Donald Trump’s hush money trial is approaching its final phase, with former Trump attorney Michael Cohen returning to the stand for further cross-examination before the former president’s legal team presents their case.
During a lunch recess for the jury, prosecutors announced their intention to show jurors a screengrab from a C-SPAN video.
The image captures Trump and his bodyguard, Keith Schiller, together at a campaign event at 7:57 p.m. on October 24, 2016, just minutes before Cohen called Schiller’s cellphone.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass explained to Judge Juan M. Merchan that the image would counter any defence suggestion that Trump and Schiller were not together at the time of the call. Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, said he never implied they were apart.
Cohen previously testified that he needed to speak with Trump “to discuss the Stormy Daniels matter and the resolution of it,” knowing Schiller would be with Trump. Cohen wired $130,000 to Daniels’ lawyer two days after this call.
Last week, Blanche pressed Cohen on the subject matter of the call using text messages and telephone records. Cohen testified that he was also dealing with harassing phone calls from someone claiming to be a 14-year-old boy at the time.
Judge Merchan’s announcement followed a bench conference triggered by prosecutor Susan Hoffinger’s question, which revisited Cohen’s testimony about his call with Trump on October 24, 2016. Cohen testified that he discussed paying Stormy Daniels with Trump, while Trump’s lawyers suggested Cohen was contacting Trump’s lawyer about a prank caller.
Outside the courtroom, small crowds of both pro- and anti-Trump supporters gathered, with anti-Trump protesters often overpowering the former president’s allies with boos and chants during their news conference.
Several Trump supporters waved large flags and held signs, including one that read “Trump = Victim.” On the other side, protesters chanted, “Trump lies, Democracy dies.”
One protester waved a homemade sign saying “Cult Sheep” at politicians as they exited the courthouse, highlighting the polarized atmosphere surrounding the trial.
