Trump's defense lawyer frustrated by Michael Cohen on cross-examination: onlookers
From inside the courtroom on the 17th day of Donald Trump's hush money trial in Manhattan, his lawyers tried to get under ex-lawyer Michael Cohen's skin.
Instead, observers saw the opposite.
From inside the courtroom, MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin, host Chris Hayes and producers told hosts back in the studio what was going on.
Trump's lawyer, Todd Blanche, mentioned leaks that Cohen made to the press over the past several years, which former prosecutor Andrew Weissmann said he would have objected to.
There's nothing illegal about a witness speaking out about a trial unless the judge explicitly tells them not to, he said. Prosecutors, he said, absolutely cannot — but Cohen was free to say and do whatever he wants to.
Read More: Michael Cohen: Trump mastered the art of the dodge to avoid accountability — until now
“Cohen is frustrating Blanche and making this difficult for him," said one of the MSNBC producers. "We will see how long this lasts, but for now, Cohen is holding his own quite well.”
In previous conversations, the legal analysts explained that Blanche would work to get under Cohen's skin and try to get a reaction out of him. It prompted one legal analyst to say that it wasn't the way he would have begun the questioning.
Chris Hayes said that Blanche's style reminds him of some of the Fox News shows, where they dive in and out of conspiracy theories.
"All this feeling you sometimes get when you dip into a Trump speech or a Fox segment with lots of references to preexisting controversies and narratives that you might not be able to follow if you're not up to speed," Hayes wrote.
It prompted MSNBC host Chris Jansing to ask if the defense is assuming the jury is up to speed about politics.
"And I think that was kind of where my question was going," said Jansing. "Like, it does seem a little here, there, and everywhere. And can everyone who doesn't sit on a television set or sit on their couch and watch us 24/7, know what some of this stuff is, or care? Do they understand what he's trying to do here?"
Former Assistant District Attorney Catherine Christian agreed, saying that it can cause a lot of confusion for the jury — and they might be intentional.
See the exchange in the video below or at the link here.
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