Expert on Trump case says lawyer's grilling of Cohen left even him confused: 'Needs work'
A former top prosecutor for ex-FBI chief Robert Mueller heralded Michael Cohen for being "unflappable" while testifying in Donald Trump's hush money trial Thursday.
The cross-examination of Cohen continued for the second day as prosecutors called Trump's former lawyer as a witness. The former president denies charges that he created false business records around a hush-money scheme.
Earlier this week, Andrew Weissmann revealed that he was the one who discovered the hush money paid to adult movie star Stormy Daniels while reading evidence while investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. He told Mueller it was a "blue dress problem," a reference to Bill Clinton's affair with an intern.
But on his second day of cross-examination, Weissmann had nothing but praise for Cohen.
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"The striking moment when you heard the voice of Michael Cohen on his podcast, which was distinctly different than the in-court Michael Cohen. That doesn't mean Michael Cohen is lying on the stand. But it is useful for the jury to see that that is not what — he is not always in the mode that he is in the courtroom," said Weissmann.
Cohen's podcast voice when he reads his opening statement is distinctly different from his conversational voice when he speaks with guests, as can be heard here.
"For every day that he has been on, whether on direct or cross, he is unflappable," Weissmann assessed.
"Even on cross-examination that mentions his wife, [and] cross-examination with texts with his daughter, which I personally think is playing poorly. The cross there is about essentially the daughter thinking how great he is and how he deserves so much. That's what you would want your child to think.
"I'm not sure that was the right decision. [Trump lawyer] Todd Blanche is doing better than the last time we saw him, [but] that's a very low bar."
"His technique needs some work," Weissmann said of Blanche. He confessed that he had a difficult time following at times — and he is an expert on this case.
"That's actually because of the techniques that Todd Blanche is using," Weissmann said.
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