Law, Power, and Justice

2 PM

• Cohen: There’s “no shame” in being personal attorney to the president.  The kay word here is “shame.”  Admitting he wanted so badly to go to the White House and being dismissed as cruelly as Trump dismissed him, makes him feel shamed.  I don’t know why that’s difficult to understand.  He, like most men, is not being honest with himself.
• Being dishonest with yourself is different from lying.
• Trump, of course, is staring at Cohen.
• Trump is paying attention, according to the CNN commentator because he wants to see what is happening.  No Trump is a predator and a sadist and enjoys watching other people suffer.
• (Note: Mention “Man in Full” quote about there not being men like men around like me anymore.  They want to eliminate men like me.
• Ahitccording to texts between Cohen and his daughter, Cohen was having a difficult time getting tickets to the inauguration.  Cohen’s daughter said that Trump and his new people are “walking all over you.”  Obvious, dummies, Cohen does not want to admit his own hurt and especially does not want to admit being shamed by another man IN FRONT OF HIS DAUGHTER.
• Trump is reportedly “staring intently” at Cohen.  (Note: Yes, I have seen cats do exactly this, staring at a potential victim.)
• CNN is showing Jim Jordan attacking Cohen in 2019 about not being chosen for the White House.  This means that the prosecution knew that this was a potential line of questioning and potential problem.  They did not prepare Cohen for this.
• The fake cases Cohen forwarded to his then attorney and used in an attempt to get early release from prison were the subject of a hearing.  The judge found that Cohen had inadvertently used an app on the computer that provided him with what he thought were relevant citations, but were not. The judge found that he had done this due to sloppiness and error, not malicious behavior.
• Blanche is now asking about a phone call to Keith Schiller.  October 2016 phone call.  Blanche reportedly at ease.  Blanche is asking about specifics of the phone call to imply that if Cohen doesn’t remember, he is an unreliable witness.
• Trump never made phone calls. Like most mob bosses, he got somebody else to call for him.  Blanche asking about a call on October 24, at 8:02 PM.  Jesus.
• Alyssa Griffin (former Trump white house) says Cohen could have never joined the administration because he would have to passed a background check.  (Note: Remember Jared Kushner?)  She also says Cohen wasn’t specific about when he broke with Trump.  (Note: He was, his family basically did an “intervention.”)
• Griffin also comments that this case, if lost, could be a “disaster.”  (Note: My exactly words.) She says she can’t say that she would convict based on Cohen’s inaccuracies and not admitting that he wanted a job at the White House
• Texts between Cohen and Schiller, according to Tapper, eroding the testimony that this call was about Stormy Daniels since Cohen left a message about a prank caller.
• Coates: “This is a documents case.”  They have corroborated Cohen’s testimony. 
• Blanche is raising his voice, TV attacking bout the subject of the call.  Cohen is, reportedly, calm.
• Blanche is “pacing and flailing his arms.”  Reporter CNN in courtroom.  Honig: The texts don’t support that theme.
• Honig: This call hasn’t been mentioned in earlier testimony of Cohen?
• Tapper: “It does seem pretty bad.” Referring to Cohen’s testimony. 
• (Note: We filled up the bird/squirrel feeder and they are so happy.  Purple finches, woodpecker that looks like a flicker, but I don’t think it is.  Nuthatch.  Our little cat, Hiram, loves to watch them out the bedroom window.  He loves the birds and the squirrels.  He only once went after a hummer (poor thing) but never again.)
• Cohen said he had this phone call to Keith Schiller to get to Trump (Tapper points out that it is revealing that Cohen had to go through Schiller to get to Trump.) October 2016.   Blanche is trying to say that the call was about a prank caller.  There are logs and texts between Schiller and Cohen about getting SS assistance. 
• (Note: Missed some of the testimony because of recording)
• CNN now as the bimbo (?) doing the discussion.  (What a bad idea).
• Rejoining coverage after lunch.
• Mike Dubke, former Trump person.  “The president’s feeling comfortable.”
• MSNBC
• 3:26 PM. 
• Defendants rarely take the stand.  So, Blanche has not done this a lot. 
• Former US attorney, Barbara Quade: The prosecution knew this day was going to come.  They prepared Cohen.
• CNN
• Reporter inside: “Cohen says Santucci “used to ome to the office quite a bit” so he was surprised when he heard ABC through Santucci was fighting for Daniels’ story.” (Note: This says so much about the press.)
• Honig is arguing that this was “devastating” cross.
• MSNBC
• There is a possibility of the defense calling a legal expert. 
• End of day.