michael Cohen in ‘What Appeared To Be a Lie’ During Cross-Examination

KEILAR And we re ░░░░░░░░ now with our breaking ░░░░░░░░ coverage of former President ░░░░░░░░ s hush money criminal ░░░░░░░░ court in a lunch ░░░░░░░░ now Anderson Cooper with ░░░░░░░░ Anderson how was court ░░░░░░░░ were there all morning ░░░░░░░░ I ve gotta say ░░░░░░░░ was a lot of ░░░░░░░░ moments early on There ░░░░░░░░ a lot of kind ░░░░░░░░ meandering cross examination or ░░░░░░░░ meandering cross examination by ░░░░░░░░ Blanche but the last ░░░░░░░░ minutes of court today ░░░░░░░░ before the lunch break ░░░░░░░░ was incredible I mean ░░░░░░░░ was Elie Honig on ░░░░░░░░ program last night had ░░░░░░░░ about on a cross ░░░░░░░░ lawyers want to kind ░░░░░░░░ put the witness build ░░░░░░░░ box around the witness ░░░░░░░░ then slam it shut ░░░░░░░░ s what Todd Blanche ░░░░░░░░ to Michael Cohen I ░░░░░░░░ the story Todd Blanche ░░░░░░░░ methodically went through the ░░░░░░░░ of events of this ░░░░░░░░ conversation that alleged that ░░░░░░░░ Cohen had testified to ░░░░░░░░ you know that he ░░░░░░░░ had this consequential phone ░░░░░░░░ with Donald Trump who ░░░░░░░░ a 90 second phone ░░░░░░░░ I believe it was ░░░░░░░░ 24th was the date ░░░░░░░░ to around 8 00 ░░░░░░░░ M or so at ░░░░░░░░ But Todd Blanche on ░░░░░░░░ cross examination today kind ░░░░░░░░ looked at the transcript ░░░░░░░░ text messages that Michael ░░░░░░░░ had received and sent ░░░░░░░░ that time frame and ░░░░░░░░ had been this series ░░░░░░░░ guess of crank calls ░░░░░░░░ Michael Cohen had received ░░░░░░░░ turned out to be ░░░░░░░░ some 14 year old ░░░░░░░░ was an exchange of ░░░░░░░░ between the alleged 14 ░░░░░░░░ old and Michael Cohen ░░░░░░░░ then Michael Cohen texts ░░░░░░░░ Schiller like 7 50 ░░░░░░░░ or 7 48 P ░░░░░░░░ saying Hey some dope ░░░░░░░░ been harassing me I ░░░░░░░░ the person s phone ░░░░░░░░ Who can I talk ░░░░░░░░ Keith Schiller texts him ░░░░░░░░ saying Call me and ░░░░░░░░ Cohen calls Keith Schiller ░░░░░░░░ is the conversation that ░░░░░░░░ Michael Cohen had said ░░░░░░░░ was calling to speak ░░░░░░░░ Donald Trump to tell ░░░░░░░░ that the Stormy he ░░░░░░░░ going ahead with the ░░░░░░░░ Daniels arrangement and that ░░░░░░░░ approved it which was ░░░░░░░░ to Michael Cohen s ░░░░░░░░ raison d etre for ░░░░░░░░ on the stand He ░░░░░░░░ the only person testifying ░░░░░░░░ involvement by direct involvement ░░░░░░░░ Donald Trump in the ░░░░░░░░ Daniels payments But according ░░░░░░░░ suddenly now Michael Cohen ░░░░░░░░ refresh memory he now ░░░░░░░░ Oh it was a ░░░░░░░░ about this 14 year ░░░░░░░░ making prank phone calls ░░░░░░░░ me but also about ░░░░░░░░ moving ahead on Stormy ░░░░░░░░ Todd Blanche was incredulous ░░░░░░░░ voice cracking his voice ░░░░░░░░ up moving around the ░░░░░░░░ speaking you know saying ░░░░░░░░ what the jury doesn ░░░░░░░░ want to hear him ░░░░░░░░ it wants to hear ░░░░░░░░ it was an extraordinary ░░░░░░░░ examination by Todd Blanche ░░░░░░░░ Michael Cohen s throughout ░░░░░░░░ day Michael Cohen when ░░░░░░░░ when he found himself ░░░░░░░░ a corner he does ░░░░░░░░ a pattern of suddenly ░░░░░░░░ understanding the question that ░░░░░░░░ being asked or seemingly ░░░░░░░░ of I mean one ░░░░░░░░ say buying time to ░░░░░░░░ to figure out how ░░░░░░░░ wants to answer But ░░░░░░░░ definitely suddenly starts to ░░░░░░░░ Todd Blanche repeat questions ░░░░░░░░ I don t quite ░░░░░░░░ what you mean I ░░░░░░░░ confused by the question ░░░░░░░░ this time Michael Cohen ░░░░░░░░ cornered in what appeared ░░░░░░░░ to be a lie ░░░░░░░░ think to many in ░░░░░░░░ room and had to ░░░░░░░░ suddenly his memory that ░░░░░░░░ had just testified to ░░░░░░░░ Tuesday Elie I mean ░░░░░░░░ pointed out just right ░░░░░░░░ the commercial break you ░░░░░░░░ if jurors don t ░░░░░░░░ Michael Cohen how significant ░░░░░░░░ might be He was ░░░░░░░░ mean it is hard ░░░░░░░░ I wonder how prosecutors ░░░░░░░░ going to redirect on ░░░░░░░░ because Todd Blanche also ░░░░░░░░ out got Michael Cohen ░░░░░░░░ admit that he had ░░░░░░░░ seen these text messages ░░░░░░░░ the prep by prosecutors ░░░░░░░░ he apparently had no ░░░░░░░░ of those text messages ░░░░░░░░ the implication is that ░░░░░░░░ concocted you know he ░░░░░░░░ shown that there was ░░░░░░░░ phone call to Keith ░░░░░░░░ at this time by ░░░░░░░░ in the prep and ░░░░░░░░ implications certainly by Todd ░░░░░░░░ is that he concocted ░░░░░░░░ story of what that ░░░░░░░░ second phone call was ░░░░░░░░ realizing that there were ░░░░░░░░ messages right ahead that ░░░░░░░░ related it and right ░░░░░░░░ that directly related it ░░░░░░░░ So Anderson obviously this ░░░░░░░░ with you as a ░░░░░░░░ observer Did you happen ░░░░░░░░ see anything in the ░░░░░░░░ box Were you able ░░░░░░░░ pick up on any ░░░░░░░░ from the jurors COOPER ░░░░░░░░ mean these jurors are ░░░░░░░░ as a lot of ░░░░░░░░ have said and I ░░░░░░░░ seen before they are ░░░░░░░░ do not show reaction ░░░░░░░░ you could tell the ░░░░░░░░ of the moment and ░░░░░░░░ in the courtroom can ░░░░░░░░ and if you were ░░░░░░░░ of it the clicking ░░░░░░░░ every Reporter in the ░░░░░░░░ typewriters it was like ░░░░░░░░ crescendo because the drama ░░░░░░░░ the moment was so ░░░░░░░░ to everybody in the ░░░░░░░░ But the jurors showed ░░░░░░░░ on their faces but ░░░░░░░░ were they were watching ░░░░░░░░ intently And Todd Blanche ░░░░░░░░ stopped the cross examination ░░░░░░░░ said to the judge ░░░░░░░░ know maybe this is ░░░░░░░░ good time for lunch ░░░░░░░░ and the judge agreed ░░░░░░░░ this is what the ░░░░░░░░ are going to think ░░░░░░░░ lunch I was talking ░░░░░░░░ Norm Eisen on the ░░░░░░░░ out from court who ░░░░░░░░ saying you know Todd ░░░░░░░░ should try to keep ░░░░░░░░ cross examination going all ░░░░░░░░ way till through the ░░░░░░░░ not allowing the prosecution ░░░░░░░░ redirect so that for ░░░░░░░░ next three days jurors ░░░░░░░░ have Michael Cohen s ░░░░░░░░ it testimony to mull ░░░░░░░░ HONIG Yeah that s ░░░░░░░░ common tactic Anderson let ░░░░░░░░ ask you if I ░░░░░░░░ put you in the ░░░░░░░░ box having just witnessed ░░░░░░░░ piece of cross examination ░░░░░░░░ you have doubts that ░░░░░░░░ conversation happened the way ░░░░░░░░ Cohen testified on his ░░░░░░░░ examination that call Trump ░░░░░░░░ I think it s ░░░░░░░░ Absolutely I think it ░░░░░░░░ devastating I mean for ░░░░░░░░ Cohen s credibility on ░░░░░░░░ I mean this one ░░░░░░░░ topic Whether it s ░░░░░░░░ know he just didn ░░░░░░░░ I mean it s ░░░░░░░░ to I don t ░░░░░░░░ Yes I think if ░░░░░░░░ was a juror in ░░░░░░░░ case watching that I ░░░░░░░░ think this guy s ░░░░░░░░ this up as he ░░░░░░░░ going along or he ░░░░░░░░ making this particular story ░░░░░░░░ You know Todd Blanche ░░░░░░░░ pointing out You were ░░░░░░░░ just on Tuesday in ░░░░░░░░ court and all morning ░░░░░░░░ he s been pointing ░░░░░░░░ inconsistencies in Michael Cohen ░░░░░░░░ testimony or at least ░░░░░░░░ aspects of Michael Cohen ░░░░░░░░ testimony but nothing that ░░░░░░░░ would necessarily as a ░░░░░░░░ think Okay that s ░░░░░░░░ a lie Maybe that ░░░░░░░░ just he was misunderstanding ░░░░░░░░ he was bragging or ░░░░░░░░ This one Todd Blanche ░░░░░░░░ saved this to right ░░░░░░░░ the lunch break I ░░░░░░░░ assuming because it was ░░░░░░░░ so well crafted and ░░░░░░░░ point by point walking ░░░░░░░░ this story which at ░░░░░░░░ seemed you know why ░░░░░░░░ this seems like a ░░░░░░░░ story some 14 year ░░░░░░░░ is sending him nasty ░░░░░░░░ messages and he s ░░░░░░░░ to call Keith Schiller ░░░░░░░░ it And then you ░░░░░░░░ you look he showed ░░░░░░░░ phone logs that the ░░░░░░░░ had shown and it ░░░░░░░░ the phone call that ░░░░░░░░ Cohen had previously talked ░░░░░░░░ I think it is ░░░░░░░░ damaging to Michael Cohen ░░░░░░░░ testimony.”