Tensions escalated amid a chorus of voices Thursday as Donald Trump’s lawyers hit back at prosecutors, accusing their key witness of repeatedly lying.
On the most tense day of cross-examination, Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer, described speaking directly to the former president about hush money to an adult film star.
But attorney Todd Blanche almost shouted that Cohen’s testimony was a “lie.”
He presented evidence that he said showed they had indeed talked about some prank calls.
Mr. Blanche’s alternative theory about the phone call was designed to sow doubts on Cohen’s third day on the stand, as the jury watched the intense exchange with intense concentration.
After a heated exchange, he rushed back to the defense table and sat down next to his client. When the judge announced the afternoon recess, the whole room let out a sigh.
Mr. Trump was charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, for allegedly disguising payments to Cohen as legal fees when in fact they were reimbursements for paying Ms. Daniels, who claimed she had sex with him.
Prosecutors allege Mr. Trump sought to withhold damaging information from the public to protect his 2016 presidential campaign. Mr. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denies having sex with Ms. Daniels.
In court on Thursday, under pressure, Cohen insisted that his earlier testimony was true and that he had spoken to Mr. Trump about the payment to Stormy Daniels in an October 2016 call.
Earlier this week, prosecutors asked Cohen about his call to help prove Trump allegedly had direct knowledge of the repayment plan. Cohen testified that he kept his boss informed about every step of the process of paying Ms. Daniels.
As the person at the center of the payment, Cohen’s testimony is crucial for prosecutors to prove whether Mr. Trump knew about the allegedly fraudulent repayment scheme.
But Cohen’s criminal record, history of lying to Congress and salacious public criticism of Mr. Trump make him a flawed witness.
Mr. Trump’s team has been aware of Cohen’s credibility problems for nearly two days and sought to paint him as a liar with a vendetta against Mr. Trump.
On Thursday morning, Mr. Blanche played a recording from Mr. Cohen’s Mea Culpa podcast, where the witness expressed a desire to see the former president go through the booking process and said of Mr. Trump, “I want the man This man is coming down.”
Mr. Blanche also questioned Cohen with an X post in which he called the former president “Domb *** Donald.”
“Does the outcome of this trial affect you personally?” Mr. Blanche asked him.
“Yes,” Cohen replied.
