Ex-federal prosecutor: Why Cohen’s hush money testimony 'exceeded expectations'

15 May 2024

During his testimony in former President Donald Trump's hush money/falsified business records trial on May 13 and 14, Michael Cohen — Trump's former personal attorney and fixer — detailed his role in hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office, according to reports, may rest its case after Cohen's testimony concludes.

Former federal prosecutor Joyce White Vance offered legal analysis of Cohen's testimony — both direct and on cross examination by Trump's defense team — during a Wednesday, May 15 appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

Vance offered a caveat, telling hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski and their colleagues Willie Geist and Jonathan Lemire that "another full day of cross examination" was coming. But she stressed that Cohen's testimony, so far, has "exceeded expectations."

The MSNBC legal analyst explained, "He kept a calm demeanor, and a big part of this is less the evidence coming out and (more) the way the jury perceives Michael Cohen. They have to believe him in order to convict. There is just too much in his testimony. If he continues on this path, he may just pull it out."

Geist noted that Trump defense attorney Todd Blanche tried to paint Cohen as a "jilted former employee" and a "liar" who cannot be trusted.

Vance responded, "You know, he may have more…. I've had a lot of cases where that is the strategy on cross-examination, and where the defense lawyer tries to imply that the witness is biased against the defendant. Well, look, these witnesses are always biased against the defendant, and the prosecution handles that."

Lemire asked Vance if there is a possibility that jury deliberations could begin as soon as next week — assuming that Cohen is the prosecution's final witness — and she responded, "I think that's a possibility."

"I'm a little bit surprised that we are not hearing expert testimony on the campaign finance violations that have to be proven," Vance argued. "It's possible the defense could put on, you know, a witness that will talk about that. But closing arguments, that is not going to take a full day, I wouldn't think. And then, the jury is off to the races."

Vance added that jurors, in order to convict, will need to be convinced "that Donald Trump created or caused to be created false business records" and "did that with an intent to defraud — an intent to commit or conceal another crime."

"We haven't really been looking at the evidence in that legal framework so far," Vance observed, "but that is what the judge will tell the jury they have to do. And that is a little bit different from listening to the story and saying, 'Oh, I really think Donald Trump did this.'"

Watch the full video below or at this link.

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