EVER CRIMINAL TRIAL OF A FORMER PRESIDENT AND A CURRENT CANDIDATE AS WELL. THIS WAS A TOUGH WEEK FOR THE DEFENDANT. IT WAS GRIPPING, DRAMATIC TESTIMONY FROM THE WOMAN AT THE CENTER OF THE HUSH MONEY PLOT. THERE WERE ALSO TESTIMONY ON KEY DAYS OF TESTIMONY FROM WITNESSES WHO WERE IN TRUMP'S ORBIT WHO COULD SPEAK ABOUT WHAT SHE SAID AND CORROBORATE SOME OF THE FINANCIALS FOR THE JURY. WE HAVE MORE ON THAT AS WELL TONIGHT, BUT PROSECUTORS HAVE BEEN LAYING OUT THE PIECES OF THIS SCHEME TO INFLUENCE THE 2016 ELECTION AND AS WE RECOUNT WHY IT WAS SUCH A TOUGH WEEK FOR TRUMP, WE KNOW RECORDING TO THE PUBLIC REMARKS HERE, WE'RE WORKING OFF THE PUBLIC EVIDENCE, WE KNOW WE'RE NEAR THE END OF THIS THING. WE HAVE NOW TWO WITNESSES LEFT ACCORDING TO D.A.'S TEAM. THE STAR WITNESS, MICHAEL COHEN, TRUMP'S FORMER LAWYER AND FIXER WILL BEGIN MONDAY. ONE OTHER WITNESS THEY'LL BE READY TO REST AS SOON AS THE COMING WEEK. COHEN, OF COURSE, IS CENTRAL TO THE D.A.'S CASE AND HE HAS TESTIFIED UNDER OATH BEFORE THAT TRUMP WAS IN ON EVERYTHING. >> YOU KNEW ABOUT EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING HAD TO GO THROUGH MR. TRUMP AND BE APPROVED BY MR. TRUMP. >> THAT'S WHAT COHEN SOUNDED LIKE LAST TIME. THAT IS SIMILARLY LEGALLY BINDING TESTIMONY THAT IT'S UNDER OATH. A LOT OF PUNISHMENT IF YOU'RE LYING TO CONGRESS. WE EXPECT TO SEE A SIMILAR LINE ON MONDAY. THEY'LL REST THEIR CASE BY THE END OF THE WEEK. NOW, IT COULD CHANGE. THERE'S NOT SOME OTHER ESH WITH THE JUDGE, BUT THEY EXPECT TO HAVE THIS THING DONE BY THURSDAY. THERE ARE OF COURSE STEPS AFTER THAT, THE DEFENSE GETS TO RESPOND AND JURY GETS TO DELIBERATE, THAT KIND OF STUFF. BUT WHETHER OR NOT THEY CAN MAKE THE CASE, THEY ARE SAYING BY THURSDAY THEY BELIEVE THEY WILL HAVE LEGALLY SET OUT ALL THE EVIDENCE, EVERY ELEMENT, OF THE TWO CRIMES THEY SAY DONALD TRUMP COMMITTED. THIS WEEK STARTED WITH A BANG. TRUMP'S TEAM CLASHED WITH THE JUDGE OVER HIM GETTING CAUGHT BLATANTLY VIOLATING THE GAG ORDER. THAT MEANT AS THIS BARRELS FORWARD, THE JUDGE HAD TO TELL HIM, THE DEFENDANT THROUGH THE LAWYER, THAT HE COULD FACE A JAIL SANCTION IF THIS CONTINUES. FUTURE VIOLATIONS COULD BE PUNISHABLE BY INCARCERATION. PROSECUTORS ARE MAKING GOOD ON WHAT THEY SAID THEY WOULD DO. FOLLOW THE MONEY, SHOW THE RECEIPTS. THAT'S IMPORTANT AS WE'VE MENTIONED AND I'M GOING TO GET INTO THIS WITH OUR EXPERTS TONIGHT AS PART OF THIS SPECIAL. THAT THE WITNESSES MATTER BECAUSE THEY BRING EVERYTHING TO LIFE. THEY DON'T DO MUCH WITHOUT RECEIPTS. THE D.A. DOES HAVE SOME DAMNING ONES. THE CHECKS YOU SEE, THE SIGNATURE FROM THE DEFENDANT, THE OTHER PAPERWORK THAT SHOWS HOW THIS WAS NOT JUST SOME RANDOM ONE OFF BUT WAS A WHOLE PLOT RUN THROUGH THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION AND THROUGH DONALD TRUMP'S PERSONAL BANK ACCOUNT. THEY HAVE THE CHECKS THAT TRUMP WROTE TO COHEN. THE JURY SAW THOSE FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS WEEK. PROSECUTORS THEN CALLED ACTRESS STORMY DANIELS TO THE STAND WHERE SHE TESTIFIED AND TOLD THE JURY WHY SHE UNDERSTOOD TRUMP WANTED HER SILENT AT THAT TIME. >> STORMY DANIELS BECAME A HOUSEHOLD NAME FOR SHAKING THE CORRIDORS OF POWER. >> DANIELS OF COURSE IS AT THE CENTER OF THIS ENTIRE CASE. >> EVERYBODY WANTS TO HEAR WHAT DANIELS WILL SAY. >> STORMY DANIELS GETTING THE MOST ATTENTION. >> RIVETING, BOMBSHELL, SOMETIMES ICKY TESTIMONY. >> YOU WANTED MONEY. >> IT BORDERED ON SUSAN NECKLACE I THINK SHAMING A SEX WORKER. >> MOTIVATION TO REALLY SHAME THIS WOMAN AND IT'S NOT WORKING. >> SHE WAS NOT GOING TO LET HER STORY BEING MISCHARACTERIZED. >> DANIELS TESTIFIED OVER TWO DAYS. HER TESTIMONY WAS QUITE DETAILED. AT TIMES, GRAPHIC. AS AN OBSERVATION THERE, THAT COULD SOUND LIKE A CHARACTERIZATION OR WITHIN. THAT WAS SOMETHING THE JUDGE HAD TO AT TIMES PATROL. SO AT A LEGAL LEVEL, SOME OF THE DETAILS WENT BEYOND WHAT THE JUDGE FELT WAS NECESSARY FOR THE EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE D.A.'S CASE. REMEMBER, THIS IS NOT LIKE AN INTERVIEW WHERE YOU CAN JUMP AROUND ON DIFFERENT TOPICS. THE QUESTIONS AND TOPICS ARE REGULATED BY THE JUDGE. NOW, WITHIN WHAT SHE DID SAY, SHE TESTIFIED THAT TRUMP DIDN'T APPEAR CONCERNED WHEN THEY HAD THEIR INITIAL ENCOUNTER ABOUT IT GOING PUBLIC. THAT BOLSTERS THE D.A.'S CASE, PART OF THE CAMPAIGN CRIME AND NOT JUST SOME GENERALIZED HUSH MONEY. DANIELS FACED AGGRESSIVE QUESTIONING FROM TRUMP'S ATTORNEY WHO AS WE'VE REPORTED ACROSS THE WEEK, TRIED TO USE STIGMAS OR DISCREDIT HER BECAUSE OF HER JOB. SHE ACCUSED DANIELS OF EXPORTING TRUMP. DANIELS REPLIED FALSE. KIND OF AN ALLEGATION IN THE FORM OF A QUESTION. ALSO RAISEs THE IDEA THAT DANIELS MADE THE WHOLE THING UP. THAT IS TO SAY SHE HAD SOME INTERACTION WITH TRUMP THAT MADE HIM SO CONCERNED HE WAS WILLING TO PAY FOR HER SILENCE. DANIELS ALSO SAID SHARING HER STORY HAS NEGATIVELY IMPACTED HER AND THERE'S A LOT OF CORROBORATION OF THAT. WHEN SHE WRAPPED, IT PAVED THE WAY FOR OTHER WITNESSES AND SOME AREN'T AS EXCITING BUT GO AGAIN TO WHAT I SAID HAD TO PROVE. NOT JUST THAT IT WAS A COVER UP, BUT AN INTENTIONAL FINANCIAL COVER UP THAT TRUMP KNEW ABOUT BASICALLY AT THE TIME. SO THERE WAS A BOOKKEEPER FROM HIS COMPANY THAT SAID TRUMP TALKED TO WEISSELBERG DAILY. THAT TESTIMONY BACKED UP BY ANOTHER STAFF ASSISTANT ON THURSDAY THAT THEY REMEMBERED A COUPLE OF TIMES WHERE THERE WAS A QUESTION ABOUT A CHECK AND TRUMP WOULD PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL WEISSELBERG. SHE BECAME EMOTIONAL AND CRIED ON THE STAND AND SAID SHE MET WITH THE DEFENSE EARLIER IN THE WEEK TO PREPARE AS SHE WAS A PROSECUTION WITNESS BUT THAT GIVES YOU SOME SIGNAL OF HER PERSPECTIVE. THAT'S OKAY, BY THE WAY. THE WITNESSES MAY HAVE A MIXED PERSPECTIVE. THEIR MAIN OBLIGATION IS SUPPOSED TO BE TELLING THE TRUTH. THE JURY ASSESSES THAT. FRIDAY, THE JUDGE EVEN FLOATED THE IDEA OF HAVING THE CONVICTED TRUMP MONEY MAN, WEISSELBERG, TESTIFY HIMSELF. NOW THAT WOULD BE A BIG DEAL. REMEMBER WHEN I MENTIONED UNEXPECTED THINGS COULD ADD TIME. IF YOU ADDED A WITNESS AND HAD TO ARRANGE HIM GETTING OUT OF RIKERS JAIL, THAT MIGHT TAKE EXTRA TIME. HE'S IN RIKERS IN NEW YORK AFTER PLEADING GUILTY TO PERJURY FOR TESTIMONY HE GAVE IN A DIFFERENT TRUMP CASE. IN A DIFFERENT FRAUD CASE. AND THAT IS THE SECOND TIME THAT WEISSELBERG HAS GONE IN TO JAIL FOR THINGS HE DID THAT WERE BASICALLY RELATED TO AND ARGUABLY OR ALLEGEDLY AT THE BEHEST OF HIS BOSS, DONALD TRUMP. POLITICO REPORTS THAT AT TIMES, TRUMP LAWYERS HAVE LOOKED VISIBLY CONCERNED AT THE SUGGESTION THAT WEISSELBERG COME IN. THEY SEEM TO THINK HE'S LOYAL BUT BETTER OFF NOT HEARD FROM. NOW, WE ARE ALSO SEEING THE WAY THAT DAY BY DAY, THIS PROCESS CAN YIELD DIFFERENT INFORMATION SO THAT STAFFER THAT I MENTIONED, WHEN SHE TESTIFIED FRIDAY, SHE SAID TRUMP WOULD SIGN CHECKS SOMETIMES WITHOUT EVEN REVIEWING THEM. THAT GOES TO A CLASH AMONG AND ACROSS BOTH WITNESSES IN THE D.A. AND DEFENSE ARGUMENTS. BECAUSE AGAIN, THE JURY'S JOB HERE IS NOT TO ROOT FOR ONE SIDE AND NOT TO ONLY TAKE THE FIRST THING THEY HEAR AS GOSPEL. INDEED, THEY WILL GET INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE THEY GO IN TO DELIBERATE THAT YOU HAVE TO TAKE IT ALL. NOT JUST THE MOST RECENT ARGUMENT, BE THAT WHICH LAWYER GOT TO FINISH OR WHICH WITNESS WENT LAST. SO TOGETHER, THEY HAVE TO UNSPOOL ALL THESE CLAIMS. THE BUSY OUT OF THE LOOP CLAIM IS A FAIR DEFENSE. ONE HE'S ALLOWED TO LODGE. BUT THEY HAVE TO LOOK AT ALL THE DEFENSE, THE SIGNATURES, THE BOOKS, THE BRAGGING ABOUT HOW INVOLVED HE IS TO DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT THAT, PLUS A TAPE OF HIM TALKING ABOUT THESE PAYMENTS, WHETHER IT CHECKS OUT. IF WE WERE USING A GENERAL STANDARD LIKE TWO SOURCES IN JOURNALISM, THEY'D HAVE TRUMP. BUT IT IS A HIGHER STANDARD AND DELIBERATELY SO. IT'S NOT JUST TWO SOURCES OR WHAT YOU THINK IS MOST LIKELY OR REASONABLY WHAT HAPPENED. IT IS A VERY HIGH STANDARD ON PURPOSE FOR ALL DEFENDANTS IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT THAT HE DID IT, COVERED IT UP AND WITH A CAMPAIGN CRIME CONTENT. A HIGHER BAR. THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE WATCHING THIS NEXT WEEK AS THE D.A. BRINGS MANY COHEN THEN RESTS ITS CASE.
