‘That’s a lie’: Dramatic scenes at Trump trial as Michael Cohen testifies
Donald Trump’s lawyers have tried to portray the star witness as a bitter liar but the day in court was overshadowed by a bizarre penis protest.
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Insults aimed at Donald Trump ricocheted around a New York courtroom on Thursday, local time, as the former president’s defence team cross examined a star witness, trying to persuade jurors he was bitter and untrustworthy.
“Dumba** Donald,” was a notable jibe Mr Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen confirmed he uttered about his former boss. He also admitted to having 95 secret tape recordings on his phone, including of Mr Trump.
And in dramatic scenes, Mr Trump’s lawyer screamed sat Mr Cohen accusing him of being a “liar”.
However, events in the Lower Manhattan building were overshadowed by a bizarre protest outside that consisted of 100 pink penis-shaped balloons.
New York artist Scott Lobaido emblazoned each with the image of a person who Donald Trump has clashed with, including Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg who has brought the current hush money case. and Judges Juan Merchan who is presiding over proceedings.
“As a New Yorker, this is how we talk,” Mr Lobaido told the New York Post, adding that in his view they were “disrespecting” the presumptive 2024 Republican nominee for President.
Michael Cohen was a lawyer at the Trump Organisation and right hand man of Mr Trump prior to his 2016 election win.
When Mr Trump entered the White House, Mr Cohen served as the then-President’s personal lawyer.
Once a loyal fixer he has spectacularly turned and is now key in the prosecution’s aims of linking Mr Trump to criminal conduct.
‘Dumba** Donald’
But on Thursday, Mr Trump’s defence focused on Mr Cohen’s anger towards his former boss, expressed through numerous expletives.
“You called him ‘Dumba** Donald,’ is that right?” Mr Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche asked Mr Cohen.
“That’s right,” Mr Cohen said.
Mr Blanche also asked if Mr Cohen had called Mr Trump “crying little sh**” on a TikTok post.
“Sounds like something I would,” say, he replied, a common refrain of Mr Cohen during the trial in Manhattan.
Previously, Mr Cohen also admitted to calling Mr Trump a “Cheeto dusted cartoon villain”.
Although, the insults have gone in several directions, with jurors also shown a social media post where Mr Trump called porn star Stormy Daniels, “horseface”.
Mr Trump is accused of falsifying business records to cover up payments of $200,000 ($US130,000) paid to porn actor Stormy Daniels, 45, in the run up to the 2016 US Presidential election, to prevent information about an alleged 2006 sexual encounter being made public.
The prosecution is trying to convince the jury the alleged payments were effectively election interference to silence revelations that could have been damaging to Mr Trump’s campaign.
Mr Trump, 77, has denied an affair took place and denied the charges.
‘I want this man to go down’
On Thursday, the court was played excerpts from a podcast featuring Mr Cohen where he said: “I truly f***ing hope this man ends up in prison for what he did to me and my family.
“You better believe I want this man to go down,” he added.
Mr Cohen went to prison in 2019 for three years but was granted home release after 13 months when the pandemic began.
He had pleaded guilty to lying to the US Congress to protect Mr Trump over a probe into a Russian real estate deal. He also pleaded guilty to tax evasion and violating election campaign finance laws over hush money payments to Ms Daniels and one-time Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal.
Mr Cohen has admitted his previous high opinion of Mr Trump vanished after his legal woes.
‘That’s a lie’
Despite those charges being related to activities he did to allegedly support Mr Trump, the former president’s lawyers tried to paint Mr Cohen as untrustworthy due to his previous lies.
Referring to previous run-ins with the law, Mr Blanche tried to convince the jury that Mr Cohen’s testimony to them couldn’t be trusted.
“You lied under oath, correct?” he asked.
“Yes, sir,” replied Mr Cohen.
“Would you agree with me that you, when you lie under oath, that’s not accepting responsibility?
“I accepted responsibility, and I am suffering the consequences as a result,” Mr Cohen said.
Mr Trump’s lawyers further questioned the truth behind a 2016 call made by Mr Cohen to Mr Trump’s bodyguard Keith Schiller who passed the phone to the candidate. Mr Cohen has claimed the call was to update Mr Trump on the payments to Stormy Daniels, further linking the businessman to the money.
“That’s a lie,” screamed Mr Blanche in reply to Mr Cohen dureing dramatic scenes in court.
Rather, Mr Trump’s lawyer said the short call was about some prank calls he was getting from a 14-year-old, not hush money.
Mr Cohen said the prank calls may have been “part” of a wider conversation about the payments.
On the stand, Mr Cohen admitted to having 95 secret recordings on his phone, including of Mr Trump but also journalists and media executives.
The defence argued this was unethical behaviour but Mr Cohen pointed out it was not illegal to surreptitiously record people's conversations in New York State.
The trial will continue on Monday as Mr Trump successfully asked to have Friday off so he could attend his son Barron’s high school graduation.
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