Former President Donald Trump coming face to face with the
attorney who flipped on him as Michael Cohen takes the
stand Lydia Hua Fox Business is live outside New York
State
Supreme Court for us at this hour.
Lydia. We expect his testimony to resume shortly.
What have we heard so far?
Really fascinating morning that we're seeing on display from Donald
Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen.
You know, I just had an opportunity to speak with
our producer Maria Paranitch.
She's had the opportunity to see Michael Cohen both today
along with me.
Also, as he testified in the New York Civil case
today,
Michael Cohen is much more calm than he has been
in the past.
Eric. Trump tweeted a little while ago that it feels
like Michael Cohen's testimony is rehearsed,
and as soon as that tweet posted,
I remarked to my colleague Carrie Kubek is here with
me.
I felt the same way.
He is going through his testimony methodically.
It feels like the prosecutors have spent a good chunk
in the morning just trying to rehabilitate his image right
off the start,
allowing him to talk about his family and his work
history as if he's a dedicated family man with an
established career of some sort.
But really, we just have to remember that this case
is about documents and alleged fraud will allegedly falsified documents.
And so for that reason,
the prosecutors are also trying to paint Donald Trump as
kind of a mastermind behind all of this.
They're letting Michael Cohen talk about how Donald Trump is
a micromanager,
how everything was run by Donald Trump at all times.
And this is all going to lead to testimony that
I'm sure we're going to hear later about how Donald
Trump probably knew about all these payments in the entire
payment scheme. But that really raises what I think is
a big gaping hole in the prosecution's case so far,
Sandra. And that is the fact that we have not
heard from Alan Weisselberg.
I know we're talking about Michael Cohen today.
But Allen Weisselberg is a big part of this scheme.
He was the former CEO,
the CFO of the Trump Organization.
Someone who the former controller said was behind the whole
arrangement of how to structure the repayments to Michael Cohen
throughout 2017 for buying Stormy Daniels story rights.
Without Allen Weisselberg here to testify,
there is no one that has been able to say
Donald Trump knew or directed the way in which Michael
Cohen would get paid for acquiring Stormy Daniels Story rights.
And so far we've also not heard Michael Cohen is
testified to that to that effect either.
And that leaves open the question about Donald Trump's intent,
which is crucial to all of this,
it seems to me like even with Michael Cohen.
And all of his credibility issues,
the prosecution that seems is still coming up short without
Weisselberg's testimony.
Sanders. So I'm waiting to see if that's going to
be a development.
No sign that we're going to hear from Weisselberg yet
at all this week.
Things should be back underway in that courtroom about 28
minutes from now.
Lydia who Outside the courthouse.
Thank you. Lydia. John.