Law, Power, and Justice

10:40:CNN

• This is “prosecutorial misconduct.”  Says Elie Honig. 
• Tapper: “There has to be reasonable doubt.”
• CNN is making a deal breaker over this, but Cohen had already admitted he took this money. 
• (Note: I would like to hear somebody take on Honig for this “prosecutorial misconduct.”)

10:50: MSNBC

• MSNBC certainly doesn’t seem to share CNN’s panic over the Cohen (second) admission.

10:53: CNN

• The CNN overreaction is exactly what happened last week, representing this implication that Cohen and Trump talked about something other than Danels (prank calls) as proof that they didn’t talk about Daniels.
• CNN likes to create a controversy
• (Note: CNN repeated the defense claim that the disjointed beginning of the cross, first day, was a strategy.)
• Tapper is now claiming that the prosecutor was at fault for Cohen’s “stealing” from the company and not bringing it out fully enough. (rewrite)
• Tapper, is trying to repair the damage of the panel-wide panic over the Cohen admission.
• Tapper is blaming the prosecutor for the fact that he (Tapper) missed it.  She didn’t “underline” it.  “connect the dots.”  “explain to the jury”
• Coates is now joining “fatally undermine the prosecution’s case.”
• Coates pointing out that what Cohen did was a crime.
• Coates: The prosecution has to rehabilitate its own reputation.
• Tapper: “They should have hit his harder a week ago.”  Describes himself as a “caveman.”
• Trump’s lawyer: the prosecution misled this jury, they should say in closing.
• Honig: I didn’t think Trump deserved the difference and I stole from them is different.
• Another former Trump lawyer: Tapper frames the question about a “revelation.”  (note: It was already admitted.) Tapper: “devastating”
• Van der Veer: They are painting Cohen as thieving.  Did he use is own money to pay Daniels because he was a thief?  There are going to be a few more bombshells about shading in the direct testimony.  “Blanche is hitting it home.”
• Tapper: The documents are now called into question. 
• Van de Veer: Raises the heat for Trump to testify. Cohen’s testimony is still the same. 
• Emails from the (mobster) Costello.  Costello represented Cohen, formally or informally.
• Cohen has a lot of communication with Costello.  Cohen says they were trying to dangle pardons.  (Parlatore):
• Costello says that Cohen was begging for a pardon. 
• Haberman seems to imply that the jurors are pulling at their aces and shifting around.”
• Costello elicited from Cohen that he had no criminal information against Trump.  (He might not have known it).
• Costello testifying opens a lot of not so great doors (Giuliani)
• Attorney: Kobe: “Now I have found out that he is a thief, my opinion has totally not changed.”  Underboss has skimmed from the boss that the boss neverlearned out.  I don’t think it’s the “bombshell.”  Cast doubt on content of phone call.  That’s one hole.  (Long pause after Kobe ends.)  Kobe says he wold have ended this about an hour ago.
• “too long”  “Yeah, Michael Cohen is a thief also.”
• Collins keeps hitting the stealing thing.  Work to the opportunist argument and enrich himself.
• Kobe: I don’t think that story is in doubt…exactly what Michael Cohen is…how…explain shellin out $130,000” why?  How do you explain that?
• Defesne” admitted stealing from the Trump organization.”
• 11:57
• Tapper again refers to the theft as a “revelation.”  Guest prosecutor says  it’s not much of a revelation.  Maybe the prosecutors could have made it a better story, but it was taken for granted.

Redirect from Prosecutor

• Honig maintains that the phone call was a lie by Cohen, that the phone call was about prank calls.  This is not what was established.
• I’m not sure where shes going maybe that he had every right to steal $40,000.  Pathetic obsessive attempt to rehabilitate their own mistake.  Create controversy.
• “None of these are sufficient justifications for larceny.” Tapper.
• Tapper, especially spent over an hour this afternoon trying to make Cohen’s statement that he overcharged Trump for the polling company bill into a bombshell.  It was pathetic.