Michael Cohen's Testimony Directly Incriminates Trump

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with former federal prosecutor and MSNBC analyst Glenn Kirchner PERSON. Gers. The key witness in Donald Trump's New York criminal trial, Michael Cohen PERSON, has now testified against his former boss. Glenn says there was one line that perfectly describes who Trump PERSON is.

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Well, friends, Donald Trump's PERSON former lawyer, his former fixer, Michael Cohen. You know, we might as well just call him what he is, Donald Trump's PERSON concierie, just like mob bosses have concieries. Michael Cohen took the stand today in Donald Trump's PERSON trial for criminally falsifying business records to gain unfair advantage in the 2016 presidential election. And I want to take on the new reporting from the Associated Press ORG in a minute, but I want to start with one quote in particular, and it doesn't even have to do withhush money payments or falsifying business records or violating campaign finance laws. But it is one statement that perfectly sums up who Donald Trump PERSON is and who he's always been. And it's Donald Trump's PERSON own description of what he does and why he does it. And it's this quote. Cohen testified that Trump PERSON didn't use email because, quote, he knows too many people who have gone down from using emails that prosecutors can use.Can I say that again, friends? Donald Trump PERSON doesn't use email because he knows that if there's a written record of his criminal activity, prosecutors can use it against him. And he, Donald Trump PERSON, knows too many people who have gone down, who have been caught in their criminal activity by prosecutors because they use email. So Donald Trump PERSON doesn't use email. And we all know that, right? We've never seen evidence of Donald Trump PERSON putting in writing in an email, something incriminatingthat could be used against him. We know he knows how to type an email, right? We certainly know he knows how to use a computer or a phone to type out something and post it, but he doesn't use emails when he's discussing his business. Why? Because prosecutors could use it to take him down.That's Donald Trump's PERSON own description of what he does and why he does it. And it perfectly frames who Donald Trump PERSON is. Okay, now let's turn to some of the new reporting. This from the Associated Press ORG, headline, Star Witness Michael Cohen PERSON directly implicates Trump in testimony at Hush Money trial.And that article begins. Donald Trump's fixer-turned-foe, Michael Cohen, directly implicated the former president in a hush-money scheme Monday, telling jurors that his celebrity client asked him on several occasions to stifle stories about sex that he feared could torpedo his 2016 presidential campaign. Quote, stop this from getting out. Cohen, the prosecution's star witness, quoted Trump PERSON as telling him in reference toporn actor Stormy Daniels' account of an encounter with Trump a decade earlier. A similar episode occurred when Cohen PERSON alerted Trump that a playboy model was alleging that she and Trump had had an extramarital affair. The order was clear, make sure it doesn't get released. Cohen said Trump PERSON told him.The woman, Karen McDougal, was paid $150,000 in a hush money arrangement that was made after Trump PERSON was given a complete and total update on everything that transpired. Quote, what I was doing was at the direction of and benefit of Mr. Trump PERSON, Cohen testified, later adding everything required Mr. Trump's sign off. Cohen, Trump PERSON's former lawyer and personal fixer, is by far the Manhattan GPE District Attorney's most important witness in the caseand his much-awaited appearance on the stand signaled that the first criminal trial of a former American NORP president is entering its final stretch. Prosecutors say they could wrap up their presentation of evidence by week's end.

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After the commercial break, Glenn reached some of the incriminating testimony that Michael Cohen PERSON gave during the trial. This is Justice Matters ORG. Man, that sunset is gorgeous.

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Donald Trump claims he paid hush money to Stormy Daniels to protect Melania PERSON's feelings, but Glenn says Cohen PERSON's testimony shows that's not the truth.

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But you know, friends, before he ever hit the stand today, Michael Cohen's testimony shows that's not the truth. But you know, friends, before he ever hit the stand today, Michael Cohen's PERSON testimony was pre-corroborated, kind of like being pre-approved for a loan. Prosecutors had pre-corroborated Michael Cohen's PERSON testimony with the testimony of other witnesses and other records, other documents, greasing the skids and signaling to the jury what Michael Cohen PERSON would testify to and how it was supported. It was affirmed.It was reinforced. It was corroborated by all of the other evidence they'd already heard. So the jury was sort of prepared to credit what Michael Cohen PERSON was expected to say. Prosecutors pre-corroborated Cohen with testimony from David Pecker, Stormy Daniels, Keith Davidson, Hope Hicks PERSON, and others. Prosecutors pre-corroborated Cohen with emails and text messages, phone records, business ledger entries, and importantly, reimbursement checks that were cut by Donald Trump, signed by Donald Trump on his personal checking account, reimbursing Michael Cohen PERSON for the hush money payment that he, Michael Cohen, laid out. He took a loan, a home equity line of credit so he could pay Stormy Daniels $130,000, not for his benefit,but at the direction of and for the benefit of Donald Trump PERSON. And then Donald Trump had to reimburse Michael Cohen PERSON, and he did that. Michael Cohen was pre-corroborated. So really the only lingering question kind of going into Michael Cohen's PERSON testimony was, you know, is there any legitimacy to the claim by, you know, Trump PERSON and his lawyers that a claim that's been kicking around and sort of made an appearance in opening statements that, no, no, no, no, Donald Trump PERSON wasn't doingany of this to gain unfair advantage in an election. He wasn't violating campaign finance laws with this crooked scheme, falsifying business records to cover up the true nature and purpose of these payments. No, he was doing it to protect Melania PERSON. Just protect her feelings. Yet, well, there were a number of choice quotes in the testimony of Michael Cohen PERSON, not only his, but most directly, and today, in the testimony of Michael Cohen that completely lays to rest, any sort of lingering whiff that Donald Trump was doing this to just protect Melania PERSON's feelings.Cohen testified, quote, I was following directions in delaying Stormy Daniels' PERSON payments past the election date because Trump PERSON, quote, wasn't thinking about Melania PERSON. It was all about the campaign. Some more testimony from Michael Cohen PERSON. He said he opened an account to transfer funds, wanted no address on the checks,says he was delaying pay, quote, until after the election, because then it wouldn't matter, close quote. And friends, let me put just a little bit of meat on those bones because what Cohen PERSON was talking about there was something that I talked about weeks and perhaps months ago. I referenced the statement of facts that came out about a year ago at the same time the indictment came out. And it was paragraph 19 in the statement of facts.The statement of facts basically recited evidence the prosecutors intended to introduce at the trial. And paragraph 19 talked about how Donald Trump PERSON kept telling Michael Cohen delay payment, delay payment, delay payment to Stormy Daniels PERSON until after the election. Because after the election, if that information comes out, it won't matter. I will already have won or lost the election. And either way, it doesn't matter if Stormy Daniels' PERSON claim about our encounter comes out. What does that tell you? Donald Trump didn't give a rat's you know what about Melania PERSON'sfeelings. Let me just share one other particularly unseemly, distasteful bit of testimony that came out today during Michael Cohen's PERSON testimony. When Michael Cohen asked Donald Trump about how things were going with Melania PERSON, I think the exact quote was, how are things going upstairs, meaning with Melania PERSON? And Donald Trump PERSON said something along the lines of, you know, it doesn't matter because if she leaves me, how long do you think I'll be on the market? That's how much Donald Trump was concerned with Melania PERSON. And that's how well he thought of himself. I mean, he'll be snappedright up if he's on the market again. I guess there's always another Melania PERSON coming down the pike. But, friends, the evidence gets more convincing, more compelling by the day. Donald Trump PERSON ordered it. Michael Cohen PERSON carried it out. They all falsified business records to cover up the true nature of what they were doing. Donald Trump writing reimbursement checks that were falsely labeled as, you know, payment for legal services. No,that's not what they were for. And it was all to gain unfair advantage in a presidential election in violation of campaign finance laws. So, no, the evidence has not concluded. Prosecutors announced they have at least one more witness. We don't quite know who that is, but we will know in the coming days. And then it looks like this case will wrap up and go to the jury perhaps as early asnext week or the week after. And then it will be in the hands of 12 New Yorkers sitting in that wooden box in that Manhattan GPE courtroom, each of whom took an oath to decide the case fairly, impartially, independently based only on the evidence they see introduced during the course of the trial, not on their own politics or ideologies or preconceived notions. And if they do that, and I'm confident they will, then they're going to reach the right result in accordance with the facts, in accordance with the law, and they will hold Donald Trump PERSON accountable for his crimes.Because justice matters. Friends, as always, please stay safe. Please stay tuned. And I look forward to talking with you all again tomorrow.

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