>>> WE'RE BACK WITH PROSECUTOR MORATI AND MOLLY JOHN FAST. MOLLY, HERE WE ARE AT THE TABLE. I MENTIONED THAT YOU COULD ONLY LEARN ABOUT THESE THINGS SORT OF AS THEY GO. COHEN AND STORMY ARE BEING ALMOST HELD AS THE CLOSER TO A CASE THAT BY THE TIME YOU GET TO YOUR CLOSER, YOU BETTER HAVE MADE A LOT OF THE CASE. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT STRATEGY FROM THE D.A.'S SIDE AND THE STORY ABOUT THE RECEIPTS. WE HAVE PLENTY TO HAVE LAWYERS AROUND, BUT YOU, STORY TELLING FOR A MAGAZINE, KNOW A THING OR TWO ABOUT PUTTING A STORY TOGETHER AND IT HAD ORDER MATTERS. >> RIGHT, AND THE BIG PROBLEM WITH THIS CASE IS MICHAEL COHEN. THAT HE MAY OR MAY NOT BE A SORT OF WITNESS. HE'S JUST NOT AS GOOD A WITNESS AS SOMEONE LIKE DAVID PECKER AND I THINK DAVID PECKER HAS BEEN METICULOUS AND NOT EMOTIONAL. YOU KNOW, HE'S GONE THROUGH THE STORY IN A VERY CLEAR WAY AND THEN THEY BACKED AT EVERY POINT, THEY BACKED IT UP WITH DOCUMENTS. I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE WATCHED THIS TRIAL AND BEEN REALLY PLEASANTLY SURPRISED WITH JUST HOW ORGANIZED AND METHODICAL THE CASE THEY'RE MAKING IS AND THAT THESE MORE SALACIOUS CHARACTERS STORMY AREN LATER AND MORE FOR COLOR. >> I WANT TO MENTION SOMETHING THAT WILL BE NO SURPRISE TO YOU, BUT I DIDN'T GET TIME TO MENTION IT YESTERDAY WHEN I WAS IN COURT IN OUR COVERAGE. IN COURT YESTERDAY, WE, EVERYONE IN COURT, INCLUDING MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE JURORS, SPENT OVER AN HOUR STARING AT A SCREEN WITH THIS LOG OF TEXTS AND IT WAS ZOOMED OUT SO YOU COULDN'T MAKE OUT ANY INDIVIDUAL ONE. BUT OVER 15 TEXTS IN LIKE A ROW. THEN THEY WOULD ZOOM IN ON ONE AND COME OUT. THE EXPERIENCE MIGHT BE LIKE THE WORST ACCOUNTANT INTERNSHIP YOU'VE EVER GOTTEN, BUT IT FELT LIKE NOT ONLY IN SUBSTANCE BUT IN TONE, THEY WERE TRYING TO SHOW THE JURY AS I MENTIONED IN OUR OPEN, WE HAVE GOT THIS ALL. ANYONE COMING IN TO TALK ABOUT IT IS JUST RECONFIRMING AND EXPLAINING WHAT WE HAVE IN THIS TEXT RECEIPTS. >> YOU KNOW WHAT WAS SO IMPORTANT ABOUT THOSE RECEIPTS, ARI, IS IT SHOWS HOW DONALD TRUMP IS IN THE THICK OF EVERYTHING. YOU KNOW, ONE DEFENSE YOU COULD HAVE, RIGHT, IF YOU WERE A DEFENDANT HERE, IS HEY, I WAS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT. I WAS A RICH GUY AND ALL THESE BUSINESSES. I WASN'T FOCUSED ON THIS. THIS WASN'T IMPORTANT TO ME. THERE'S NO WAY HE CAN MAKE THAT DEFENSE HERE BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE RECEIPTS THAT SHOW HE WAS INTIMATELY INVOLVED. YOU HAD SHOWN SOMETHING WHERE MICHAEL COHEN WAS LIKE, I CAN'T REACH HIM. THIS IS A GUY RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT AND HIS LAWYER IS TRYING TO REACH HIM IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL THAT TO DISCUSS THIS ISSUE. THIS HUSH MONEY SCHEME IN THE MIDST OF THAT CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT. HE WAS INVOLVED. HE WAS HANDS ON. THIS WAS HIS SCHEME. THAT'S REALLY WHAT THE PROSECUTION IS SHOWING THROUGH THOSE TEXT MESSAGES. >> YEAH. AND MOLLY, TAKE A LISTEN TO HOW D.A. BRAGG AND HIS VERY RARE PUBLIC COMMENTS ANNOUNCING THE INDICTMENT SPOKE ABOUT HOW IT CAME DOWN TO A PAPER TRAIL. RECEIPTS, WIRES, TEXTS WITH COHEN INVOLVED. >> LESS THAN TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, MICHAEL COHEN WIRED $130,000 TO STORMY DANIELS' LAWYER. THAT PAYMENT WAS TO HIDE DAMAGING INFORMATION FROM THE VOTING PUBLIC. THE SCHEME VIOLATED NEW YORK ELECTION LAW. >> STRAIGHTFORWARD IN THEIR VIEW. >> RIGHT. AND WHAT WAS CRUCIAL AND CRITICAL AND DAY GOT RIGHT AWAY WHICH I THINK WAS SO IMPORTANT, THIS WAS NOT ABOUT PROTECTING MELANIA AND THE DEFENSE WANTS YOU TO THINK THIS IS ABOUT TRUMP PROTECTING HIS FAMILY BUT WE KNOW, AND THAT'S WHAT PECKER SPOKE TO, HE KNEW THIS WAS ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN. THAT THE ACCESS HOLLYWOOD TAPE HAD COME IN AND THEY WERE WORRIED THAT THESE TWO OTHER ALLEGATIONS WOULD SINK HIS CAMPAIGN. >> YEAH. AND RENADO, AGAIN, WE DON'T MAKE THE NEWS, WE REPORT ON IT AND THE PARTS THAT ARE DRY ARE DRY. POLITICO ALSO HAD A KIND OF A SIMILAR OBSERVATION ABOUT THE DAVIDSON TESTIMONY YESTERDAY. I'LL READ THAT TO YOU. WHILE THEY'RE COLORFUL CLAIMS A THE CORE, DAVIDSO HAD A PRESENTATION THAT WAS CAUTIOUS AND CALCULATED. IN OTHER WORDS, LAWYERLY. FOR PROSECUTORS, HIS STAYED RECOLLECTION MAY BE A WELCOME CONTRAST TO ANOTHER WITNESS WHO'S ALL BUT CERTAIN TO TESTIFY AGAINST TRUMP, FORMER FIXER COHEN, WHO ARRANGE THE DEALS AND WHO MOLLY, MYSELF, AND THE D.A. IN THE SOUND BITE JUST REFERENCED. DO YOU SHARE THAT ASSESSMENT OR WHAT DO YOU THINK? >> I AGREE AND THAT'S WHY THESE ARE OUR EARLY WITNESSES. MOLLY WAS TALKING A MOMENT AGO ABOUT HOW TO PUT TOGETHER A STORY. AS A TRAIL LAWYER, I THINK OF IT AS LIKE PUTTING ON A PLAY AND THESE ARE MY ACTORS AND ACTRESSES THAT I'M PUTTING ON ESSENTIALLY TO SET A STAGE. AND IN THE BEGINNING, YOU WANT TO HAVE YOUR MORE STAYED, YOUR MORE CAREFUL WITNESSES. YOU DON'T WANT THE FIRST IMPRESSION FROM THE JURY TO BE SOMETHING WILDLY CRAZY. YOU WANT THEM TO SEE THE EVIDENCE BEING BUILT AND DAVIDSON HAD KEY TESTIMONY. HE WAS TALKING ABOUT FOR EXAMPLE HOW TRUMP UNDERSTOOD IT WAS GOING TO BE THOSE COMPANIES FOOTING THE BILL. TIEING T
