'An Extraordinary Cross-Examination': Anderson Cooper Praises Trump Lawyer's Questioning Of Michael Cohen - 'Cornered In A Lie'

Thursday marked a pivotal moment in the 'hush money' case as Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer, faced his second day of cross-examination. This high-stakes legal battle, initiated by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) over alleged business documents fraud, saw a notable turn just before the lunch break, causing CNN's Anderson Cooper to commend Trump lawyer Todd Blanche for his masterful interrogation of the prosecution's key witness, a move he described as nothing short of 'extraordinary.'

"It was incredible...lawyers want to build a box around the witness and slam it shut--that's what Todd Blanche did to Michael Cohen," Cooper explained. "Tood Blanche methodically went through this sequence of events of this phone conversation that Michael Cohen had testified to previously that he had this consequential phone conversation with Donald Trump."

Cohen has alleged that the conversation with Trump's bodyguard, Keith Schiller, concerned the $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Blanche, however, pointed out a potentially different reason for Cohen's call to Keith Schiller, a 14-year-old prankster. The former Trump lawyer texted Schiller, letting him know that he had been harassed by a prankster and that he had the phone number of the culprit. Following this text conversation, Schiller told Cohen to call him, which Cohen did. 

"This is the conversation that previously Michael Cohen had said he was calling to speak to Donald Trump to tell him that he is going ahead with the Stormy Daniels arrangement and that Trump approved it, which was crucial to Michael Cohen's whole raison d'être for being on the stand. He's the only person testifying to the direct involvement of Donald Trump with the Stormy Daniels payments," Cooper explained. "But according to, suddenly now, Michael Cohen's refreshed memory, he now says, 'Oh, it was a call about this 14-year-old making prank phone calls to me but also about moving ahead on Stormy Daniels.'"

"It was an extraordinary cross-examination by Todd Blanche. Throughout the day, Michael Cohen, when cornered, does have a pattern of suddenly not understanding the question that's being asked. One could say buying time to try to figure out how he wants to answer, but he definitely, suddenly, starts to have Todd Blanche repeat questions," the CNN host said. "But this time, Michael Cohen was cornered in what appeared to be a lie...He had to adjust, suddenly, his memory that he had just testified to on Tuesday."

Anderson Cooper was left stunned by Trump's attorney's cross examination of Michael Cohen

"It was incredible...lawyers want to build a box around the witness & slam it shut--that's what Todd Blanche did to Cohen...it was an extraordinary cross...Cohen was cornered in...a lie" pic.twitter.com/WKnKCs8TkU

— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) May 16, 2024

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