"Mr. Cohen, my name is Todd Blanche. You and I have never spoken or met before, have we? On April 23, you went on TikTok and called me a crying little shit?" The opening of Michael Cohen's cross-examination on Tuesday, May 14, was deceptive. Heavy fire had been expected from Donald Trump's top lawyer, but Todd Blanche didn't deliver. Helped by the accusation's questioning, Cohen had given a long testimony as a repentant, loyal henchman, protecting the candidate in 2015 and 2016 before the presidential election against compromising revelations. On Wednesday, Blanche threw himself into destroying the witness's credibility, but without any clear direction.
"Do you want to see president Trump convicted in this case?" the lawyer asked. "Sure," replied Cohen. Blanche insisted on the contrast between Cohen's recent vindictive remarks and his past loyalty to Trump, like a spurned lover. Was he obsessed with his boss, back when he worked alongside him, starting in 2006? "I admired him enormously." He even read his book, Trump: The Art of the Deal, twice, he confirmed. And his many complimentary remarks about him? "I was up to my neck in the cult of Donald Trump by then."
Blanche then discussed Cohen's indictments, guilty pleas, prison, contacts with federal and New York justice, to highlight his questionable motivations – fame, money, a reduced sentence – in his crusade against his former boss. Cohen, for his part, was skillful and focused, avoiding direct answers. He sometimes preferred formulaic replies like "sounds right" or "sounds like something I would say."
Cohen lied
Once the jury had been dismissed, shortly after 4 pm, Judge Merchan asked the parties if they thought they would be finished with the witness by the end of the only day of hearings scheduled for this week, Thursday. Blanche felt that this time frame would be sufficient. Would a day's respite inspire a clearer strategy? On Tuesday, the lawyer never addressed the payments made to the former X-rated actress Stormy Daniels, or the checks signed in 2017 by Trump for the attention of Cohen, the heart of the case.
Earlier in the morning, assistant district attorney Susan Hoffinger had deftly defused part of the expected offensive against the witness, by addressing his vulnerabilities. Yes, Cohen lied. He lied to Congress, to journalists, to the law. He lied at length, at length and, above all, at cross-purposes, for years, but in the service of his boss, Trump. "I violated my moral compass and suffered the penalty," admitted the witness.
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