imprint.com in brynn for certain. >> i'm are let signs at the white house and this is cnn just about 9:00 p.m. here in new york, fastening day 14 of the trump hush money criminal trial. now, in the book, stormy daniels round get up two days on the stand managing to turn a portion of defense

cross-examination aimed at undermining her credibility into some embarrassing moments for the former president. at one point saying that if she were making up her story about sex with donald trump, quote, i would have written it to be a lot better today also saw testimony from trump organization bookkeeper about how closely he monitors the checks he writes detailing the attention he paid two amounts considerably smaller than $35,000 checks. he wrote two michael cohen the day ended with judge juan merchan and rejecting another trump motion for for mistrial and denying his request to modify the gag order. he is under so we can talk about stormy daniels and capping it all off. stormy daniels tweet this evening saying this about the former president, quote, real men respond to testimony by being sworn in and taking the stand in court. >> oh, wait never mind. back of the panel joining us conservative lawyer george conway, who was in court today what were your takeaways on my takeaway. was that the continued cross-examination of stormy daniels was a complete

disaster and a fiasco for the defense. i mean as a rabbit hole that didn't need to go what is just it just went on and on and didn't she didn't have anything. honore you gotta confine crosses two basically a few short leinz of stuff that's good. >> they didn't do that i think what happened was they had a day off and necklaces of very good lawyer by reputation. i can you can tell just by the way, she conducted it as well, she knows how to cross-examine a witness and knows how to ask questions. >> but she was she's her client is a narcissistic sociopath and who is obsessed with proving the lie that he didn't have anything to do with stormy daniels. >> and so they went off on this whole tangent on, but basically, it doesn't it done in a lot. the defense's position should be it doesn't really matter whether that happened or not, because even if it whereas extortion money it was extortion money, it

still could be a crime, but we're trying to prove something that happened, didn't happen is just it's just counterproductive. and was it just got to the point of ridiculousness where she's asking stormy about basically a map of south lake tahoe, nevada to figure out whether or not she was walking in or he'll one block or two. and where did he took a cab? >> it was she just garbage and it was embarrassing. >> and to the point where if you control the witness by keeping your cross simple and short, you can control the witness but the longer you go, the more the witness can pop off at and this woman is way smarter than knockout necklaces, chunk client, and she got some really could let me i thought i saw jurors at some point trying to do what i was trying to do, which were suppressing laughter at some at some of the shots that stormy got into got into the record. >> it was just it was just a complete waste of time. >> the good news for the defense is that's not what this case is going to be about in

the at the end of the day the process. let me defense. made the mistake, also, a putting this all into make put up just stipulated to we're not going to contest what happened yet in south lake tahoe, and we're just going to focus the jury in on the fact of whether or not there is proof that donald trump knew about the records that we claim were flipped, that the prosecution claims were falsified. now, let's leave apart the fact that he signed some of this stuff with a backup next let's do it and you know what carefully read it. it was $35,000 to his lawyers, hadn't really done that much. four let's leave that aside. >> that's what this issue that if he gets off, that's how he's going to get off. bye. >> by leaving this issue open about what happened in that hotel room. they invited the prosecution to dump all the stuff in the record, then they fail to object to a lot some of the stuff that should have they should have objected to like the bit about whether or not he wore a condom. let me the judge said that he didn't think that should have gone in, but there was no objection thing about the amount of money and what how closely he pays attention

to that. it didn't get anywhere near as much attention as the stormy daniels cross-examination, but madeline western out who got on the stand it was the last witness today and she'll be back on the stand tomorrow morning. she was trump's gatekeeper inside the white house and it basically was the liaison who was his executive assistant at trump organization, trump tower. they trained her of how to basically do that out of the white house. and there was one moment that the prosecution clearly brought up where there was an email between her and rhona graff, trump's assistant here in trump tower about buying a frame a frame from tiffany's next door because they didn't have any empty ones for a picture of trump's mother. they wanted to put and rhona graff responded in the email and said, okay, but the frames are about $650 with a 10% discount. can you check with them if that's how much he wants to spend? >> this is why donald trump is the president of the united states of america. >> and he was rhona, who knows him better than anyone, essentially was still checking to see if that was too much money for him to spend don a frame and for her to expense it. and i think that is where we're going to see this go

tomorrow that they are trying to get to the fact that he was a penny pinch or any paid attention to where every cent went and we paid this guy $35,000 a month and he has a reputation around this town of stiffing law firms like you could, you could, you could make a long list on ellie's notepad there records, the recording that michael cohen secretly taped of his client trump, does seem interested in the details of payments. i mean, he's talking about i didn't catch yeah. can we do we do it in catch shirts? let me ask you this question. is it seems to me that there is a lot of evidence that trump in general was very scrupulous about how he was spending his money. and in general, looked at documents very carefully. before he signed them, but there's not any evidence specifically that he looked at these documents. do you think that's enough for it let me there is evidence he signed those checks with the backup but that's not evidence that

that's not are they separate georgie evidence. that it's clear how you feel about president trump. okay. i don't have a feeling one way or the other. i'm looking this as a trial attorney. okay. and i'm looking at his object deeply as i can as a former prosecutor and as a current criminal defense attorney what there's a big difference? yes, there's evidence that donald trump's sign the checks. i've said that that's not the crime there's kaitlan. your point about the council told on the checks europe, your point about the frame. >> it's clear that he watches his money but that's not the crime. >> it's that second leap of how does it then get written down back in new york city where's it listed? how is it listed? is it listed as reimbursements to michael cohen or is it legal fetal michael cohen there has been no proof whatsoever that donald trump had anything to do with how it's listed on the ledger in trump tower? can i try reframe

this for a second. >> i'll pose a question to your george. if the prosecution stands up tomorrow and says, your honor, at this point, we rest. can they possibly when they would have to dismiss the case not necessarily. >> am i think there's enough circumstantial evidence that they could refer it, but thanks. need to put some more on why i so you know, so it would be i agree with arthur, i think if the prosecution rested tomorrow, it doesn't go to the jury. >> so they need something from michael cohen, right? >> yeah. they're going to need what do you think they need from michael cohen? basically is going to explain the missing link that he needs to come meeting in the oval office in 2018 where they basically discussed how to do this. and i think i think they're gonna do across. on michael that is going to attempt to be brutal the way they attempted to brutalize stormy daniels today and a lot of people have low expectations for that. but the fact that matter is, given everything that they appointed two so far from the commencement of the hush of a catch-and-kill scheme to the end, everything everything like just fell off my mic just hold it up what michael has been is

going to say has basically been precarity paraded. so it's gonna be that, but it is going to be the key moment. >> i think that's exactly right. and that bridges the gap, but i think we're seeing here which is there has to be that last link. and michael cohen's going to say it's that meeting in the oval office in 2017, we're going to hear about they actually set the foundation for that today because the woman who testified had an email, so showing that this meeting was happening doesn't tell us why that's what was said. but the jury knows that meeting happened to michael cohen's testimony about that i'm sorry. >> go ahead and ask this is going to be a dumb question, but the fact that these payments were split up over the course of a year to me seems like one of the most fishy elements of this whole scheme. >> if he were just going to reimburse michael cohen, he could have just written a check that money was there. but the fact that they split it up, it seems to strongly suggest they were trying to make it seem like something that it was not. i've retainer that was being paid over the course of a long period of time right. and the gross up like, well, yeah, i mean, i mean, you know, got

this regardless of the amount, the means to me, i think the prosecution hasn't explained this or touched on this, but that seems strongly suggestive of a scheme to make it seem like something that it was not. >> and that's exactly the point. it's not enough for the prosecution to show donald trump signed these checks. he knew they were intended to reimburse michael cohen for the hush money payments. they have to show that this was part of an effort to falsify, to falsely structure these labels and the pull-down menu as lawyer fees, attorney fees in order to cover up the fact that there really how does but how does michael cohen? and help on that question? >> well, look at the end of the day what's a reasonable doubt? >> a reasonable doubt has to be that there has to be some plausible alternative explanation for all these things that happened at the end of the day. it's going to be i think it's really hard for the jury to believe that donald trump didn't know that these payments were before george at the end of the day? yeah. and experienced lawyer of your

magnitude, you know what you would save if you try this case, you know what you would say. >> the jury. ladies and gentlemen of the jury, one of the luckiest jerry's around because you got to meet mr. reasonable doubt, so i'm walking here. you. so i'll take this then if there's any human being on the planet earth, that should be his pictures should be net to the definition reasonable doubt. it's michael cohen. and if you have a cross-examined mike, why? >> a lie or being a fraud, i paint shut opposed to the the defendants credibility. if no, as he takes the stand is not on trial he not because he's been saying all sorts of stuff to show any line in lying and no always no, no, no, but it is all about michael cohen, just abby asked me a question, why within two months ago, he got in trouble michael cohen for submitting fake cases to a judge when he answers probation why to a federal guy. >> that was something that he

lied about, that has something to do with what he's saying on credibility troy is credibility not going to destroy skeletal everybody is. so guys spent christmas and oldest, everyone should know that's really interrupt this really intellectual debate that we're having. >> but can i ask you a question about the michael cohen thing because we have heard every thing about his credibility. we will when he takes the stand, which we expect next week madeline western is there to testify today and tomorrow about a meeting where there's an email. she's asking for michael cohen descend his social security numbers, date of birth, everything you need to get into the white house. there's the date of when that meeting is we actually have this soundbite of michael cohen when he's testifying before the house oversight committee and 2018 about that meeting at the white house. and essentially what happened picture. this scene in february of 20171 month into his presidency i'm visiting president trump in the oval office for the first time. and it's truly inspiring he

showing me all around and pointing to different paintings and he says to me something to the effect of don't worry michael, you're january and february reimbursement checks are coming. they were fedexed from new york and it takes a while for that to get through the white house system. as he promised i received the first check for the reimbursement of $70,000 not long thereafter okay. >> so we know that the meeting setup, we have someone who's testifying about the fedex and how that worked, and you've michael cohen testifying that. so it's not like it's just his word alone. there is other kaitlan proved is that he got checks from michael who's allowed to agree reimburse so prove that donald trump donald trump confirm that he was fully aware that he was being really distracting a crime? yeah. but that's being reimbursed again, the other side of tables doing the perfect defense lawyer

thing, which is basically a chop up all bit by bit. >> we're making i think that's entirely fair because yes, i think it is quite it's going to be very clear to the jury that these this money was a reimbursement. it wasn't a legal fee but the corporate records being falsified, how do you tie trump to the corporate records being falsified? that i think is still problematic because he knew that's what that's what was going on. that it was being done on his behalf many signing these things that say that they're legal or in he knew and he's getting and it's grossed up, but he couldn't you think he didn't figure out that? wait a minute. this was $130,000 and i'm writing checks for $35,000 a month i mean he's a dumb guy, but he's not that michael cohen publicly said that trump knew that these that it was being filed as legal expense. not that i'm aware of. michael cohen has publicly said 1 million times that trump is guilty, as can be. >> and i think this is important one we're talking about this meeting, right? but,

but he has he hasn't gotten to the debt level that legal specimen, but he's at a podcast is written a book called revenge. you would think if that was right, something he was going to testify to, he would have mentioned and this is exactly the point we're going to get into a meeting here. we know the meeting happened. there's documentation of that, but what happened and what was said is going to entirely come down to michael cohen's word and it's really not a question for the jury. who's a bigger liar? michael cohen or donald trump prosecutors have the burden. and if the jury hears michael cohen's account of what happened, including what he just said there and decides we don't trust this guy beyond a reasonable doubt. there's no number on it, but a very high standard, then they have the right to say not guilty. i think it's not a trump versus cohen. it's do we trust cohen to that level of reasonable? >> i think arthur is making a good point about the drop-down menu, but i still have questions about whether that's really the standard. i mean, if any if there are kingpins who are convicted of crimes that involve things that they don't physically have to do themselves. i mean do they. have to do the drop-down menu themselves to be guilty of that

night. so i guess where do we go? what is between doing the drop-down menu yourself and what the prosecutors would he have known that there's a. limited whether he knows it's a drop-down menu, but there's a limited number of ways to code and expense. i mean, if he's been a penny picture and monitored expenses and fedex packages, what do you have known? oh, yeah. there are six 30 you can code it as legal legal issue. lead prosecutor number one, the project got to prove that, but one more thing, anderson there's another piece of this. >> it's not just a bookkeeping. they then have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt it was done to commit another crime. and we haven't what evidence is there been so far articulating what crime? it is allegedly when i was in quarternary, i heard they're going to call a federal election law expert or maybe a state election law expert. so there's, there's the bookkeeping products and then what's the next ship contribution isn't that what it

is? >> but it's, but no, because came out of his own money? >> no. no. >> no. the federal election campaign act, it would be illegal if i were running if i were running for something or other and i wanted to contribute money to my campaign and kaitlan fronted the money and then i reimbursed her. and then i didn't disclose it. i'd go to jail. >> that's a violation. >> that's a violation. it's not hard so it's kind it's good to have you. thank you. kinda up next more from the full trial transcript just out also in light of all we've just been saying in so many ways about michael cohen here, what he is saying for himself tonight about the prospect of taking the stand and later form deputy assistant attorney general, harry litman joins us. his thoughts from his time the court today a new group this assignment in my bag like a bunch of groceries, alice cheese and greece just contemplate freedom. you can't

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checkout for imprint i'd com imprint for certain i'm kdigo lois in washington and this is cnn after day. there's all stormy daniels finished testifying the prosecution saying they won't be calling karen mcdougal, that leaves michael cohen is perhaps the last and biggest name prosecution witness still to come. speaking today on the midas touch law podcast, cohen said he expects it to be called to the san next week and sounded happy to testify i'm kinda looking forward to it because again, can't be finished with something unless

you started, right. >> it's kinda like an entrepreneurial mindset. you can be in, and unless you willing to get in it. and so there we go sooner, or this thing starts, the sooner this thing finishes. and that way i can yeah, this too shall pass will be looking ahead to that until the moment comes and no doubt, looking back on it for a long time as well, right now, john berman is back with more from the proceedings today. >> you guys were talking about how there has been a lot of evidence and a lot of testimony, but how closely donald trump looks at finances, looks at things about money and madeline west, or how who was his white house assist in gatekeeper was asked about an exchange that she had over an invoice they came in front of her and this is the testimony from the prosecutor, rebecca mangold, asking the questions, what's the total amount of the invoice west or has says $6,974. >> mangold says, looking at how the handwriting towards the top, do you know whose

handwriting that is western says, i believe that's rhona graff's, that's trump's organization assistant main goal says, can you read what's written in ms grass writing and then buster, he says, dear mr. president, if winged foot, which is a golf club in western new york, will allow me to suspend your membership for for eight years. do you want me to look into it or do you want me to continue paying annual dues and the food minimum? i believe that's just rg the initials. do you see the handwriting below that western house says yes. who says that was there. he says that's the president. mangles says, do you know what type of pen was used for the president's handwriting? was her house says, it looks to be a sharpie. we for sharpie all over the testimony so far the main goal says, what's written below the note in mr. trump's handwriting west or how it says, hey, mangold says, is their handwriting something else written in the president's and then western house says, yes asap. okay. in other words, yes. pay the $6,000 dues to winged foot

asap. >> okay. >> so again, this is donald trump being paying very close attention to his golf dues with the food privileges. >> and they showed the document in the courtroom. it actually said yes, pay. okay. yeah. >> it'd been making clear one, she's checking. do still want to pay this membership while you're president of the united states. and he says, yes but then also it's when madeline was drought testifies about the other financial conversation, what the frame that she had and so i don't know where they're going with this tomorrow. it's going to be much more about michael cohen and his appearances at the white else i assume, but they are clearly trying to get it what they could even see from rhona graff's emails and her concern about his spending are the urine the court for the beginning of her testimony, madeline, what what did you think of her? >> while they've the first question was, are you here because you want to be here, are you here under subpoena? and she made it clear that she was there on to subpoena. >> and it was schumann's pier to be a particularly nervous, it was very simple questions was about fedex is and how the checks went back and forth. and

if there was one missing and she made it clear there were checks, he refused to sign are not told her they just would go come back to her unsigned. my understanding was in the afternoon. she was very gracious i've talked a lot about him and millennia or at least touched upon and how he would call her and he was she paints a picture of him being a doting husband, which i don't really know if that's an accurate statement, but that's what she said. how before you got that he was going on marine one, he would call are and look out the window and wave and then she just broke out crying, i think because it looked that witnessed. we've spoken about this that witness stand is i didn't testify one time against a client who took a phone number and put it on my name. so i had written representing them while i'm representing him. this is all public record while representing him, he he takes out a phone number and puts it on the arthur aidala and he's making like criminal calls. that was in my name and i had to go and testify against my own client record, which i

tried know what i was really nervous. i have no problem in many to you i was really hard testifying. and then what you're testifying, get someone who clearly she's fond of, and you look around that room and it's packed with people. yeah. it's a motion. >> this is not but iraqi relevant to this particular case, but but it is interesting to me that bringing up melania and the family, i mean, madeline was fired from the white house because she was trashing other members of the trump family to the media when at a dinner. so the baggage and one of the reasons she feels so bad is because as she's sad publicly, she feels bad that she had a moment of poor judgment. and in the process said a lot of bad things about the trump family. now, with trump's sitting in front of her she had an opportunity. it looks like she took it to say some nice things about trump, to say some nice things about his relationship with his wife and so on and so forth. >> but i'm what i'm so interested in about these financial things is they have

done a great job of showing how meticulous trump is about even small expenditures from someone who claims to be a billionaire. but the thing that i keep coming back to is did trump's know how these expenditures were characterized on the corporate records because that's the crime in this case. and that's not covered by that testing. >> there's nothing in any and i kinda stack a transcripts now my office like it's tall as i am, which is six, four none of it gets to the dad. but what you do see is what they're leading up to, which is michael cohen who is going to have to answer to all this. and even in the mantle of western had testimony it. was setting the table for michael cohen. >> there's the exchange you showed his testimony before congress, but they talk about an email exchange that western out had with cohen prior to this february 2017 meeting, the prosecutor says, what's the subject line of this email? >> and this is an email change with michael cohen, west or how it says wednesday meeting, man

gold. can you please read the content of the email to the jury was harassed, says yes michael were confirmed for four 30 on wednesday. what i need from you is the following full names and appears on your id, date of birth, social security number, us citizen, yes or no, border us, yes or no. current city and state of residence? thanks. madeline prosecutor says, do you recall why you were sending this email? and then westeros as mr. cohen was coming in to meet with the president mangold says, do you recall seeing him when he came to visit western not specifically. mangold says, did this visit ultimately occur west or house says, yes. >> so so much so what the prosecution has been doing over the last three weeks is pre corroborating michael cohen when he gets on that standard, they want the jury to think, oh, i remember this. i recognize this. we saw a document about this. we heard another piece of testimony about this even if it's a small thing like this, now they know, yes, that meeting absolutely happens. so when michael cohen gets up and says, what what happened in that meeting, they'll go okay, at least he's not completely fabricating that there was an

oval office meeting we used to call it oak tree corroboration as prosecutors, meaning if there's a murder scene and someone mentioned oh, yeah, it was next to an oak tree. i don't go take a photo of the oak tree it doesn't prove that the murder happened, but it can help support your witnesses just on a small detail. it can help prop them up. that's what they're bracing for i think it's going to come down to win michael gone because i agree with everything he's saying, at least saying it's going to come down to like, honestly, three sentences in that meeting. so because just to be clear, it's gonna be i think has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. >> he's tight with money. he signed those checks. he knew what where they were going to, what they were four it's going to come down to michael cohen saying, and i said to him, i'm just going to register them as legal expenses and not for real. okay. and trump. it'll say trump not in a trump said, okay. and then it'll say, and by the way, you know, we're doing this. we don't forget we did this. so that you would win the election or it's going to come down to like sentences,

not whether the checks resign. i mean, that's unfair. there's a whole universe of whitman there's more to it than just like what you made the point a minute ago, say it wasn't michael cohen putting in the writing down, right now. >> but what bobby said was how high or how low, right? >> does the hierarchy have to be? think, if trump just says file it as legal expenses even though it's not i think that's enough that someone else he directs someone else to do it is to me that the prosecution has to establish why didn't they do it the other way, right. like, what is the other way? and why didn't they choose that path? to me? the most obvious other way is just to give michael cohen the money, say that it was a reimbursement for anything it literally could be for anything they didn't do it that way. the question is, why that question has not been answered by the prosecution. in addition to them not answering the question of not only why did they do it that way, but did trump recognized that there was a choice made about how to do

it, and that they chose the illegal way, essentially john berman, thanks very much coming up another moment from the transcript that there's time from judge merchan, his final words to the former president's attorneys about how they open the door to stormy daniels detailed account whenever time with donald trump russia for trying to spy on us we were spying on them i miss frank this is a war, but secret war, secrets and spies, a nuclear game premier sunday, june 2, that ten on cna and then when you have chronic kidney disease there are places you'd like to be like here and here not so much here far seeker reduces the risk of kidney failure, which can lead to dialysis our sega can cause

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freelancers fiber. >> i'm caitlin polantz at the federal court in washington, and this is cnn henry, the judge has final word from that exchange with the defense, which ended today's hearing about why he said prosecutors had a right to have stormy daniels testified about an alleged sexual encounter for the former president back in 2006, quoting from judge merchan. >> and the fact that you went after her right on opening statements attacking whether

attacking your claim that they had never had sex you didn't attack that there was a falsification of business records. you didn't attack any of the other elements of the offense. you said mike client denies that there was ever a sexual encounter. again, as i said before, right off the bat, that puts your client's word against ms daniels word and that in my mind, allows the people to do what they can to rehabilitate aid her, and to corroborate her story. your motion for mistrial is denied. joining us now is former us attorney deputy assistant attorney general, harry litman, who has been in the courtroom during the trial. what was the dynamic life between the judge and the defense team in those tanno 15 minutes. yeah. accord. it was not like a standard legal argument. it wasn't low key and academic. it bristled and there was a sort of dynamism to it that you don't normally have, which by the way, he has not in previous messages to the defense table. >> i mean, when i was there last week, he he said to

blanche that was the de after trump i had claimed that he wasn't allowed to testify in a very calm way. >> he said, let me just maybe your client is missing forum. let me remind him. it's his total equal, right. he was bending over backwards to become, this is a different tenor i think that's right. it's not as if he was haranguing him, but it was definitely very sort of pitch tie in he attack the professionalism of nicholls. he said, i can't trust blanche, but it was if he let them both speak their piece and then it was almost as if you'd already crafted an opinion that he could do. he said i'd gone back and read the transcripts you're wrong about this, but he really it was fairly blistering and he wasn't simply denying on the merits, but actually a sailing. the lawyers for trying to think did not objecting more by the defense was a misstep. other trump team for sure. and it was

one of the things he actually cited & again, i mean, this was the point that seem to have no answer. they've made this probably because trump insists on it. the big dispute was there any sex at all and when they do that and opening merchan's point was, that means all these messy details as they called them the other ones messy details are credibility for, for someone in stormy daniel's its position. in other words, you have to let her explain. so the jury can evaluate overall the truth of the story that's been so put it at. what was your perception of the cross-examination by nicholas? yeah. all in all i thought it was not so effective. you really look for control and christmas on cross and not only did she take a lot of xi landed a couple of jabs, but again, because of this dynamic can make that they've said it never happened. she needed a knockout plants and came nowhere near that. i

thought. and then i think what's a little over aggressive and the jury perceived it in particular, when she basically implied since you're a porn star, you how could you possibly be cowed by a 60 year-old billionaire looming over you? it seemed almost insulting in that way. so i thought that she took a lot of chant lead weather channel lot and got got hit with it and her very last question isn't it a fact that you are making no and that's the end. so as opposed to sort of leading the jury to think that result in its own, she went for broke a lot and it was a mistake or you've been in the courtroom who's winning? what the d is one, because the basic dynamic, they have really from pecker, very good choice for starters drawn the whole narrative we had today. it was one of five pretty big day-to-day. the you normally

one, two things happen in accord, thereby five or six pretty big things. and one of them, a lot of people did and even notice, but came in through stormy. his admission in the stormy sooth that he did in fact reimburse cohen, right. so i mean, that's a pretty big one. where did they go from here? the weisselberg writing. >> so weisselberg and cohen do it together. >> they were they freelancing the basic story? i think is strong there may be technical details and as you know, a couple of lawyers on the jury about stitching up the precise intent with some of the precise 34 pieces of paper they always had that problem, but the bottom of the narrative, in part because of the stakes they've drawn in never happened with stormy and emphasizing that i think the da's winning. >> somebody remind me, i mean, i should know this why isn't allen weisselberg testified a couple of minutes won. one, he's in prison. i know but if someone as you can i think. >> and often if that's the

case, then judges will say, don't bother, you, don't bring someone in. i know what happens in movies, but you don't bring a guy in and it gets up in front of the variance as i take the fifth and they don't know what he's going to say if it's clear you all by myself so he's not going to counter these concepts. you may say donald trump knew nothing about this. i was the bookkeeper for 35 wherever in 40 years, i was the one who classified it that way. that's why he wouldn't be special problem. >> they have rhona graff who they went through quickly, keith schiller. are we going to see him? he comes in a lot today. there are some people who are super loyal to trump and they are shying away from the defense call weisselberg. sure. well they talk about lot of cross examination, but he would also probably take the fifth again. i mean, regardless of who calls him he doesn't unless he wanted from a solid and then get indicted again, it's me. >> i yes, that's possible. >> but it seems like if you were going to take the fifth in this subject you are going to take the fifth in this subject, but maybe not, maybe not

useless. do he's not on the defense would look at the fence, hasn't called anyone yet, and they don't have to have someone on their witness list. the only thing i want to say about stormy's cross-examination, first of all, jeffrey mentioned this a long time ago. i do think they're trying to please trump the lawyers are& that's a balancing act. but you've got to guide play and you'll lot of money to be his lawyer and he wants it out there that that did not happen. susan nechele is leading with her chin. they'd put up a piece of paper saying you signed a document saying you never had sex with donald trump, right? yes, i did. that was a lie, right? right. >> so there was right. >> but the lie they need is that whole story is concocted. that's the thing because i agree with you, but i think normally even with a very big shot, lawyers say, here's how it's going to be you shut up now and listen to me. that's what his what do you what do you do? >> you've represented some big egos, big personalities. i'm sure there's been times bag

you back then. >> i mean, i you back i'm like, listen, bro, are you a long time? i'm got to trust me on this and we can talk to i mean, i've done it. will talk to three other lawyers if they disagree with me, we'll do it your way. >> okay. but so several times on tuesday, trump was nudging susan nechele has to get up and object and it's are do it at least twice after he nudged her and today, the whole criticism from the judge was, why didn't you object more? i mean, it was trump win obviously. >> clearly was a mistake. look, we all make. we always talk about trump influencing his attorneys and trust me, he does and it's incredibly difficult to be at trump attorney we've talked to many of the former ones, but but he was the one urging her to object more. >> she was not objecting more and maybe what ellie said before. >> it also like, you don't wanna make it look like you're hiding from the jury like, oh, my gosh, she's got something we don't want anyone here, so it's a balancing act harry litman. >> thank you. everybody back. >> i head. the pushback from a key ally and the former president who came to the courthouse today, it would be

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one, you'll actually like did you know sling has your favorite news programs were just $40 a month my favorite news for just $40 a month. >> my favorite for just $40 a news for $40 a month sling lets you do that. >> i'm pete mundane at reagan national airport. this is cnn joining the former president in court today, one of his key allies on the hill from his home state of florida's and/or rick scott of potential vice presidential contender. >> here he is defending trump the courthouse by talking about several whom trump cannot mention himself under his gag order. >> what he is going through is just despicable let's look at who involved, who's involved in doing this the lead prosecutor was number three that biden the biden justice department the judge's daughter is a political operative the lead prosecutors wife is significant if a donor to democrats during

your panel now former trump white house communications director alyssa farah griffin interesting to see scott their kind of singing the song that trump on some just i mean, it was so thirsty. listen, yes, he said he loved to be considered as a vice president central contender. he also has aspirations to replace mitch mcconnell is the leader in the senate, both things that obviously require him being in donald trump's good, gracious grace's, we've seen this before. it's off the vague ramaswamy show up at another courthouse, marjorie taylor greene. it's a way to endure themselves to trump. he remembers people who are with him at his low points. mark meadows, for example, 2016 after access hollywood, when people were thinking about walking away from donald trump mark meadows, his wife, and other congressional spouses went on the campaign trail to say, be with this guy, despite this tape, he never forgot it. he kept jim jordan close to me, kept mark meadows close because they remember that. so donald trump will take note of this. he's going to, he's going to appreciate us and it was voting today that there they were casting votes on important bills today priority there's

potato, potato how much do you think the aggressive cross-examination actually pleased donald trump today? >> i think it probably, please trump, but i think it really hurt the defense. i think this juxtaposition where you have maddie west or how'd up and they're talking about oh, you were 28, you made some mistakes but then attacking stormy daniels, who was 27 at the time that this encounter with donald trump took place. the jury can piece that together and see that there is such different treatment for these two women there is the hard part of being serving donald trump. the client is that often catering to his instincts and what he wants to see is actually totally unhelpful to the case you're trying to win for him. and i think that they went went away too far today. >> it's funny answer. i can just say a guest, it's been now on cnn retired judge george grosso, who comes on my radio show with me every night. he's been the court every day and just shows you how people react differently. he said, on my radio show tonight, today was the best day for the defense.

that combination of attacking stormy and then the secretary bragging about the trump family and how wonderful he said they've never had a de so consistently. blink would positive stuff for trump. i'm not saying he's right, but it just shows you how you don't know what jurors well and to be clear, i do think it was a good knotty western it was incredibly helpful to donald trump today that there was a piece of her testimony in particular about the fallout from the access hollywood tape that really seems she was trying to suggest that trump himself was not all that worried about it, all the worry was over at the rnc whether that maybe ilsa you can speak to that, but whether that is true or not that that undercut the prosecution's argument that trump was the one who is was part of the panic about how this was going to i mean, he apologized on video that night. >> i think we forget that he did apologize because now that seems like something you would never do. he certainly was concerned and i think hope hicks alluded to it or at least those closest to him were they

were trying to craft this statement, maddie was at the rnc, so she wasn't part of these conversations. but there was an acknowledgment that this was a very, very real problem. the vice presidential candidate, mike pence, was very concerned. >> i hope hicks. testified she seemed. >> and you have to attorneys, they prepare their clients and maddie very likely watched her pyxis testimony and can take get some takeaway from not and i think in some ways came more prepared to be a little bit more effusively of donald trump in ways that hope maybe didn't quite as much leaning into his relationship with melania and she was the real boss. what a great boss he was giving her these opportunities. and then if this key point that he actually was unbothered by the access hollywood tape it's interesting to hear, listen to talk about donald trump's political and pr instincts, which are good. >> i mean, a lot of times he defies conventional wisdom, but he's gotten pretty far by following his instinct, but legal and courtroom instincts are a little bit of a different creation. it's has to be much more strategic, much more tactical. i wonder if he's his own worst enemy when it comes to this, when he's pushing his

lawyers to do things that could be taken both ways. but i mean, my reads certainly were destructive to his defense he may be about to find out, i guess we'll see what i'm telling stories out of school, but i think please do my educational, educated guess is the one of the reasons why joe taka pina is not his lawyer in that courtroom is because joe and i were in the da's office together. i know very well. he's a brilliant lawyer. he's a great strategist in that courtroom and say anything you want those juries love them but joe joe's not going to take anything his client has never going to tell him what to do, never & i maybe why joe is not in that courtroom and they really used a lot of trump's tactics against him today with stormy daniels, i mean, she was the embodiment of that several ways. one, when it came to just his attacks on her and her attacks on him, they were trying to use her post about him that were derogatory as a way to discredit her. and she said, okay, well, i was just responding to him. i mean, he calls her horse face. he calls

routed rallies of his. they also were saying, well, you were just trying to make money off of this. you've got this candle, you've got this t-shirt, donald trump himself has raised so much money off of his indictments as well. and so that was an interesting part of this to see how trump's own tactics that he is used for years were being used against him. and the cross-examination. and i think that the key figures for the proven the second half of this case are going to be stormy daniels and then michael cohen, who have been just bloodied up this entire trial. >> i think she was much better defending herself today, but their you know, their honesty called into question and then contrasting that with hope hicks and maddie west or how the public didn't see them. but two women who present so buttoned up, they speak well, their authoritative, but then they're also emotional. they're also crying over there, caring and love for donald trump and loyalty to him. it's a very interesting juxtapose position that i could see resonating with a jury. i could see them saying, look at these professional women who look up to him, admire him despite all the horrible things we've heard about him, they still want to be with him.

>> and then adjust the juxtaposition to that. >> is that if the jury believes that that same guy is the guy who was in lake tahoe with stormy daniels that really undercuts a lot of it. i mean, stormy herself undercuts trump's credibility as a sympathetic figure. the fact that she exists in this context, the fact that there is even a debate over whether they had sex and that hotel room and he was 60 and she was 27 if anybody on the jury believes that it's gonna be really hard for them to buy the sob stories about how great of a boss he was to these other two women. >> thanks everyone in the news continues after this break my mental health was better, but i'm movements called teeny tardive dyskinesia started disrupting like that td felt embarrassing i felt like disconnecting i asked my doctor about treating my td and learned about in grad the greta is clinically proven for

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imprint.com. for certain more liebermann at the pentagon and this sienna closed captioning brought to you by meso book her firm only represents mesothelioma victims and their families. if you or a loved one has been diagnosed with ms ophelie oma call us now i'd front next shockwaves around the world after president biden told us he'll cut off weapons to israel if rafah isn't they did. >> and now the israeli prime minister is speaking out. no sign of backing down. and

former israeli prime minister enough tally bennett is outfront tonight. also breaking thank trump on a tirade, lashing out at the judge on the same day that stormy daniels clashes with trump's attorney in the courtroom and a surprise move. prosecutors in the hush money case now opting not to put former playmate playboy playmate karen mcdougal on the stand. how come? let's go out front and good evening. >> i'm erin burnett outfront tonight. shockwaves. president biden's threat to stop providing weapons to israel if israel launches an invasion into rafah's populous center is reverberating across the globe tonight israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu was firing back at biden after his exclusive interview with us last night lot more. >> if we need to stand alone, we will stand alone. i have said that if necessary, we will fight with our fingernails stand alone. no signth