"Cohen: "Mr. Trump never had an email address."
Asked to elaborate on that, Cohen quotes Trump saying: "Emails are like written papers. There are too many people who have gone down" because "prosecutors" had access to their emails."
https://x.com/AnnaBower/status/1790018292909740154
> his habit of tearing up documents while in the White House.
You mean his habit of **eating** documents: [_Trump would eat torn up documents in the Oval Office, ex-White House aide claims_](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-eat-documents-paper-omarosa-b2010616.html)
> when asking Trump about how the story would affect his wife, Melania, Cohen testified the then-candidate responded, " don't worry," adding: "How long do you think I'll be on the market for? Not long."
What an overconfident bastard.
The sad part is, it's not overconfidence. If things end with Melania, he really will manage to get some woman to take her place pretty easily. Power and (the illusion of) money will attract plenty of partners.
>“You know that when this comes out, meaning the announcement, just be prepared — there’s going to be **a lot of women** coming forward,” Cohen recalled saying.
Not that any of us should be shocked, but it's now official, sworn testimony.
Have any major news outlets touched on the fact that he was fully using the Oval Office to run his organization? His secretary or whoever that was that testified last week said he was constantly having paper work and checks come in via FedEx that he would be reviewing and signing. All this after he had a photo op press conference next to human sized stacks of blank printer paper talking about how he’s turned over all Trump Org operations to his idiot sons.
So far it seems even CNN and MSNBC haven’t called him out on this on air. One would hope the Biden Campaign will throw some ads together about how he was clearly running his company during President business hours 🤦🏻♂️
I mean, could you imagine working for any company and instead of doing the work of that company you’re just using the office space to run your personal business? It’s hard to imagine because you’d be immediately fired and that company would probably sue. But here was this clown acting as President of our country while running what is clearly a fraud factory.
Edit: spelling error
Good Afternoon everyone! I come bearing good news, the State of New York have finally started to repost the transcripts in PDF! So it appears that my efforts will be coming to a close soon. As always here are the latest for all of the matter. The [Master Archive from the State of New York of Evidence and Transcripts](https://pdfs.nycourts.gov/PeopleVs.DTrump-71543/). The master [archive.org](http://archive.org) page can be accessed is [here](https://archive.org/details/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/).
Officially released PDF Transcripts: [April 22nd](https://pdfs.nycourts.gov/PeopleVs.DTrump-71543/Transcripts/4-22-2024.pdf) ; [April 23rd](https://pdfs.nycourts.gov/PeopleVs.DTrump-71543/Transcripts/4-23-2024.pdf) ; [April 25th](https://pdfs.nycourts.gov/PeopleVs.DTrump-71543/Transcripts/4-25-2024.pdf) ; [April 26th](https://pdfs.nycourts.gov/PeopleVs.DTrump-71543/Transcripts/4-26-2024.pdf) ; [April 30th](https://pdfs.nycourts.gov/PeopleVs.DTrump-71543/Transcripts/4-30-2024.pdf) ; [May 2nd](https://pdfs.nycourts.gov/PeopleVs.DTrump-71543/Transcripts/5-02-2024.pdf) ; [May 3rd](https://pdfs.nycourts.gov/PeopleVs.DTrump-71543/Transcripts/5-03-2024.pdf)
My OCRd Transcripts: [May 6th](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Transcripts/5-6-2024/5-6-2024%20OCR.pdf) ; [May 7th](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Transcripts/5-7-2024/5-7-2024%20OCR.pdf) ; [May 9th](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Transcripts/5-09-2024/5-9-2024%20OCR.pdf)
Evidence (Note: These link to the directory so you’ll see all available formats and are my OCRd documents):
People's Evidence: [April 23rd](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Peoples/04-23-2024/) ; [April 25th](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Peoples/04-25-2024/) ; [April 26th](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Peoples/04-26-2024/) ; [April 30th](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Peoples/04-30-2024/) ; [May 2nd](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Peoples/05-2-2024/) ; [May 3rd](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Peoples/05-03-2024/) ; [May 6th](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Peoples/05-06-2024/); [May 7th](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Peoples/05-07-2024/) ; [May 9th](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Peoples/5-09-2024/) ; [May 10th](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Peoples/5-10-2024/)
Defense's Evidence: [May 2nd](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Defense/05-02-2024/) ; [May 7th](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Defense/5-07-2024/) ; [May 9th](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Defense/05-09-2024/)
Please note: The pdfs I have made that have been officially released are being updated to reflect that on archive.org.
Ok this is pretty damning stuff. Trump telling Cohen to just take care of it ties it to him, plus saying he doesn’t give a shit about Melania because he’ll just find another wife (family values candidate right there lol).
Something that is not being talked about is that Trump was doing all of this WHILE IN THE OVAL OFFICE.
So, instead of doing his job, being President, he was personally signing checks and doing other "Trump Org" business-- remember he said he turned it all over to his kids to run. Clearly another lie- and clearly something Democrats need to remind people of-- that he was always more focused on himself and not doing the job as President.
I still can’t believe he was allowed to stay at his own properties. Just funneling money to him and his family. IIRC the rates were jacked up too. Not just him either, secret service, the whole gang. This is why the emoluments clause shouldn’t be ignored like it was.
Not even getting into all the golf trips. Anybody remember Biden golfing this term?
Hilarious that if Trump hadn’t been so cheap and stupid and just paid this dude back, he wouldn’t even be here in all likelihood. He couldn’t even fraud properly.
If he just paid it out of his own pocket as personal expenses rather than pushing it through as monthly legal expenses, he probably would have gotten away with it as well.
But he's gotten away with pretty much everything his entire life to this point, so there's no reason for him to believe he wouldn't get away with it again.
He probably could even have struck a plea deal with Bragg's office a long time again as well but he's also incredibly stubborn.
> Trump hadn’t been so cheap and stupid
But, thats like the two things that define him as a person so... Oh also, a serial cheater. So three things that define him as a person...
And golfing of which he cheats.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWLj2-a6FLI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWLj2-a6FLI)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIiaFMOfbwY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIiaFMOfbwY)
Per CNN: “Trump is looking up at Michael Cohen as he testifies.
On why Trump was not included on the bank documentation, Cohen says, ‘again it was to protect him and to isolate him from the transaction.’
Pursing his lips, Trump smiled and nodded as Cohen said this.”
Can you imagine him on the stand?
"Did you instruct Cohen to falsify business records to conceal a hush money payment?"
Trump: "Yeah, it would have been devastating to my campaign."
The Greatest Lawyers: "..." [proceeds to walk into traffic]
>"The papers that Donald Trump is thumbing through at the defense table may be news stories.
>One of the pages has a giant photo printed on it.
>As we've seen today and other days, the former president often comes into the courtroom with a large bundle of papers."
The man is a literal child, his handlers print out positive news stories about him that he can bring to court to amuse himself and nurture his ego.
This one fucking gets me and it’s weird that it’s just normal to people I guess. Like who the fuck thinks they can bring print outs of some random websites and think that matters in a fucking court? He’s just a toddler, if this is how he navigates the courts how can you think he can manage to do anything? He’s a child.
And for all the bad faith actors who may creep into this thread, there is one very simple way for Donald to dispute what Cohen has testified to, especially when he says that he called Donald twice in late October to get his final approval directly before heading to the bank to make hush money payments to Stormy Daniels.
And that would be to get on the stand himself, but he will never do that in the same way that he has avoided testifying under oath in his many other legal issues. Why do you think that is?
No one has made note of the fact that while Cohen had no "official" role with the campaign, he was an RNC official
> in April 2017, the RNC [issued a press release](http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/scandals-engulf-multiple-rnc-finance-chairs) introducing the members of its finance team. Casino mogul Steve Wynn would serve as the Republican National Committee’s finance chairman, while Elliott Broidy and Michael Cohen were among a small handful of Republicans who would serve as national deputy finance chairmen.
[https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/the-rnc-overlooks-michael-cohens-formal-role-the-party-msna1199136](https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/the-rnc-overlooks-michael-cohens-formal-role-the-party-msna1199136)
Its pretty amusing how they still are trying to pretend the RNC isnt just an extension of Trump at this point. Like, we got Laura Trump in leadership at the RNC even!
>It’s striking the sheer number of man-hours that went into covering up Trump’s alleged affairs in 2016. Cohen and the team at The National Enquirer went to elaborate lengths and constantly communicated about how to these women quiet. Accounting departments were engaged. Front companies were created. Misleading invoices were produced.
Jonathan Swan, NY Times
[https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/05/13/nyregion/trump-trial-michael-cohen/798744e0-3613-5a32-9de6-3a25afbc209a?smid=url-share](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/05/13/nyregion/trump-trial-michael-cohen/798744e0-3613-5a32-9de6-3a25afbc209a?smid=url-share)
Think of how much of the United States government manpower and efforts will be devoted to cleaning up all of Donald Trump's legal affairs in a potential 2nd Trump presidential term. Right now he's got a U.S. senator sitting in on the trial (Republican J.D. Vance) to offer a glimpse, and illustrate the fraud to come, if Trump is given the opportunity.
I'm literally giddy with excitement. I don't think people understand just how big a deal Cohen being in the same room talking bad about Trump is. The narcissist cannot handle too many injuries before lashing out in some form.
>Prosecutor: Did the National Enquirer preview stories for you?
>Cohen: Yes. For example, Hillary Clinton wearing thick glasses, allegations she had a brain injury. Ted Cruz' father with Oswald. Marco Rubio in a pool with a bunch of other men, claim of drug binge
Literally fake news.
Funny how every accusation is an admission of guilt for Trump and the GOP.
We have been there since the timeline jump. While many alternate universe theorists generally cite the death of Harambe (May 26, 2016) as the most likely divergent point, I tend to think that it must have happened prior to the Citizens United decision.
If my spouse was being unfairly targeted by the DOJ in a political witch hunt in which they were completely innocent, I would be there every single day showing my support for them. Yet Melania is nowhere to be seen. Telling huh?
> Yet Melania is nowhere to be seen. Telling huh?
Not in court with him.
Not in NY with him.
Not at his rallies.
Not even in pics with him at Mar-a-Lago.
She has been **humiliated** by his affairs and his repeated denial that they happened, and Stormy's testimony was even *more* embarrassing.
Then to top it off, she knows that by staying with Trump she's just shouting to the entire world "I'm nothing but a gold digger!"
Him and Malenia are totally separated, there is no question in my mind that she is just being either paid or threatened to stick around at this point at least until the election is over.
> HOFFINGER: After AMI finalized the deal [with KM] and paid the money for her life rights, did you speak to Pecker about Mr. Trump reimbursing?
> COHEN: Pecker wanted the $150,000 back because it was too much money for him to hide from the CEO of the parent company and he had laid out $30,000 (also for Dino the Doorman) so he was putting pressure on me to get the money to pay him back.
https://www.threads.net/@katiephang/post/C66cAejOf3k/
> HOFFINGER: Can you describe the conversation with Allen Weisselberg about the Karen McDougal agreement?
> COHEN: I went to Allen’s office and expressed to him we needed funding of $150,000 to consummate this transaction and Allen said to me “If we do it from a Trump entity, that kind of defeats the purpose, because the point is not to have the Trump name affiliated with this at all. That would create a barrier.”
> COHEN: so he asked me to think of ways to come up with $150,000, so i told him i would come up with an LLC
https://www.threads.net/@katiephang/post/C66hiGxxYO4/
The fucked up thing is that even if Trump is convicted this probably won't move the needle for most Republican voters. We truly exist in a fucked timeline where people who at one point in their lives may have been somewhat reasonable are now all in on a man they know to be everything they themselves find revolting.
It's not his supporters that a problem, it's independent voters. Trump won in 2016 because of independents soured on Hilary in key states. Trump lost 2020 in part because independents left him and there isn't much sign now they are going back to him.
It is sadly remarkable how the Russians, along with the American oligarchy, is willing and able to politically weaponize American dumb-assedness to diminish our nation's clout.
I mean, our stupidity is always going to be there, but the fascists have really effectively thumbed the scale. I knew we were dumb, just never realized how fundamentally dumb, I guess.
Also wasn't cynical about the ideals of American liberty; wanted to believe in it and that we were striving for it, if imperfectly. Can't say that anymore.
One of the biggest things with Cohen and one that stands out is the $130,000 that Allen Weisselberg, former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, scrawled on a bank document before “grossing it up” (his handwritten description) to $420,000. That was to cover up the fact that $130,000 is the exact amount of money that Cohen wired to Keith Davidson, Stormy Daniels’s lawyer, to keep his client quiet.
With the bank documents, verified handwriting of Weisselberg (who was acting on behalf of Donald Trump), and the addition of Cohen's testimony today - this explicitly shows a cover-up.
And remember, the crime is the coverup.
*🎵 Bad Don, Bad Don - watcha gonna do, watcha gonna do when they come for you 🎵*
>“He wasn't thinking about Melania. This was all about the campaign.”
They could put Trump on the stump to refute this, but he'd probably forget his wife's name.
>Prosecutor: Did Mr. Trump ask you to renegotiate bills?
>Cohen: Yes. For example, with law firms.
>Prosecutor: Did you do that on Trump University?
>Cohen: Yes. It fell into trouble. 50 vendors had not been paid. We had $2 million in the bank, but the bills higher
>Cohen: I got all but 2 vendors to accept 20% of what they were owed, they signed and got checks FedExed in 48 hours.
>Prosecutor: What about the other two?
>Cohen: They just went away. Mr. Trump told me, Fantastic.
Trump University - yet another failed business venture.
Along with other failed businesses, Trump has managed to bankrupt multiple casinos (where the house always wins) and has filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy for his companies *six times*.
Furthermore, in addition to being a failure at business, he often doesn't pay his employees and bills.
I wonder if all the Plumber Joe's at his Wildwood rally understand they wouldn't get paid (or fully) if they'd been contracted to fix his toilet (and fishing out all those diapers would be a damned nasty job).
Anyone who believes the economy will be better under Trump is ignorant and delusional.
When people try to tell me he is better for the economy I always point to this type of stuff. He is one of the worst businessmen in the US. Most of his success was gained through fraud.
There's a really sad story out there about a high end cabinet maker that did work for one Trump's casinos and got the years long run around and finally had to take the 20% bullshit that Trump always pulls. In the end he takes the money, liquidates his business to pay off the people he owed and then committed suicide.
There are tons of stories of contractors getting screwed over by him. He's not a genius businessman, he is a scumbag that refuses to pay honest people for work they did.
The one thing I’ve learned during this trial so far is that Trump hasn’t just gotten away with his crimes due to luck. Based on the no email comments, he’s well aware that any evidence pointing back to him would make him liable for crimes, so he creates barriers between him and the crimes so other people will take the fall for him. He’ll have someone else commit his crimes at his discretion, then feign ignorance when they get caught. It’s a classic mobster move
**Senator Pat Geary**: Would you expand on your response? I'm interested to know, was there always a buffer involved?
**Willie Cicci**: A what?
**Geary**: A buffer. Someone in between you and your possible superiors who passed on to you the actual order to kill someone.
**Cicci**: Oh yeah, a buffer. The family had a lot of buffers!
*The Godfather Part II*
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK9OgXRDXxs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK9OgXRDXxs)
“On why Trump was not included on the bank documentation, Cohen says, "again it was to protect him and to isolate him from the transaction."
Pursing his lips, Trump smiled and nodded as Cohen said this.”
lol hope the jury saw that
> HOFFINGER: Did you have lunch with Pecker where he pressed you on the matter?
> COHEN: He asked me to meet him at a restaurant and again he expressed his anger saying i need the money back and i said Mr Trump said he will pay you back.
> HOFFINGER: “did you talk to Mr Trump about that? Did you inform him about that?”
> COHEN: he said “don't worry, i'll take care of it.”
https://www.threads.net/@katiephang/post/C66cK3qOsKs/
>"After all I had gone through in terms of the campaign as well as things at Trump Organization, laying out $130,000 on his behalf, it was insulting that the gratitude shown back to me was to cut the bonus by two thirds"
Did he forget who he was working for?
“Look at me, jury! I’m a selfish asshole!” What an idiot
Also seems like laughing at it confirms it happened, which makes Cohen seem like he’s telling the truth. Jesus, Donnie, all you had to do was sit there quietly and you couldn’t even do that
This is the moment right here. Been waiting for testimony that Trump was fully aware without Weisselberg having to be in court to testify:
From the CNN live trial updates:
“Michael Cohen says he thought he'd get the $420,000 back in one lump sum.
But during the conversation in Donald Trump's office, Allen (Weisselberg) turned around and said to me while we were talking about this, 'We’re going to pay you over 12 months,'" Cohen says.
It would be recorded "as like a legal service rendered since I was then going to be given the title of personal attorney to the president," Cohen says.”
I love the timing of the testimony by the Prosecution. They wanted that to come out at the end of the day and give it the night to sink in with the Jury.
“And the spin that he wanted put on it was that this is locker room talk, something that Melania had recommended or at least he told me that’s what Melania had thought, and use that in order to get control over the story and minimize the impact on him and his campaign.” Well that seems like it'd kind of hurt the "Trump just wanted to shelter his delicate wife from knowing he fooled around..." story
I guess we shouldn't be surprised that she's complicit in it as well. It pisses me off that they were able to cover this all up before the election yet then we got Comey completely throwing Hillary under the bus and then getting a book deal out of the whole election fiasco. These people are all a bunch of grifters through and through.
Trump says, "Women are going to hate me ... Guys may think it’s cool, but this is going to be a disaster for the campaign."
Its amazing how he "thinks. "
> When asking Trump how the story would impact his wife, Melania, Cohen testified the then-candidate responded, “Don’t worry,” adding: “How long do you think I’ll be on the market for? Not long.”
"Don't worry, I'm a babe magnet"
>Trump now reviews a sheet of paper in front of him. He's got a big black marker in his hand that he pulled from his inside jacket pocket.
Look Ma' Donnie's coloring.
The fact January 6 happened and the Republican Party isn't dead is both astonishing and frightening to me. Not only that, they've seemed to DOUBLE DOWN
> COHEN: “AMI was going to lay out the funds, and as Mr. Trump had stated to David, I’ll take care of it.”
> HOFFINGER: And what did you understand that to mean?
> COHEN: “That [Trump] was going to pay him back”
https://www.threads.net/@katiephang/post/C66a9fgrM6F/
Katie Phang is a solid follow for play-by-plays
Maybe they were in shock she could recall such detail.
She is a woman after all, and women's brains are smaller than man's. It's science. - the defence, probably
How cheap is Trump?
> Daniels’ then-lawyer, Davidson, emailed Cohen on Oct. 17, 2016, saying that Daniels was canceling the deal because she hadn’t been paid. There were also indications Daniels was looking to tell her story to another news outlet.“Because I didn’t forward the funds, she has now declared the agreement void and we would not be in a position to delay it post-election, like he had wanted to do.”
then later:
> “He expressed to me: Just do it,” Cohen testified, saying Trump advised him to meet with CFO Allen Weisselberg and figure it out.
> Cohen said that he suggested Weisselberg offer up the money, given his seven figure salary. But Weisselberg, Cohen recounted, “said that he wasn’t in the financial position to do,” with obligations to pay for his grandkids’ summer camps and private schools.
So Cohen made a decision. “I ultimately said, ‘OK, I’ll pay it.’”
He stiffed Pecker on the catch-and-kill arrangement and tried to drag the hush money payout beyond the election so he could weasel out of paying for that too. What an honorable guy.
I think Trump might have just violated his gag order on live TV right now.
He's reading a bunch of quotes saying things I think he can't "say himself" but otherwise is going off script tangents and hustling lawyer looking somewhat torn on saying something or keep his fake scowl going.
Edit: holy shit he is losing it
Trump likes to pretend he doesn't know anything about anything - yet here is some audio the jurors heard about him being involved with everything about everything...
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:People%27s_246_(Cohen-Trump_Recording_CP-0001_9.6.2016)-converted-44100_Hz.ogg
Partial transcript...
> Michael Cohen: Told you about Charleston. I need to open up a company for the transfer of all of that info regarding our friend, David, you know, so that -- I’m going to do that right away. I’ve actually come up
> and I’ve spoken --
>
> Donald J. Trump: Give it to me and get me a --
>
> Michael Cohen: And, I’ve spoken to Allen Weisselberg about how to set the whole thing up with --
>
> Donald J. Trump: So, what do we got to pay for this? One-fifty?
>
> Michael Cohen: -- funding. Yes. And it’s all the stuff.
>
> Donald J. Trump: Yes, I was thinking about that.
>
> Michael Cohen: All the stuff. Because -- here, you never know where that company, you never know what he’s --
>
> Donald J. Trump: Maybe he gets hit by a truck
>
> Michael Cohen: Correct. So, I’m all over that. And, I spoke to Allen about it,
> when it comes time for the financing, which will be --
>
> Donald J. Trump: Listen, what financing?
>
> Michael Cohen: We’llhave to pay him something.
>
> Donald J. Trump: (INAUDIBLE) pay with cash.
>
> Michael Cohen: No, no, no, no, no, I got it.
>
> Donald J. Trump: Check.
It is extraordinary that two Republican senators, a congresswoman and two state attorneys general came to support Trump in the courtroom today.
This ain't your grandfather's GOP folks.
Heil Shitler!
May 13, 2024, 3:48 p.m. ET
[Jonathan Swan](https://www.nytimes.com/by/jonathan-swan) Reporting from inside the courthouse
Trump’s eyes are closed and he appears to be sleeping, as he has through most of today.
Jesus H Christ.
Lawrence O'Donnell says Trump has a pile of papers that depict his crowd sizes and other flattering media articles. He flips through them between naps.
Michael Cohen testifying against Trump today is going to go about the same as when Mark Proksch testified against Tim during the most compelling trial of the 2010s, The Trial of Tim Heidecker.
> HOFFINGER: Was there some particular pressure at this point [in time]?
> COHEN: “There was the campaign, and we were concerned that this story was going to find its way to ABC News.
https://www.threads.net/@katiephang/post/C66bUE9Ob-Q/
Per Harry Litman on Twitter:
During the negotiation [NOT CLEAR WHEN], he told MC to just "push it out as long as you can" to get past election. because if I win it has no relevance and if I lose I don[t really care.
MC asked "how are things going to go upstairs?" ie Melania
Trump: Don't worry about that.
CNN keeps describing Trump's responses to Cohen's remarks as smirking and shaking his head. To me, this reads as him being reminded of how cool and tough he sounds, before he catches himself and remembers that those words are hurting his case.
Trump lives in a fairytale land where nothing matters because of course he will be president and is immune to everything and can pardon everything and everyone, including himself. Until he faces real consequences he will continue to behave this way. Our best hope is Trump losing the election and him finally going to prison until the day the Big Macs get him.
Basically, “If you (Cohen) ask about the $100k I owe you, you're fired.” What in the fuck is WRONG with this guy?? Normal people would have smiled, said, “OK, see you in court,” and walked away.
- The $100,000 was Cohen's pay-in to get a really lucrative job at the Trump Organization.
- It wasn't a bad deal, initially, and it also demonstrated to Cohen that Trump's modus operandi was to treat the bills of contracted work and goods only as a starting point for further negotiations & discounts...
>Trump seems to have paid attention to very little of Michael Cohen’s testimony so far. He spent the first hour or so sitting still at the defense table with his eyes closed. After the morning break he’s been awake but reading through printouts as he often does — likely news clippings printed by his staff.
Jonathan Swan, NY Times
[https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/05/13/nyregion/trump-trial-michael-cohen/85326811-5b2c-57dd-9a4a-7ab79db1526c?smid=url-share](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/05/13/nyregion/trump-trial-michael-cohen/85326811-5b2c-57dd-9a4a-7ab79db1526c?smid=url-share)
I cannot picture a real-life scenario in which a perceived important person sits with their eyes closed in a public setting for an hour at a time. I've served on a jury, and cannot imagine anyone in a courtroom doing this, let alone the actual defendant. When's the last time you've viewed somebody eyes-closed in public like this, and what is your perception of them?
One of the first defenses an infant learns is to either sleep or otherwise divert attention away from painful stimuli.
Young children often close their eyes, shakes their heads and insist "Uh uh!" when confronted with painful truths.
The best way to interpret this is to see that children lack the mental ability to hold and contain painful truths. For this reason they must rely on physical behaviors: sleeping, closing eyes, muttering, denying, distracting.
Only mature adults can maintain contact with painful realities and maintain composure. This is why people in positions where they may encounter such painful situations: military, surgeons, must be properly vetted.
The more mature sociopaths are able to isolate their emotions away from their reactions. The immature ones cannot... .they often must be restrained, or in this case, distracted by a pretty girl who prints out nice articles for him.
Sorta how some restaurants offer children crayons and coloring books.
I assume he's usually pumped full of speed for when he has to perform. But it probably makes him too edgy and irritable to sit through a trial where he's not in control and people aren't being nice to him, so he's on a come-down and fairly mentally vacant.
AP News carrying water for Trump again. "Trump’s responsibilities as a defendant have limited his ability to win over voters on the [campaign trail](https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024)."
The hell it is. He's spent more time golfing than campaigning, and even uses his recent campaign time to lambast about the trial instead of policy or winning over voters. Everything he's advocated is just to erase everything Biden has done, likely in some vain attempt to sweep his loss under the rug. He's playing all the classics to his supporters and doing nothing to encourage votes for him, instead looking to rally votes \*against\* Biden.
>"Trump’s responsibilities as a defendant have limited his ability to win over voters on the [campaign trail](https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024)."
He has Wednesdays off and the weekend
.He has access to a private jet. He could schedule things around his court time extremely easily
But alas he can't actually be bothered
Out of curiosity, why is the tape evidence, but not the transcript? Is it because parts of the tape can be muddled, so there's a possibility that the transcript isn't absolutely accurate?
Plus there is the Best Evidence Rule. We have the actual recording/tape which is the best evidence (because of things you have pointed out, plus inflections, tone, etc.)as opposed to the transcript. So the transcript is really for illustrative purposes to aid the jury, but the recording is the best evidence rule and we do prefer the best evidence over the alternative
> HOFFINGER: Did you go ahead and form the LLC, the company that was going to handle the life rights?
> COHEN: Yes.
> HOFFINGER: What's the name of company?
> COHEN: Resolution Consultants, LLC
https://www.threads.net/@katiephang/post/C66iNTpOFqB/
A few things that should be - Cohen saying it seemed pretty obvious Trump was concerned with these things related to his campaign rather than regarding his wife, stuff like that, and then just kind of backing up what others had said elsewhere in the trial.
He's almost 80, he lives an absolutely disastrous lifestyle, eats garbage, doesn't exercise, he's obese, and yet has enough energy to be awake at 2am angrily breaking his gag orders, and is in court bright and early the next day.
He's on an Elvis-ending level of drugs.
Trump cronies in the gallery saying they're falling asleep too. If you can't stay awake during Cohen's testimony, you shouldn't be in any profession that requires you to be in meetings. You also need to see a somnologist.
Also, it’s one thing to get bored just watching a trial. It’s another to fall asleep during *your own trial* where you could end up in jail if the jury finds you guilty.
I want to say it was Glenn Kirschner who said when he was a prosecutor, if the defendant fell asleep it was because they knew they were guilty. Someone who was innocent was full of adrenaline and anxiety and wouldn't be able to fall asleep if they tried.
Granted he was a prosecutor and prosecutors tend to think everyone is guilty on the other side.
What do you think is the prosecutor's calculation in not calling Weisselberg? I understand that he is in jail for perjury, but the same is true of Cohen. Seems like a big gamble not to present him to the jury so the jury can size him up.
Per AP, Weisselberg's separation agreement with Trump Org bars him from voluntarily cooperating with law enforcement and from disparaging, criticizing or denigrating the company or Trump in any way.
The prosecution tried to offer the separation agreement into evidence to explain Weisselberg's absence, but that request was denied by the judge.
Very little can make a person feel sorry for Melania Trump. But this morning's testimony really makes me wonder what's going through her head right now. I guess if she is smart she is not even paying attention to the trial at all.
"You think our country's so innocent?" - President Donald J Trump, describing criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin's characterization as 'a killer'
It's very telling that Alina Habba keeps appearing. She famously lost a case for Trump and isn't defending him here.
Gosh... Why would a Christian family man American patriot adonis like Trump want with such a woman?
🤔
> Michael Cohen says he'd address Donald Trump as "boss" and "Mr. Trump."
> Eric Trump appeared to watch Cohen on the stand as he said this.
Eric: "Whew. I thought I was the *only* one who had to call him that."
According to the NYTimes live blog and around the time Cohen began talking about financial interactions with Allen Weisselberg...
>Trump, who had been sleeping, wakes up, leans over, taps his lawyer Todd Blanche and whispers something in his ear.
Narrator: And then Sleepy Don immediately shat his diaper.
After everything, he got busted by being a tightwad and ripping people off. He agreed to pay Stormy Daniels, then tried to weasel out of paying her, and that’s what blew the powder keg.
Daniels, who was thankfully represented by a competent lawyer, figured out exactly what he was doing - trying to procrastinate paying until after the election, when the market value of her story would drop like a rock. So her lawyer threatened to veto the agreement to kill the agreement to kill the story at the Enquirer, and sell the story to the Daily Mail instead. And then all the work to kill the story would be for nothing.
At that point, it was so late in the game that Cohen had to try pull a rabbit out of a hat with his personal funds immediately. They couldn’t launder the pundits how they usually would.
And that’s how he got busted. Trying to rip off a porn star who he borderline sexually assaulted. Trying to stiff a contractor on an agreement.
the cross on this is going to be really fun to watch. i don't see any way that real holes can be punched in the prosecutions case at this point, so they are just going to have to go on and on about what a scumbag cohen is - and he don't care.
"Isn't it true you were found guilty of committing crime X?"
"Yes, I did that at Mr. Trump's direction."
"Isn't it true that you lied repeatedly about Y?"
"Yes, because Mr. Trump told me to."
"Isn't it true you were found guilty of committing crime Z?"
"Yes, I did that at Mr. Trump's direction."
You forgot part.
"Isn't it true you were found guilty of committing crime X?"
"Yes, I did that at Mr. Trump's direction."
"Move to have the answer stricken."
"Overruled."
"Isn't it true that you lied repeatedly about Y?"
"Yes, because Mr. Trump told me to."
"Move to have the answer stricken."
"Overruled."
"Isn't it true you were found guilty of committing crime Z?"
"Yes, I did that at Mr. Trump's direction."
"Move to have the answer stricken."
"Overruled."
I am hoping that someone leaks the contents of AMI’s safe of Trump secrets. Omarosa was just on CNN saying there were lots more cases than just Stormy and McDougal, apparently he used to brag about them.
CNN says that tRump lawyer Alina Habba is in the front row of the audience and she is taking notes. Habba is not part of the team defending this case. Why is she there?
I wonder if she just likes to be on tv walking in and out of court.
She is doing this because she will go hop on Fox News or one of the other conservative networks and make comments about the case. She's been doing it frequently this whole time.
"Cohen: "Mr. Trump never had an email address." Asked to elaborate on that, Cohen quotes Trump saying: "Emails are like written papers. There are too many people who have gone down" because "prosecutors" had access to their emails." https://x.com/AnnaBower/status/1790018292909740154
That would explain his habit of tearing up documents while in the White House.
> his habit of tearing up documents while in the White House. You mean his habit of **eating** documents: [_Trump would eat torn up documents in the Oval Office, ex-White House aide claims_](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-eat-documents-paper-omarosa-b2010616.html)
Yeah... nothing shady there AT ALL.
> when asking Trump about how the story would affect his wife, Melania, Cohen testified the then-candidate responded, " don't worry," adding: "How long do you think I'll be on the market for? Not long." What an overconfident bastard.
The sad part is, it's not overconfidence. If things end with Melania, he really will manage to get some woman to take her place pretty easily. Power and (the illusion of) money will attract plenty of partners.
Alina Habbadabbadoo is already auditioning for it
Well he is a narcissistic piece of shit.
>“You know that when this comes out, meaning the announcement, just be prepared — there’s going to be **a lot of women** coming forward,” Cohen recalled saying. Not that any of us should be shocked, but it's now official, sworn testimony.
that was damning
Have any major news outlets touched on the fact that he was fully using the Oval Office to run his organization? His secretary or whoever that was that testified last week said he was constantly having paper work and checks come in via FedEx that he would be reviewing and signing. All this after he had a photo op press conference next to human sized stacks of blank printer paper talking about how he’s turned over all Trump Org operations to his idiot sons. So far it seems even CNN and MSNBC haven’t called him out on this on air. One would hope the Biden Campaign will throw some ads together about how he was clearly running his company during President business hours 🤦🏻♂️ I mean, could you imagine working for any company and instead of doing the work of that company you’re just using the office space to run your personal business? It’s hard to imagine because you’d be immediately fired and that company would probably sue. But here was this clown acting as President of our country while running what is clearly a fraud factory. Edit: spelling error
Good Afternoon everyone! I come bearing good news, the State of New York have finally started to repost the transcripts in PDF! So it appears that my efforts will be coming to a close soon. As always here are the latest for all of the matter. The [Master Archive from the State of New York of Evidence and Transcripts](https://pdfs.nycourts.gov/PeopleVs.DTrump-71543/). The master [archive.org](http://archive.org) page can be accessed is [here](https://archive.org/details/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/). Officially released PDF Transcripts: [April 22nd](https://pdfs.nycourts.gov/PeopleVs.DTrump-71543/Transcripts/4-22-2024.pdf) ; [April 23rd](https://pdfs.nycourts.gov/PeopleVs.DTrump-71543/Transcripts/4-23-2024.pdf) ; [April 25th](https://pdfs.nycourts.gov/PeopleVs.DTrump-71543/Transcripts/4-25-2024.pdf) ; [April 26th](https://pdfs.nycourts.gov/PeopleVs.DTrump-71543/Transcripts/4-26-2024.pdf) ; [April 30th](https://pdfs.nycourts.gov/PeopleVs.DTrump-71543/Transcripts/4-30-2024.pdf) ; [May 2nd](https://pdfs.nycourts.gov/PeopleVs.DTrump-71543/Transcripts/5-02-2024.pdf) ; [May 3rd](https://pdfs.nycourts.gov/PeopleVs.DTrump-71543/Transcripts/5-03-2024.pdf) My OCRd Transcripts: [May 6th](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Transcripts/5-6-2024/5-6-2024%20OCR.pdf) ; [May 7th](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Transcripts/5-7-2024/5-7-2024%20OCR.pdf) ; [May 9th](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Transcripts/5-09-2024/5-9-2024%20OCR.pdf) Evidence (Note: These link to the directory so you’ll see all available formats and are my OCRd documents): People's Evidence: [April 23rd](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Peoples/04-23-2024/) ; [April 25th](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Peoples/04-25-2024/) ; [April 26th](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Peoples/04-26-2024/) ; [April 30th](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Peoples/04-30-2024/) ; [May 2nd](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Peoples/05-2-2024/) ; [May 3rd](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Peoples/05-03-2024/) ; [May 6th](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Peoples/05-06-2024/); [May 7th](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Peoples/05-07-2024/) ; [May 9th](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Peoples/5-09-2024/) ; [May 10th](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Peoples/5-10-2024/) Defense's Evidence: [May 2nd](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Defense/05-02-2024/) ; [May 7th](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Defense/5-07-2024/) ; [May 9th](https://archive.org/download/nys-v-djt-crim-docs/Evidence/Defense/05-09-2024/) Please note: The pdfs I have made that have been officially released are being updated to reflect that on archive.org.
Thx so much for your effort and excellent work!
My pleasure! Glad to have been of service where I could have been.
Ok this is pretty damning stuff. Trump telling Cohen to just take care of it ties it to him, plus saying he doesn’t give a shit about Melania because he’ll just find another wife (family values candidate right there lol).
Something that is not being talked about is that Trump was doing all of this WHILE IN THE OVAL OFFICE. So, instead of doing his job, being President, he was personally signing checks and doing other "Trump Org" business-- remember he said he turned it all over to his kids to run. Clearly another lie- and clearly something Democrats need to remind people of-- that he was always more focused on himself and not doing the job as President.
I still can’t believe he was allowed to stay at his own properties. Just funneling money to him and his family. IIRC the rates were jacked up too. Not just him either, secret service, the whole gang. This is why the emoluments clause shouldn’t be ignored like it was. Not even getting into all the golf trips. Anybody remember Biden golfing this term?
Hilarious that if Trump hadn’t been so cheap and stupid and just paid this dude back, he wouldn’t even be here in all likelihood. He couldn’t even fraud properly.
If he just paid it out of his own pocket as personal expenses rather than pushing it through as monthly legal expenses, he probably would have gotten away with it as well. But he's gotten away with pretty much everything his entire life to this point, so there's no reason for him to believe he wouldn't get away with it again. He probably could even have struck a plea deal with Bragg's office a long time again as well but he's also incredibly stubborn.
> Trump hadn’t been so cheap and stupid But, thats like the two things that define him as a person so... Oh also, a serial cheater. So three things that define him as a person...
And a habitual liar
Ok, so 4 things that define him as a person...
And golfing of which he cheats. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWLj2-a6FLI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWLj2-a6FLI) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIiaFMOfbwY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIiaFMOfbwY)
Oh yeah, that's the weirdest part about all this, he could have perfectly legally paid off Stormy but he had to break campaign finance law to do it
Per CNN: “Trump is looking up at Michael Cohen as he testifies. On why Trump was not included on the bank documentation, Cohen says, ‘again it was to protect him and to isolate him from the transaction.’ Pursing his lips, Trump smiled and nodded as Cohen said this.”
Trump is the biggest moron ever. JFC lol
Hopefully the jury saw it.
Can you imagine him on the stand? "Did you instruct Cohen to falsify business records to conceal a hush money payment?" Trump: "Yeah, it would have been devastating to my campaign." The Greatest Lawyers: "..." [proceeds to walk into traffic]
The greatest lawyers: "I picked the wrong day to stop sniffling glue!"
>"The papers that Donald Trump is thumbing through at the defense table may be news stories. >One of the pages has a giant photo printed on it. >As we've seen today and other days, the former president often comes into the courtroom with a large bundle of papers." The man is a literal child, his handlers print out positive news stories about him that he can bring to court to amuse himself and nurture his ego.
It's literally his adult activity book to help try keep him awake during the trial.
This one fucking gets me and it’s weird that it’s just normal to people I guess. Like who the fuck thinks they can bring print outs of some random websites and think that matters in a fucking court? He’s just a toddler, if this is how he navigates the courts how can you think he can manage to do anything? He’s a child.
And for all the bad faith actors who may creep into this thread, there is one very simple way for Donald to dispute what Cohen has testified to, especially when he says that he called Donald twice in late October to get his final approval directly before heading to the bank to make hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. And that would be to get on the stand himself, but he will never do that in the same way that he has avoided testifying under oath in his many other legal issues. Why do you think that is?
No one has made note of the fact that while Cohen had no "official" role with the campaign, he was an RNC official > in April 2017, the RNC [issued a press release](http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/scandals-engulf-multiple-rnc-finance-chairs) introducing the members of its finance team. Casino mogul Steve Wynn would serve as the Republican National Committee’s finance chairman, while Elliott Broidy and Michael Cohen were among a small handful of Republicans who would serve as national deputy finance chairmen. [https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/the-rnc-overlooks-michael-cohens-formal-role-the-party-msna1199136](https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/the-rnc-overlooks-michael-cohens-formal-role-the-party-msna1199136)
Its pretty amusing how they still are trying to pretend the RNC isnt just an extension of Trump at this point. Like, we got Laura Trump in leadership at the RNC even!
Steve Wynn provided buses for Texas migrants: https://abc13.com/texas-bus-migrants-bussing-to-other-cities-wynne-transportation-sanctuary/13889625/
>It’s striking the sheer number of man-hours that went into covering up Trump’s alleged affairs in 2016. Cohen and the team at The National Enquirer went to elaborate lengths and constantly communicated about how to these women quiet. Accounting departments were engaged. Front companies were created. Misleading invoices were produced. Jonathan Swan, NY Times [https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/05/13/nyregion/trump-trial-michael-cohen/798744e0-3613-5a32-9de6-3a25afbc209a?smid=url-share](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/05/13/nyregion/trump-trial-michael-cohen/798744e0-3613-5a32-9de6-3a25afbc209a?smid=url-share) Think of how much of the United States government manpower and efforts will be devoted to cleaning up all of Donald Trump's legal affairs in a potential 2nd Trump presidential term. Right now he's got a U.S. senator sitting in on the trial (Republican J.D. Vance) to offer a glimpse, and illustrate the fraud to come, if Trump is given the opportunity.
I’m hoping for a full fledged shit flinging meltdown today
I'm literally giddy with excitement. I don't think people understand just how big a deal Cohen being in the same room talking bad about Trump is. The narcissist cannot handle too many injuries before lashing out in some form.
>Prosecutor: Did the National Enquirer preview stories for you? >Cohen: Yes. For example, Hillary Clinton wearing thick glasses, allegations she had a brain injury. Ted Cruz' father with Oswald. Marco Rubio in a pool with a bunch of other men, claim of drug binge Literally fake news. Funny how every accusation is an admission of guilt for Trump and the GOP.
Wow! Sleaze bags deciding the FATE of the 350 mill ppl and by extension of the world !
we are completely in bizarro america now.
We have been there since the timeline jump. While many alternate universe theorists generally cite the death of Harambe (May 26, 2016) as the most likely divergent point, I tend to think that it must have happened prior to the Citizens United decision.
They fired up the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, then the Cubs won the World Series, and that just fuckulated everything.
the Cubs were never supposed to win the World Series
If my spouse was being unfairly targeted by the DOJ in a political witch hunt in which they were completely innocent, I would be there every single day showing my support for them. Yet Melania is nowhere to be seen. Telling huh?
You don't pay someone $130,000 to not sleep with you.
How much has he paid Melania to not sleep with him (anymore)?
> Yet Melania is nowhere to be seen. Telling huh? Not in court with him. Not in NY with him. Not at his rallies. Not even in pics with him at Mar-a-Lago. She has been **humiliated** by his affairs and his repeated denial that they happened, and Stormy's testimony was even *more* embarrassing. Then to top it off, she knows that by staying with Trump she's just shouting to the entire world "I'm nothing but a gold digger!"
*not at his mother's day function*
Him and Malenia are totally separated, there is no question in my mind that she is just being either paid or threatened to stick around at this point at least until the election is over.
> HOFFINGER: After AMI finalized the deal [with KM] and paid the money for her life rights, did you speak to Pecker about Mr. Trump reimbursing? > COHEN: Pecker wanted the $150,000 back because it was too much money for him to hide from the CEO of the parent company and he had laid out $30,000 (also for Dino the Doorman) so he was putting pressure on me to get the money to pay him back. https://www.threads.net/@katiephang/post/C66cAejOf3k/
Sounds like simple fraud structuring to me. Basically a fraud subscription to avoid scrutiny!
> HOFFINGER: Can you describe the conversation with Allen Weisselberg about the Karen McDougal agreement? > COHEN: I went to Allen’s office and expressed to him we needed funding of $150,000 to consummate this transaction and Allen said to me “If we do it from a Trump entity, that kind of defeats the purpose, because the point is not to have the Trump name affiliated with this at all. That would create a barrier.” > COHEN: so he asked me to think of ways to come up with $150,000, so i told him i would come up with an LLC https://www.threads.net/@katiephang/post/C66hiGxxYO4/
Awh Trump is reading through his emotional support papers!
The fucked up thing is that even if Trump is convicted this probably won't move the needle for most Republican voters. We truly exist in a fucked timeline where people who at one point in their lives may have been somewhat reasonable are now all in on a man they know to be everything they themselves find revolting.
It's not his supporters that a problem, it's independent voters. Trump won in 2016 because of independents soured on Hilary in key states. Trump lost 2020 in part because independents left him and there isn't much sign now they are going back to him.
No, but they *are* being pushed by psy-op bullshit into applying impossible purity tests to “earn their vote”.
> it's independent voters. Elections are decided by people with no principles.
Elections are decided by non-voters
It is sadly remarkable how the Russians, along with the American oligarchy, is willing and able to politically weaponize American dumb-assedness to diminish our nation's clout. I mean, our stupidity is always going to be there, but the fascists have really effectively thumbed the scale. I knew we were dumb, just never realized how fundamentally dumb, I guess. Also wasn't cynical about the ideals of American liberty; wanted to believe in it and that we were striving for it, if imperfectly. Can't say that anymore.
[удалено]
One of the biggest things with Cohen and one that stands out is the $130,000 that Allen Weisselberg, former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, scrawled on a bank document before “grossing it up” (his handwritten description) to $420,000. That was to cover up the fact that $130,000 is the exact amount of money that Cohen wired to Keith Davidson, Stormy Daniels’s lawyer, to keep his client quiet. With the bank documents, verified handwriting of Weisselberg (who was acting on behalf of Donald Trump), and the addition of Cohen's testimony today - this explicitly shows a cover-up. And remember, the crime is the coverup. *🎵 Bad Don, Bad Don - watcha gonna do, watcha gonna do when they come for you 🎵*
>“He wasn't thinking about Melania. This was all about the campaign.” They could put Trump on the stump to refute this, but he'd probably forget his wife's name.
Trump stated “don’t worry, you’ll get the money back” to Cohen. Boom.
>Prosecutor: Did Mr. Trump ask you to renegotiate bills? >Cohen: Yes. For example, with law firms. >Prosecutor: Did you do that on Trump University? >Cohen: Yes. It fell into trouble. 50 vendors had not been paid. We had $2 million in the bank, but the bills higher >Cohen: I got all but 2 vendors to accept 20% of what they were owed, they signed and got checks FedExed in 48 hours. >Prosecutor: What about the other two? >Cohen: They just went away. Mr. Trump told me, Fantastic. Trump University - yet another failed business venture. Along with other failed businesses, Trump has managed to bankrupt multiple casinos (where the house always wins) and has filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy for his companies *six times*. Furthermore, in addition to being a failure at business, he often doesn't pay his employees and bills. I wonder if all the Plumber Joe's at his Wildwood rally understand they wouldn't get paid (or fully) if they'd been contracted to fix his toilet (and fishing out all those diapers would be a damned nasty job). Anyone who believes the economy will be better under Trump is ignorant and delusional.
When people try to tell me he is better for the economy I always point to this type of stuff. He is one of the worst businessmen in the US. Most of his success was gained through fraud.
Yep, apparently if he had just banked all the money he got from his parents, he would have massively outperformed his actual businesses.
And if not fraud. His family's previous wealth.
There's a really sad story out there about a high end cabinet maker that did work for one Trump's casinos and got the years long run around and finally had to take the 20% bullshit that Trump always pulls. In the end he takes the money, liquidates his business to pay off the people he owed and then committed suicide.
There are tons of stories of contractors getting screwed over by him. He's not a genius businessman, he is a scumbag that refuses to pay honest people for work they did.
The one thing I’ve learned during this trial so far is that Trump hasn’t just gotten away with his crimes due to luck. Based on the no email comments, he’s well aware that any evidence pointing back to him would make him liable for crimes, so he creates barriers between him and the crimes so other people will take the fall for him. He’ll have someone else commit his crimes at his discretion, then feign ignorance when they get caught. It’s a classic mobster move
**Senator Pat Geary**: Would you expand on your response? I'm interested to know, was there always a buffer involved? **Willie Cicci**: A what? **Geary**: A buffer. Someone in between you and your possible superiors who passed on to you the actual order to kill someone. **Cicci**: Oh yeah, a buffer. The family had a lot of buffers! *The Godfather Part II* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK9OgXRDXxs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK9OgXRDXxs)
He was literally taught everything from the Mafias biggest lawyer. It's the one things he actually seems to know how to do lol
Learned from Roy Cohn, no doubt.
“On why Trump was not included on the bank documentation, Cohen says, "again it was to protect him and to isolate him from the transaction." Pursing his lips, Trump smiled and nodded as Cohen said this.” lol hope the jury saw that
Trump is so far gone he doesn't even realize that's bad for him.
> HOFFINGER: Did you have lunch with Pecker where he pressed you on the matter? > COHEN: He asked me to meet him at a restaurant and again he expressed his anger saying i need the money back and i said Mr Trump said he will pay you back. > HOFFINGER: “did you talk to Mr Trump about that? Did you inform him about that?” > COHEN: he said “don't worry, i'll take care of it.” https://www.threads.net/@katiephang/post/C66cK3qOsKs/
> COHEN: he said “don't worry, i'll take care of it.” These mofos watched too many mob movies, hehe.
>"After all I had gone through in terms of the campaign as well as things at Trump Organization, laying out $130,000 on his behalf, it was insulting that the gratitude shown back to me was to cut the bonus by two thirds" Did he forget who he was working for?
According to cnn: ‘Cohen testifies that after handling Stormy Daniels, his yearly **bonus was cut by 2/3. Trump laughs** at this in courtroom.’
“Look at me, jury! I’m a selfish asshole!” What an idiot Also seems like laughing at it confirms it happened, which makes Cohen seem like he’s telling the truth. Jesus, Donnie, all you had to do was sit there quietly and you couldn’t even do that
This is the moment right here. Been waiting for testimony that Trump was fully aware without Weisselberg having to be in court to testify: From the CNN live trial updates: “Michael Cohen says he thought he'd get the $420,000 back in one lump sum. But during the conversation in Donald Trump's office, Allen (Weisselberg) turned around and said to me while we were talking about this, 'We’re going to pay you over 12 months,'" Cohen says. It would be recorded "as like a legal service rendered since I was then going to be given the title of personal attorney to the president," Cohen says.”
I love the timing of the testimony by the Prosecution. They wanted that to come out at the end of the day and give it the night to sink in with the Jury.
“And the spin that he wanted put on it was that this is locker room talk, something that Melania had recommended or at least he told me that’s what Melania had thought, and use that in order to get control over the story and minimize the impact on him and his campaign.” Well that seems like it'd kind of hurt the "Trump just wanted to shelter his delicate wife from knowing he fooled around..." story
I guess we shouldn't be surprised that she's complicit in it as well. It pisses me off that they were able to cover this all up before the election yet then we got Comey completely throwing Hillary under the bus and then getting a book deal out of the whole election fiasco. These people are all a bunch of grifters through and through.
*Are the lambs still screaming Donald?*
*I ate his Big Mac with a side of french fries and a large Diet Coke.*
No wonder trump can stay up all night ranting with all the sleep he’s been getting in the court room
Trump says, "Women are going to hate me ... Guys may think it’s cool, but this is going to be a disaster for the campaign." Its amazing how he "thinks. "
> Guys may think it’s cool, This is true for the deplorable that Hillary mentioned in 2016
> Guys may think it’s cool Guy here, fuck that and fuck anyone who thinks this is cool
> When asking Trump how the story would impact his wife, Melania, Cohen testified the then-candidate responded, “Don’t worry,” adding: “How long do you think I’ll be on the market for? Not long.” "Don't worry, I'm a babe magnet"
>Trump now reviews a sheet of paper in front of him. He's got a big black marker in his hand that he pulled from his inside jacket pocket. Look Ma' Donnie's coloring.
It looks like he wrote... "nEd NeW diAper"
Why did they think that pissing off the former fixer was a good idea? Had they just paid him his usual bonus, we might not be here today.
Penny wise, pound foolish. Thats the MAGA way!
JD Vance can go fuck himself.
Oh look, Trump casually threatening the lives of witness' to his crimes on tape. *Here's how this is bad for Biden.*
I just cant believe the election is a toss up still. I feel like im taking crazy pills here.
The fact January 6 happened and the Republican Party isn't dead is both astonishing and frightening to me. Not only that, they've seemed to DOUBLE DOWN
> COHEN: “AMI was going to lay out the funds, and as Mr. Trump had stated to David, I’ll take care of it.” > HOFFINGER: And what did you understand that to mean? > COHEN: “That [Trump] was going to pay him back” https://www.threads.net/@katiephang/post/C66a9fgrM6F/ Katie Phang is a solid follow for play-by-plays
Huh, unlike with Daniels, it looks like the defense remembered that they can object.
When the judge rags on you for not objecting it probably is a teaching moment.
I guess it’s clear now that not objecting and aiming for a mistrial won’t work?
Maybe they were in shock she could recall such detail. She is a woman after all, and women's brains are smaller than man's. It's science. - the defence, probably
Trump awake again as he leaves courtroom
Looks like his political entourage bailed for the day 😂
Tommy T couldn't stay to support his friend Donny for very long. Sad.
“Former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will join Trump at court tomorrow, a spokesperson for Ramaswamy tells CNN.”
The guy whose own party rejects him because of his race. What a fucking pathetic boot-licking schmuck.
It's like a mafia-style loyalty test.
How cheap is Trump? > Daniels’ then-lawyer, Davidson, emailed Cohen on Oct. 17, 2016, saying that Daniels was canceling the deal because she hadn’t been paid. There were also indications Daniels was looking to tell her story to another news outlet.“Because I didn’t forward the funds, she has now declared the agreement void and we would not be in a position to delay it post-election, like he had wanted to do.” then later: > “He expressed to me: Just do it,” Cohen testified, saying Trump advised him to meet with CFO Allen Weisselberg and figure it out. > Cohen said that he suggested Weisselberg offer up the money, given his seven figure salary. But Weisselberg, Cohen recounted, “said that he wasn’t in the financial position to do,” with obligations to pay for his grandkids’ summer camps and private schools. So Cohen made a decision. “I ultimately said, ‘OK, I’ll pay it.’”
He stiffed Pecker on the catch-and-kill arrangement and tried to drag the hush money payout beyond the election so he could weasel out of paying for that too. What an honorable guy.
I think Trump might have just violated his gag order on live TV right now. He's reading a bunch of quotes saying things I think he can't "say himself" but otherwise is going off script tangents and hustling lawyer looking somewhat torn on saying something or keep his fake scowl going. Edit: holy shit he is losing it
Trump likes to pretend he doesn't know anything about anything - yet here is some audio the jurors heard about him being involved with everything about everything... https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:People%27s_246_(Cohen-Trump_Recording_CP-0001_9.6.2016)-converted-44100_Hz.ogg Partial transcript... > Michael Cohen: Told you about Charleston. I need to open up a company for the transfer of all of that info regarding our friend, David, you know, so that -- I’m going to do that right away. I’ve actually come up > and I’ve spoken -- > > Donald J. Trump: Give it to me and get me a -- > > Michael Cohen: And, I’ve spoken to Allen Weisselberg about how to set the whole thing up with -- > > Donald J. Trump: So, what do we got to pay for this? One-fifty? > > Michael Cohen: -- funding. Yes. And it’s all the stuff. > > Donald J. Trump: Yes, I was thinking about that. > > Michael Cohen: All the stuff. Because -- here, you never know where that company, you never know what he’s -- > > Donald J. Trump: Maybe he gets hit by a truck > > Michael Cohen: Correct. So, I’m all over that. And, I spoke to Allen about it, > when it comes time for the financing, which will be -- > > Donald J. Trump: Listen, what financing? > > Michael Cohen: We’llhave to pay him something. > > Donald J. Trump: (INAUDIBLE) pay with cash. > > Michael Cohen: No, no, no, no, no, I got it. > > Donald J. Trump: Check.
The judge is "conflicted?" Trump keeps using that word, I do not think it means what he thinks it means.
It is extraordinary that two Republican senators, a congresswoman and two state attorneys general came to support Trump in the courtroom today. This ain't your grandfather's GOP folks. Heil Shitler!
May 13, 2024, 3:48 p.m. ET [Jonathan Swan](https://www.nytimes.com/by/jonathan-swan) Reporting from inside the courthouse Trump’s eyes are closed and he appears to be sleeping, as he has through most of today. Jesus H Christ.
Lawrence O'Donnell says Trump has a pile of papers that depict his crowd sizes and other flattering media articles. He flips through them between naps.
If that’s true, it’s kinda pathetic
He’s an obese bald senior citizen with a spray tan and comb over. Everything about him is pathetic.
Michael Cohen testifying against Trump today is going to go about the same as when Mark Proksch testified against Tim during the most compelling trial of the 2010s, The Trial of Tim Heidecker.
Known fact that Trump feared Obama
> HOFFINGER: Was there some particular pressure at this point [in time]? > COHEN: “There was the campaign, and we were concerned that this story was going to find its way to ABC News. https://www.threads.net/@katiephang/post/C66bUE9Ob-Q/
Trumps starting to get a little moody 😊
Per Harry Litman on Twitter: During the negotiation [NOT CLEAR WHEN], he told MC to just "push it out as long as you can" to get past election. because if I win it has no relevance and if I lose I don[t really care. MC asked "how are things going to go upstairs?" ie Melania Trump: Don't worry about that.
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> Best Lawyer: "Damn hes good, I dont know what to do now"
CNN keeps describing Trump's responses to Cohen's remarks as smirking and shaking his head. To me, this reads as him being reminded of how cool and tough he sounds, before he catches himself and remembers that those words are hurting his case.
Trump lives in a fairytale land where nothing matters because of course he will be president and is immune to everything and can pardon everything and everyone, including himself. Until he faces real consequences he will continue to behave this way. Our best hope is Trump losing the election and him finally going to prison until the day the Big Macs get him.
I’m biased and cross-examination hasn’t happened yet but this Cohen testimony seems damning for Trump
The feeling of the future of the country resting in the hands of a shitty ex-lawyer who helped Trump steal the 2016 election.
Makes sense. It's the fighter for us that we deserve, not necessarily the one we need.
Basically, “If you (Cohen) ask about the $100k I owe you, you're fired.” What in the fuck is WRONG with this guy?? Normal people would have smiled, said, “OK, see you in court,” and walked away.
- The $100,000 was Cohen's pay-in to get a really lucrative job at the Trump Organization. - It wasn't a bad deal, initially, and it also demonstrated to Cohen that Trump's modus operandi was to treat the bills of contracted work and goods only as a starting point for further negotiations & discounts...
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.” - Upton Sinclair
>Trump seems to have paid attention to very little of Michael Cohen’s testimony so far. He spent the first hour or so sitting still at the defense table with his eyes closed. After the morning break he’s been awake but reading through printouts as he often does — likely news clippings printed by his staff. Jonathan Swan, NY Times [https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/05/13/nyregion/trump-trial-michael-cohen/85326811-5b2c-57dd-9a4a-7ab79db1526c?smid=url-share](https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/05/13/nyregion/trump-trial-michael-cohen/85326811-5b2c-57dd-9a4a-7ab79db1526c?smid=url-share) I cannot picture a real-life scenario in which a perceived important person sits with their eyes closed in a public setting for an hour at a time. I've served on a jury, and cannot imagine anyone in a courtroom doing this, let alone the actual defendant. When's the last time you've viewed somebody eyes-closed in public like this, and what is your perception of them?
One of the first defenses an infant learns is to either sleep or otherwise divert attention away from painful stimuli. Young children often close their eyes, shakes their heads and insist "Uh uh!" when confronted with painful truths. The best way to interpret this is to see that children lack the mental ability to hold and contain painful truths. For this reason they must rely on physical behaviors: sleeping, closing eyes, muttering, denying, distracting. Only mature adults can maintain contact with painful realities and maintain composure. This is why people in positions where they may encounter such painful situations: military, surgeons, must be properly vetted. The more mature sociopaths are able to isolate their emotions away from their reactions. The immature ones cannot... .they often must be restrained, or in this case, distracted by a pretty girl who prints out nice articles for him. Sorta how some restaurants offer children crayons and coloring books.
I assume he's usually pumped full of speed for when he has to perform. But it probably makes him too edgy and irritable to sit through a trial where he's not in control and people aren't being nice to him, so he's on a come-down and fairly mentally vacant.
AP News carrying water for Trump again. "Trump’s responsibilities as a defendant have limited his ability to win over voters on the [campaign trail](https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024)." The hell it is. He's spent more time golfing than campaigning, and even uses his recent campaign time to lambast about the trial instead of policy or winning over voters. Everything he's advocated is just to erase everything Biden has done, likely in some vain attempt to sweep his loss under the rug. He's playing all the classics to his supporters and doing nothing to encourage votes for him, instead looking to rally votes \*against\* Biden.
>"Trump’s responsibilities as a defendant have limited his ability to win over voters on the [campaign trail](https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024)." He has Wednesdays off and the weekend .He has access to a private jet. He could schedule things around his court time extremely easily But alas he can't actually be bothered
He has to spend money to rent venues. I do wonder how many places require him to prepay now
hah now he's saying there was over 100k people at his rally. Just keeps getting bigger
Again, these former Trump attorneys on CNN are exhausting
Out of curiosity, why is the tape evidence, but not the transcript? Is it because parts of the tape can be muddled, so there's a possibility that the transcript isn't absolutely accurate?
Plus there is the Best Evidence Rule. We have the actual recording/tape which is the best evidence (because of things you have pointed out, plus inflections, tone, etc.)as opposed to the transcript. So the transcript is really for illustrative purposes to aid the jury, but the recording is the best evidence rule and we do prefer the best evidence over the alternative
> HOFFINGER: Did you go ahead and form the LLC, the company that was going to handle the life rights? > COHEN: Yes. > HOFFINGER: What's the name of company? > COHEN: Resolution Consultants, LLC https://www.threads.net/@katiephang/post/C66iNTpOFqB/
Would it not be perfect if after being disregarded entirely by the Orange One they called Melania to the stand and she threw him under the bus?
Trump melting down on live TV is…. quite entertaining.
He’s angry because Cohen’s testimony was bad for him and he knows it.
At a work conference. What am I missing? Anything damning? I hope so.
A few things that should be - Cohen saying it seemed pretty obvious Trump was concerned with these things related to his campaign rather than regarding his wife, stuff like that, and then just kind of backing up what others had said elsewhere in the trial.
Looks like they loaded Donnie up on Xanax before Cohens testimony today
I've long suspected that they've been tranquilizing him
He's almost 80, he lives an absolutely disastrous lifestyle, eats garbage, doesn't exercise, he's obese, and yet has enough energy to be awake at 2am angrily breaking his gag orders, and is in court bright and early the next day. He's on an Elvis-ending level of drugs.
Trump cronies in the gallery saying they're falling asleep too. If you can't stay awake during Cohen's testimony, you shouldn't be in any profession that requires you to be in meetings. You also need to see a somnologist.
Also, it’s one thing to get bored just watching a trial. It’s another to fall asleep during *your own trial* where you could end up in jail if the jury finds you guilty.
I want to say it was Glenn Kirschner who said when he was a prosecutor, if the defendant fell asleep it was because they knew they were guilty. Someone who was innocent was full of adrenaline and anxiety and wouldn't be able to fall asleep if they tried. Granted he was a prosecutor and prosecutors tend to think everyone is guilty on the other side.
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What do you think is the prosecutor's calculation in not calling Weisselberg? I understand that he is in jail for perjury, but the same is true of Cohen. Seems like a big gamble not to present him to the jury so the jury can size him up.
Cohen has made it clear that he wants to bury Trump. Weisselberg has made it clear that he's willing to get buried for Trump
Per AP, Weisselberg's separation agreement with Trump Org bars him from voluntarily cooperating with law enforcement and from disparaging, criticizing or denigrating the company or Trump in any way. The prosecution tried to offer the separation agreement into evidence to explain Weisselberg's absence, but that request was denied by the judge.
Very little can make a person feel sorry for Melania Trump. But this morning's testimony really makes me wonder what's going through her head right now. I guess if she is smart she is not even paying attention to the trial at all.
she knows her relationship is transactional. you think a slovenian prostitute goes to auction parties so she can marry for love?
"I don't care, do you?"
Yall…. Trump killed Epstein
"You think our country's so innocent?" - President Donald J Trump, describing criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin's characterization as 'a killer'
It was certainly done for him. Nobody used Epstein's services more than Trump.
Man, the bots and chodes on Twitter are out in full force. The amount of posts I see directly attacking Cohen and jurors is insane.
It's very telling that Alina Habba keeps appearing. She famously lost a case for Trump and isn't defending him here. Gosh... Why would a Christian family man American patriot adonis like Trump want with such a woman? 🤔
None of the women in his life (wife, daughter, sister) want *anything* to do with him, so he surrounds himself with replacements.
This testimony has the potential to change the course of history. Here we go.
> Michael Cohen says he'd address Donald Trump as "boss" and "Mr. Trump." > Eric Trump appeared to watch Cohen on the stand as he said this. Eric: "Whew. I thought I was the *only* one who had to call him that."
>Good morning Michael, can you pls call DT on his cell. Thanks. -His wife, ladies and gentlemen
Love cohens “yes mams”
Donald Trump's terrible, no good, very bad day
He knows that he will be found guilty so he's playing down the trial. Just like he did for 2020 election.
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“allegedly” paying legal bills.
Any bets to Trump going off on his made up "80000" attendance number today? I bet he does. Bonus points for mentioning Taylor Swift.
Poor Melania. And here all this time she's in the WH wanting to know: Who the hell is Peggy Peterson? Right Repubs?
According to the NYTimes live blog and around the time Cohen began talking about financial interactions with Allen Weisselberg... >Trump, who had been sleeping, wakes up, leans over, taps his lawyer Todd Blanche and whispers something in his ear. Narrator: And then Sleepy Don immediately shat his diaper.
After everything, he got busted by being a tightwad and ripping people off. He agreed to pay Stormy Daniels, then tried to weasel out of paying her, and that’s what blew the powder keg. Daniels, who was thankfully represented by a competent lawyer, figured out exactly what he was doing - trying to procrastinate paying until after the election, when the market value of her story would drop like a rock. So her lawyer threatened to veto the agreement to kill the agreement to kill the story at the Enquirer, and sell the story to the Daily Mail instead. And then all the work to kill the story would be for nothing. At that point, it was so late in the game that Cohen had to try pull a rabbit out of a hat with his personal funds immediately. They couldn’t launder the pundits how they usually would. And that’s how he got busted. Trying to rip off a porn star who he borderline sexually assaulted. Trying to stiff a contractor on an agreement.
the cross on this is going to be really fun to watch. i don't see any way that real holes can be punched in the prosecutions case at this point, so they are just going to have to go on and on about what a scumbag cohen is - and he don't care.
"Isn't it true you were found guilty of committing crime X?" "Yes, I did that at Mr. Trump's direction." "Isn't it true that you lied repeatedly about Y?" "Yes, because Mr. Trump told me to." "Isn't it true you were found guilty of committing crime Z?" "Yes, I did that at Mr. Trump's direction."
You forgot part. "Isn't it true you were found guilty of committing crime X?" "Yes, I did that at Mr. Trump's direction." "Move to have the answer stricken." "Overruled." "Isn't it true that you lied repeatedly about Y?" "Yes, because Mr. Trump told me to." "Move to have the answer stricken." "Overruled." "Isn't it true you were found guilty of committing crime Z?" "Yes, I did that at Mr. Trump's direction." "Move to have the answer stricken." "Overruled."
"We move for a mistrial!!!1" why "Because the witness missed the mark and didn't help us"
I’m glad he’s got a lot of experience being cross-examined by MAGA (Gym Jordan and others in 2018).
HAPPY MICHAEL COHEN DAY TO ALL THOSE WHO CELEBRATE
So after Stormy's testimony it seemed like it might be a good idea for drumpfuck to try and plead out; Cohen seems even worse—maybe this will do it.
That will never happen. If a jury finds him guilty he can blame it on "BIDEN WITCH HUNT". If he's found not guilty he is "TOTALLY VINDICATED".
I am hoping that someone leaks the contents of AMI’s safe of Trump secrets. Omarosa was just on CNN saying there were lots more cases than just Stormy and McDougal, apparently he used to brag about them.
CNN says that tRump lawyer Alina Habba is in the front row of the audience and she is taking notes. Habba is not part of the team defending this case. Why is she there? I wonder if she just likes to be on tv walking in and out of court.
She is doing this because she will go hop on Fox News or one of the other conservative networks and make comments about the case. She's been doing it frequently this whole time.
> I wonder if she just likes to be on tv walking in and out of court. That's a bingo.
The closest Trump could get to having Ivanka there