CNN’s Elie Honig Says Michael Cohen Had His ‘Knees Chopped Out’ By Trump’s Attorney In ‘Devastating’ Cross-Examination
CNN legal analyst Elie Honig said that Michael Cohen had a “devastating” cross-examination from Donald Trump’s defense team.
During Thursday’s court proceedings, the former president’s attorney Todd Blanche grilled Cohen on the stand, appearing to catch the former Trump fixer in either a lie or a mis-recollection. Cohen has claimed that he fronted hush money payments to Stormy Daniels with the full consent and knowledge of Trump in order to conceal an alleged affair between the adult actress and his former boss.
Cohen has testified that on Oct. 24, 2016 that he informed Trump directly on a phone call with the plan to pay off Daniels. However, Blanche during the cross-examination referenced text messages on that date between Cohen and Trump ally Keith Schiller regarding a 14-year-old who was prank-calling Cohen. In the texts, Schiller tells Cohen to call him before he allegedly had the call involving Trump.
When asked by Blanche, Cohen noted that the phone call was about both topics. Honig noted during a panel discussion on CNN that this was a devastating moment for Cohen’s credibility on the stand.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a star cooperating witness get his knees chopped out quite as clearly and dramatically as what just happened with Michael Cohen. I’ve certainly seen very effective cross-examinations of cooperating witnesses. I’ve seen aspects of their story cut into and called into question. But this goes to the heart of the allegation here. That phone call on October 24th, and it looks to the jury and to Anderson Cooper and Kara Scannell, Judge George Grasso, who are all in the courthouse, that that was a devastating moment.
In the Manhattan case, Trump faces criminal charges for allegedly falsifying business documents regarding hush money payments during the 2016 election season. He also has three other criminal trials over his handling of classified material and his attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
Watch the clip above via CNN.
