Michael Cohen says he remembers 'significant' calls as Donald Trump's lawyer questions his phone records

Donald Trump's defence attorneyTodd Blanche enquired about Michael Cohen's 14,000 phone calls between 2016 and 2017
UPDATED MAY 17, 2024
Todd Blanche asked Michael Cohen about a specific call with Donald Trump from June 2016, which he said he didn't remember (Getty Images)
Todd Blanche asked Michael Cohen about a specific call with Donald Trump from June 2016, which he said he didn't remember (Getty Images)

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: Donald Trump's lead lawyer Todd Blanche questioned Michael Cohen about how many phone calls he was receiving per day in 2016 and 2017, which was later revealed to be around 14000 a year after some off-the-cuff calculation. 

Blanche asked Cohen about a specific call with Trump from June 2016, which he said he didn't remember. Trump's attorney then asked whether he remembered other calls he testified about earlier in the trial, including some that were crucial to prosecutors' case. Cohen, however, said that those calls were different.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 19: Former U.S. President Donald Trump (R) sits with his attorney Todd Blanche (L) during his criminal trial as jury selection continues at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 19, 2024 in New York City. Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records last year, which prosecutors say was an effort to hide a potential sex scandal, both before and after the 2016 presidential election. Trump is the first former U.S. president to face trial on criminal charges. (Photo by Mark Peterson - Pool/Getty Images)
Donald Trump's lead lawyer Todd Blanche questioned Michael Cohen about how many phone calls he was receiving per day in 2016 and 2017 (Getty Images)

What did Michael Cohen say about the calls?

"These phone calls are things I've been talking about for the last six years. They were, and are, extremely important and they were all-consuming," Cohen said according to CBS News.

"So while I did not know they took place at 8:02 p.m., what I did recall was the conversation that I had — not timing but rather the substance — because it was such a significant event, and because I had been telling the same story for six years," he added.

Cohen mentioned the call he made when he transferred the $130,000 payment from First Republic Bank, saying he remembers it "because it was that significant."

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 13:  Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump's personal attorney, takes a ca
Michael Cohen mentioned the call he made when he transferred the $130,000 payment from First Republic Bank (Getty Images)

Michael Cohen on how he and Donald Trump tackled press inquiries

Blanche also grilled Cohen about his contacts with the press on Trump's behalf when he was his lawyer. Cohen said he would "immediately" go into Trump's office when a reporter reached out to him with questions, and he and Trump would craft a response together.

CHARLESTON, WV - AUGUST 21:  President Donald Trump speaks a rally at the Charleston Civic Center on
Todd Blanche grilled Michael Cohen about his contacts with the press on Donald Trump's behalf when he was his lawyer (Getty Images)

"You never reached out to a reporter without first checking with President Trump?" Blanche asked. "It was my routine to always advise Mr. Trump, because if a story that I was going to put out was not the way he would want it, one, it would probably cause him to blow up at me and two, it would be the end of my job."

Cohen said he would send the same statement "over and over" to different news outlets covering the same story. "I would always get a comment or something in line with a conversation that we had on that specific topic," he testified. "Again, if I did that and he didn't like the response, it would probably cost me my job."

Internet says Michael Cohen is getting fried 'like a shrimp'

Netizens also mostly backed Blanche and slammed Cohen amid the ongoing hush-money trial. One user tweeted, "He is frying him like a shrimp!" Another questioned, "Isn't this the part where you strike quickly making your point and move to the next kill?" "Blanche has the right idea here, but it seems he doesn't have the skill to do it crisply" added one. 

"Even if he couldn't remember exactly on which call he talked about what (which would be understandable), why would it matter? It doesn't change the money, the checks, the signatures on them, the paper trail..." opined one user. One penned, "I think we all want to know if there is there a faint (or strong) shit smell in the air?" 



 



 



 



 



 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.

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