AFTER BEING AT THE COURTHOUSE. ALSO STATE ATTORNEY FOR PALM BEACH COUNTER FLORIDA AND FORMER TOP PROSECUTOR AT DOJ, MSNBC LEGAL ANALYST ANDREW WEISSMANN. ANDREW, I WANT TO COME BACK TO YOU ON THIS POINT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT IN THE LAST HOUR. THE HEART OF THIS CASE IS TWO QUESTIONS, RIGHT, WHETHER THE MOTIVE EXISTS TO INTERFERE IN THE ELECTION AND WHETHER DONALD TRUMP DID INDEED COMMIT THE FRAUD HE'S CHARGED WITH. >> ABSOLUTELY. AND SO THE PART OF THAT -- WE'VE GOT A VERY STRONG CASE THAT'S BEEN PRESENTED BY THE STATE, WHICH IS THE MOTIVE THAT THERE WAS AN INTENT TO DO THIS ABOUT THE ELECTION, THE MONEY QUOTE TODAY, IS NOT SOMETHING THAT'S CON TRO VERTABLE. IT'S NOT JUST DAVIDSON SAYING IT NOW ON THE STAND, IT'S SOMETHING HE SAID AT THE TIME. THAT WAS SORT OF THE THEME OF THE DAY. EVERYTHING HE SAID WAS TIED TO A DOCUMENT. I MEAN, IN MANY WAYS HE WAS THERE ALMOST AS A READER WITH OCCASIONAL COLOR. BUT, YOU KNOW, THIS WAS SOMETHING YOU COULDN'T -- HE COULD BE LYING UP ONE SIDE AND DOWN THE OTHER ON EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE WORLD AND -- I'M NOT SAYING HE IS. IT DOESN'T MATTER. YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. SO THE REMAINING PIECE, THOUGH, WHICH THE STATE REALLY NEEDS TO GET TO -- THEY HAVE TIME -- IS TO GET TO THE PART ABOUT THE FALSE BUSINESS RECORDS. HOW DOES DONALD TRUMP KNOW ABOUT THEM? HE DOESN'T HAVE TO HAVE CREATED THEM, BUT IT HAS TO BE PART OF THE SCHEME. THAT IS REALLY THE KEY. I SUSPECT WE'RE GOING TO HEAR ABOUT SORT OF HOW THEY WERE CREATED AND HOW THEY LANDED IN THE WHITE HOUSE AND HOW THE CHECKS GET WRITTEN. BECAUSE LET'S WRITTEN, IT'S NOT THAT DONALD TRUMP JUST WRITES $130,000. HE WRITES MORE THAN THAT. SOME STORY HAS TO HAVE BEEN TOLD TO THEM. THE INVOICES IF THEY'RE IN FRONT OF HIM IN THE WHITE HOUSE, THAT'S A HUGE AMOUNT OF THE ANSWER. THEY LAY OUT EXACTLY WHAT WAS GOING ON AND THE FALSITY OF THE SCHEME. >> THAT'S SOMETHING WRITTEN IN THIS BOOK. POMERANCE IS NOWHERE NEAR THIS TRIAL. HE LEFT THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE. GOING THROUGH THE DAVID PECKER TESTIMONY, IT'S ABOUT HOW ADVANCED TRUMP IS IN THE ART OF PROTECTION. POMERANCE WRITES ABOUT HIS ROLE IN THE CHECKS AND WHERE HE WRITES THEM IN THE OVAL OFFICE. >> WHAT YOU DO GET FROM THIS -- WHEN I WAS A PROSECUTOR -- AND I'M SURE YOU WERE THINKING THE SAME. WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WERE THE DEFENDANT. YOU TRY AND THINK LIKE A CRIMINAL. THEN YOU ALSO THINK ABOUT WHAT WOULD THE PERSON -- >> LET'S PAUSE FOR A SECOND. HE'S ALSO THE REPUBLICAN NOMINEE. KEEP GOING. >> YES, WE'RE DOWN TO REALITY. THEN YOU COMPARE THAT TO WHAT WOULD SOMEBODY DO IN THAT POSITION THE THEY WERE INNOCENT? HOW WOULD THAT BEHAVIOR LOOK DIFFERENTLY? YOU KNOW, I'VE SAID WITH RESPECT TO THE TAPE RECORDING -- IF THE JURY HAS NOT HEARD IT YET, THEY HAD THE OPENING REFERRING TO IT. THERE, YOU KNOW, WHAT I'M STRUCK WITH IS THAT YOU DON'T HAVE DONALD TRUMP REACTING THE WAY AN INNOCENT PERSON WOULD REACT, WHICH IS WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABILITY? I DON'T KNOW THIS WOMAN OR SHE MADE UP THE STORY AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN? INSTEAD HIS BIG THING IS ARE WE GOING TO PAY IN CASH OR NOT? THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU WOULD DO. >> TO WHICH COHEN SAYS NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. THE ONLY PERSON I TALK TO LIKE THAT IS MY CHILDREN. >> BECAUSE HE'S A CHILD GROWN OLD. EVERYBODY TALKS TO DONALD TRUMP THAT WAY AS WELL. WHEN YOU WERE RUNNING THE TAPE AT THE TOP OF THE SHOW, TRUMP WHEN HE'S SCARED AND TRUMP WHEN HE'S AGGRAVATED SOUNDS LIKE SOMEONE CALLING INTO A RADIO SHOW BLEEDING ABOUT THE THINGS THEY'RE SCARED OF. IT'S DON FROM QUEENS. THIS GUY BIDEN IS GETTING UNDER MY SKIN. HE'S ALSO DOING THIS TO HIS LAWYERS WHEN HE'S NOT IN COURT. THEY END UP ENGAGING IN THIS PERFORMANCE ART FOR HIM THAT UNDERMINES HIS CASE AND UNDERMINES HIS DEFENSE. IT WAS REALLY ON DISPLAY TODAY WHEN WE WERE HEARING A SECOND HEARING AROUND THE GAG ORDERS. IT WAS, I THINK, IN TRUMP'S DEFENSE TEAM'S INTEREST TO BE CALM, COLLECTED AND SPECIFIC IN DEFENDING HIM AGAINST THESE CLAIMS OF VIOLATING THE GAG ORDER. INSTEAD, YOU HAD TODD BLANCHE BEING MORE PERFORMATIVE THAN HE WAS THE LAST TIME WHEN JUSTICE MERCHAN WARNED HIM THEN YOU'RE LOSING ALL CREDIBILITY WITH THE COURT. TODAY IT WAS DISASTROUS. I'M ASSUMING IN HIS REAL LIFE HE'S A MORE CALM, COLLECTED, SOBER-MINDED PERSON. TODAY HE WAS BAFOONISH. >> TODD BLANCHE, TELL ME IF THESE GUYS THINK THEY'RE DIFFERENT. MICHAEL COHEN WAS TODD BLANCHE BEFORE TODD BLANCHE. DOES TODD BLANCHE THINK HE'LL BE DIFFERENT. RUDY GIULIANI WHO CAN'T -- DOES HE THINK HE'S NEXT LEVEL? >> I THINK TYPICALLY DONALD TRUMP PUTS HIS FINGER ON PEOPLE WHO ARE CORRUPTIBLE. HE HAS A RADAR FOR THAT. THERE ARE PEOPLE ATTRACTED TO HIM FOR THE WRONG REASONS BECAUSE THEY THINK HE WAS A GREAT BUSINESSMAN, WHICH HE WASN'T. THEY THINK HE'S A BONA FIDE CELEBRITY, WHICH HE IS, BUT HE'S A CELEBRITY FOR THE WRONG REASONS. THEY FALL INTO THAT WORLD. I THINK TODD BLANCHE IS A DIFFERENT PERSON THAN MICHAEL COHEN. HE'S LIKE THIS VANILLA ICE CREAM CONE BEING STOMPED ON THE SIDEWALK. MICHAEL COHEN CAME INTO THIS -- EVERYTHING MICHAEL COHEN SAYS HE'S ALMOST OUT OF A COMIC BOOK GRIFTING IN NEW YORK. I DON'T THINK TODD BLANCHE IS THAT WAY. >> YOU HAVE EVAN CORCORAN WHO BECAME A VERY IMPORTANT WITNESS. TURNED OVER ALL HIS NOTES TO JACK SMITH. YOU DO HAVE RUDY GIULIANI WHO REPRESENTED TRUMP IN MUELLER ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE ELECTION DENIALISM. HE'S NOW BANKRUPT. YOU DON'T HAVE MANY PEOPLE WHO REPRESENTED TRUMP AND CAME OUT BETTER FOR IT. >> OR ESCAPED. >> OR CAME OUT BETTER, ENHANCED. TACOPINA MIGHT BE THE ONLY EXCEPTION. >> HE'S BEEN PUSHED TO THE SIDE. I DON'T KNOW IF HE'LL EVEN GET PAID. IF YOU DON'T PERFORM WELL IN FRONT OF DONALD TRUMP HE WON'T PAY HIS BILLS. THIS TRADE OFF THAT I'LL GET PUBLICITY OR I'LL GET A GOOD PAYCHECK AND IT'S WORTH WHATEVER PERSONAL EMBARRASSMENT, IT DOESN'T OFTEN HAPPEN FOR PEOPLE. >> WHAT DO YOU SAY? >> I WAS SURPRISED THE DEFENSE WENT AFTER DAVIDSON ON EXTORTION. FIRST OFF, IT'S HIGHLY DISPUTABLE IF THAT'S TRUE. EVEN IF IT WAS, YOU KNOW WHAT'S NOT A DEFENSE TO CAMPAIGN FINANCE VIOLATION, EXTORTION. IT'S LIKE PLAYING TENNIS WITH A GOLF CLUB. IT'S NOT THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT TO USE TO WIN THE GAME. >> WHY DO YOU THINK THEY DID THAT? >> I THINK DONALD TRUMP WANTED TO GO AFTER THIS GUY. YOU'RE SLEAZY. YOUR GUY IS LYING. YOU EXTORTED ME. SO? FROM A LEGAL MATTER IT DOESN'T MATTER. >> WHAT JUROR IS THINKING A TABLOID AND A PORN STAR AND A PLAYMATE -- ISN'T THE STORY SORDID? >> YEAH. THEY'RE ALL IN THE DIRT TOGETHER. THAT'S WHY IT'S WEIRD TRUMP IS SAYING YOU'RE DIRT BAGS. YOU'RE HANGING AROUND WITH THESE GUYS. THIS IS SOMEONE YOU HAD AN AFFAIR WITH. EVEN IF YOU PROVE THAT DAVIDSON IS LESS THAN GOOD, YOU HAVE CORROBORATION IN THE FORM OF DAVID PECKER AND IN THE FUTURE TESTIMONY OF MICHAEL COHEN. THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE DOING. THEY'RE TRYING TO PROTECT MICHAEL COHEN. HE'S THE KEY WITNESS AND THEY HAVE FLAWS. NOW THEY HAVE TWO WITNESSES THAT BACK UP WHAT HE SAYS. >> WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE LAWYERING, ANDREW WEISSMANN? >> CERTAINLY ON THE GOVERNMENT SIDE, THE STATESIDE, THIS IS AN EXPERIENCED TEAM. IT SHOWS. JOSH STEINBLAST IS -- IT'S JUST A PLEASURE AS A TECHNICAL MATTER OF HAVING BEEN A TRIAL LAWYER, IT WAS WONDERFUL TO SEE IT IN ACTION, NOT JUST READ IT. HE ALSO AT TIMES CAN BE CHARMING. HE HAD THIS LINE ABOUT THEY WERE DOING SOMETHING AT A STORE, I HATE TO ASK THIS, COULD YOU DESCRIBE THE DECOR. IT WAS CHRISTMAS TIME AND OVER THE TOP. IT WAS ADORABLE IN A VERY HIGH PROFILE TRIAL. YOU JUST SENSE THAT -- THIS IS WHAT HE DOES. HE'S SOMEBODY WHO HAS CHOSEN TO BE JUST A TRIAL LAWYER. YOU KNOW, THIS IS SOMEBODY WHO NORMALLY COULD BE A SUPERVISOR TEN TIMES OVER AND HE JUST LIKES BEING IN COURT, AND IT SHOWS. THAT'S TRUE OF SUSAN, MATTHEW, IT'S A VERY SOLID TEAM. THIS IS DEFINITELY ALVIN BRAGG HAS PUT THE "A" TEAM ON THIS. I'M NOT SAYING THEY'RE GOING TO WIN. >> NO. ONLY A JURY DECIDES THAT. >> ON THE DEFENSE SIDE IT'S FASCINATING. YOU HAVE TODD BLANCHE, HE WAS SOMEBODY AT A LAW FIRM THAT LEFT A LAW FIRM TO HAVE ONE AND ONLY ONE CLIENT. THAT'S PUTTING ENORMOUS PRESSURE ON HIMSELF IN TERMS OF A RESPONSIBILITY THAT YOU HAVE AS A LAWYER. YOU'RE RETAINED. YOU'RE NOT HIRED. WHAT I MEAN IS YOU'RE AN OFFICER OF THE COURT. HE'S GOT IN TROUBLE WITH JUSTICE MERCHAN FOR NOT, ACCORDING TO THE JUSTICE, NOT ADHERING TO THAT OBLIGATION. YOU HAVE TO PUSH BACK ON YOUR CLIENT. THAT'S WHAT YOU DO AS A LAWYER. IF YOU
