LOOK AND A RUN DOWN AND A READ OUT OF EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENING. I'M GOING TO TALK TO LANNIE DAVIS ASSOCIATED WITH MICHAEL COHEN AND WE'LL COME BACK TO YOU IN A SECOND, DASHA. LET ME GO TO YOU WHILE DASHA GIVES US AN UPDATE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE COURTROOM IN REALTIME. YOU'RE STILL CLOSE WITH MR. COHEN. SO TELL ME, LANNIE, WAS TODAY THE FIRST TIME YOU LEARNED COHEN HAD STOLEN FROM THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION, OR WAS THAT A KNOWN FACT? >> NO. I KNEW THAT HE PAID HIMSELF WHAT HE THOUGHT HE DESERVED AND HAD BEEN PAID IN BONUSES AND OTHER OUTLAYS HE MADE ON BEHALF OF MR. TRUMP. AND MY UNDERSTANDING IS HE DIDN'T DEFEND THAT ACTION, BUT I DID KNOW THAT, YES. >> HOW DOES THAT IMPACT HIS CREDIBILITY IN TERMS OF HIS TESTIMONY TODAY? >> YOU KNOW, I'M JUST GOING TO TAKE A CONTRARY VIEW ABOUT WHO'S INDICTED HERE. I KNOW THIS IS GOING TO MAKE NEWS ON MEET THE PRESS. MICHAEL COHEN IS NOT INDICTED. DONALD TRUMP IS INDICTED. HE SAID HE WOULD TAKE THE STAND TO DEFEND HIMSELF. SO FAR, MICHAEL COHEN IS ACCUSED AS IF HE'S INDICTED, AND THAT'S WHAT THE DEFENSE AND A LOT OF THE MEDIA HAS BROUGHT THAT, SO LET'S JUST GO BACK TO BASICS. BASIC NUMBER ONE IS PEOPLE TESTIFIED, CORROBORATING MICHAEL COHEN THAT MR. TRUMP WANTED THE PAYMENT TO STORMY DANIELS FOR CAMPAIGN PURPOSES. CHECK THE BOX, THAT'S A CRIME. MICHAEL COHEN WENT TO JAIL FOR THAT CRIME OF A POLITICALLY MOTIVATED CONTRIBUTION. NUMBER TWO, DONALD TRUMP OUR PRESIDENT WROTE OUT $35,000 CHECKS TO MICHAEL COHEN WITH HIS HANDWRITING IN HIS CHECKING ACCOUNT AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. WHY DID HE DO THAT? HE LIED WHEN HE SAID THEY WERE FOR LEGAL EXPENSES. HIS TOP CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, MR. WEISELBERG HAND WRITTEN NOTES SAID YOU TAKE $10,000, MULTIPLY THEM BY TWO SO THERE'S NO INCOME TAXES OWED FOR THE ADVANCES MICHAEL COHEN MADE INCLUDING THE $130,000 TO STORMY DANIELS. YOU DOUBLE IT AND YOU GET TWO FOR 20. YOU DIVIDE THAT BY 12. THAT'S $35,000 CHECKS, PERIOD. THE JURY HAS THAT EVIDENCE. ALL THE ATTACKS ON MICHAEL COHEN DON'T CHANGE THE $35,000 CHECKS THAT WERE PAID TO REIMBURSE MICHAEL COHEN. RUDY GIULIANI SAID THEY WERE REIMBURSEMENTS. EVEN DONALD TRUMP SAID REIMBURSEMENTS. THEY WERE NOT LEGAL FEES. THAT'S ALL THE JURY NEEDS TO DO. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO DECIDE ON MICHAEL COHEN'S CREDIBILITY OR ANYTHING ELSE. HE'S CORROBORATED BY DOCUMENTS AND TESTIMONY. >> AND I UNDERSTAND THAT HE'S NOT ON TRIAL HERE, BUT YOU UNDERSTAND WHY HIS CREDIBILITY IS BEING BROUGHT INTO QUESTION. I MEAN, THAT IS PART OF WHAT THE JURY DOES HAVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT HERE. HE IS THE STAR WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION. SO HIS CREDIBILITY IS STILL A BIG PART OF THIS CONVERSATION, IS IT NOT? >> SO, NO IT ISN'T. I KNOW IT'S CONTRARY TO WHAT EVERYBODY THINKS, BUT EVERYTHING HE'S TESTIFIED TO HAS BEEN CORROBORATED. I GAVE YOU WHOLE PICKS AND MR. PECKER SAYING THE MONEY WAS POLITICALLY MOTIVATED. CHECK THE BOX, THAT'S A CRIME. DONALD TRUMP WROTE $35,000 A MONTH AS A SITTING PRESIDENT PERSONALLY TO MICHAEL COHEN, AND HE CALLED THEM LEGAL EXPENSES. WEISELBERG USED THOSE NUMBERS TO REPAY HIM ON A PIECE OF PAPER IN HIS OWN HANDWRITING. BELIEVE WEISELBERG, NOT MICHAEL COHEN. >> HIS TESTIMONY, MICHAEL COHEN'S TESTIMONY RIGHT NOW BEING CONTRADICTED AS WE SPEAK BY ROBERT COSTELLO WHO WAS ON THE STAND. HE'S TESTIFYING THAT MICHAEL COHEN TOLD HIM, THIS IS COSTELLO RELAYING A CONVERSATION HE HAD WITH MICHAEL COHEN, THAT TRUMP DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THE STORMY DANIELS PAYMENTS. SO WHO SHOULD WE BELIEVE HERE? MICHAEL COHEN OR ROBERT COSTELLO? >> THERE'S A LOT I KNOW ABOUT ROBERT COSTELLO AND HIS DEALINGS WITH COHEN. MR. COSTELLO TESTIFIED VOLUNTARILY TO THE GRAND JURY, AND THE GRAND JURY DECIDED IT DIDN'T NEED TO HEAR MICHAEL COHEN REBUT. THAT'S A FACT. THAT'S WHAT THE GRAND JURY THOUGHT OF MR. COSTELLO. ALSO, HE CLAIMS TO HAVE BEEN A LEGAL ADVISOR. HE CHARGED MICHAEL COHEN, SENT HIM A BILL WHEN THERE WAS NEVER AN ENGAGEMENT LETTER, AND ACTUALLY ASKED MICHAEL TO PAY HIM. THOSE ARE THE ONLY TWO FACTS. HE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHETHER DONALD TRUMP PAID REIMBURSEMENTS. THAT IS DEMONSTRATED BY THE WEISELBERG HANDWRITTEN MEMO THAT SAYS THEY WERE REIMBURSEMENTS. >> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CAME UP DURING HIS CROSS-EXAMINATION IS MICHAEL COHEN ACKNOWLEDGED HE HAS A FINANCIAL STAKE IN THIS TRIAL. HOW DOES THAT INFLUENCE HIS TESTIMONY? >> AGAIN, PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR NOT BUYING THE PREMISE THAT ALL OF THE MEDIA, SO I'M ODD MAN OUT HERE, THIS IS NOT ABOUT MICHAEL COHEN BEING GREEDY, MORAL, A LIAR, OR ANYTHING ELSE. THERE IS AN INDICTMENT OF DONALD TRUMP. HIS CREDIBILITY, IF IT DIDN'T DEPEND ON OTHER WITNESSES CORROBORATION BY DOCUMENTS, TEXT MESSAGES, E-MAILS, THEN I COULD UNDERSTAND THE ATTACK ON HIS CREDIBILITY. IT WOULD BE MEANINGFUL. THE JURY CAN GO INTO THAT JURY ROOM AND IGNORE WHAT MICHAEL COHEN HAS SAID AND LOOK AT THE DOCUMENTS, LOOK AT OTHER PEOPLE'S TESTIMONY. IT WAS ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN TO HUSH UP STORMY DANIELS. THAT'S NOT MICHAEL COHEN. DAVID PECKER SAID IT WAS ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN. IT WASN'T A PERSONAL, NOTHING TO DO WITH POLITICS. SO THAT, YOU DON'T NEED MICHAEL COHEN. THE LAST THING I'M MENTIONING TO YOU IS THE ALAN WEISELBERG HANDWRITTEN NOTES PROVE THIS WAS REIMBURSEMENT MONEY, NOT LEGAL FEES. AIRGO, THAT'S GUILT. >> DO YOU FEEL THEY ASKED ALL THE QUESTIONS THEY NEEDED TO ASK HIM? IS THERE ANYTHING THEY LEFT OUT THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE ASKED? >> NO. I THINK SUZANNE DID A GREAT JOB ON THE REDIRECT, AND I THINK ALL THAT THE DEFENSE HAS DONE, LET ME JUST FINALLY SAY TO YOU WHEN A LAWYER SCREAMS YOU'RE A LIAR AND ALL THE MEDIA CAME OUT OH, MY GOD, THAT WAS A PERRY MASON MOMENT, AND I DO BELIEVE WITHOUT CRITICIZING, THAT'S WHAT THEY DID. THAT WAS NOT TESTIMONY. THAT WAS NOT EVIDENCE. THAT WAS A LAWYER SHOUTING. AND EVEN IF IT'S TRUE THAT MICHAEL COHEN IS A LIAR AND HE'S ACKNOWLEDGED LYING, HE SAID HE WAS ASHAMED OF HIMSELF IN THE NATION IN THE HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE HEARINGS, THIS IS ABOUT DONALD TRUMP'S INDICTMENT FOR PAYING HUSH MONEY FOR POLITICAL REASONS AND FOR REIMBURSING MICHAEL COHEN AS A SITTING PRESIDENT WITH $35,000 A MONTH CHECKS THAT WERE DERIVED BY THE MATHEMATICAL FORMULA OF $420,000 DIVIDED BY 12. NOTHING TO DO WITH LEGAL EXPENSES. >> YEAH. I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, SIR, AND I DO THINK THAT'S TRUE. THERE'S A CORROBORATION AND THE PROSECUTION HAS GONE TO GREAT LENGTHS TO TIE THIS TOGETHER. THE IDEA THAT MICHAEL COHEN'S CREDIBILITY ISN'T PART OF THIS CONVERSATION IS A LITTLE FLIP. HE WOULDN'T BE THE STAR WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION, THEY WOULDN'T EVEN PUT HIM ON THE STAND IF THAT WERE THE CASE. THAT'S PART OF WHAT THE JURY HAS TO WEIGH, RIGHT? >> OF COURSE THE JURY HAS TO WEIGH CREDIBILITY OF ALL WITNESSES, INCLUDING MICHAEL COHEN. HE OWNS HIS LIES AND HE'S ADMITTED THOSE LIES PUBLICLY. IF IF I'M IN THE JURY ROOM AND I DISBELIEVE MICHAEL COHEN, THE EVIDENCE IS, IN MY OPINION, SOMEWHAT JAUNDICE I GUESS BECAUSE I'M A FRIEND OF MICHAEL'S, THERE'S EVIDENCE CORROBORATING ALL THE ELEMENTS OF THE CRIME THAT IS IN THE INDICTMENT OF NOT MICHAEL COHEN, DONALD TRUMP. CREDIBILITY IS A VALID ISSUE. YOU PUT
