Michael Cohen trolled as 14-year-old prank caller episode is exposed during Trump hush money trial

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: In a dramatic twist at former President Donald Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial on May 16, it was revealed that Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney, had been preoccupied with a 14-year-old prank caller when he claimed to have had a crucial conversation with Trump about the hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

This surfaced during an intense second day of cross-examination, as Trump’s defense team sought to dismantle Cohen’s credibility, painting him as a disgruntled former ally seeking revenge.

Fiery cross-examination

The courtroom drama unfolded as Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, confronted Cohen about a phone call made on October 24, 2016, just days before Cohen wired $130,000 to Daniels' lawyer to secure her silence about an alleged affair with Trump.

Blanche argued that Cohen's purported conversation with Trump about the Daniels deal was in fact about a prank caller who had been harassing Cohen. “We are not asking for your belief. This jury does not want to hear what you think happened!” Blanche exclaimed, challenging Cohen’s testimony.

Cohen had testified that he called Trump’s bodyguard, Keith Schiller, knowing Schiller would be with Trump, to finalize the Daniels arrangement. However, Blanche introduced evidence showing Cohen had also been dealing with a prank caller that same day, threatening to involve the Secret Service.

Pressed by Blanche, Cohen admitted that the brief one minute and 36-second phone call with Schiller involved discussing both the prank call and the Daniels payment.

“Part of it was about the phone calls [with the prankster], but I knew that Keith was with Mr Trump at the time, and it was more than potentially just this,” Cohen stated, leading Blanche to respond with incredulity.

“You had enough time in that one minute and 36 seconds to update Mr Schiller about all the problems you were having with this harassing phone call and also update Trump on the status of the Stormy Daniels situation?” Blanche demanded. “That was a lie, you can admit it!” he yelled.

“I believe I was telling the truth,” Cohen, dressed in a black suit and honey mustard yellow tie, replied calmly, unfazed by Blanche’s aggressive questioning.

The courtroom was shown text messages between Cohen and the prank caller, with the teenager pleading for leniency after Cohen had threatened to report him to the Secret Service. “I DIDNT DO IT,” one message read. “Im 14,” followed by another message: “Please… don’t….do this.”

Cohen had written to the prankster, “This number has just been sent to Secret Service for your ongoing and continuous harassment to both my cell as well as the organization’s main line.”

The prosecution's case hinges significantly on Cohen's testimony that Trump directed him to pay Daniels to prevent her story from affecting the 2016 election. The defense’s strategy has been to undermine Cohen’s credibility by highlighting his history of deceit, both in his capacity as Trump’s fixer and in his personal dealings, per the New York Post.

During the cross-examination, Cohen confessed to having submitted fake legal precedents, generated by artificial intelligence, in a bid to shorten his supervised release following his convictions for campaign finance violations and other crimes. “The three cases that you gave to your lawyer were not real cases, correct?” Blanche queried. “Correct,” Cohen conceded.

Cohen also admitted to having sought a presidential pardon from Trump, despite previously telling Congress in 2019 that he had not pursued such a deal. “At that present moment, it was true. I wanted this nightmare to end,” Cohen testified.

Michael Cohen mocked on social media

The courtroom revelations sparked a wave of reactions on social media, with many users mocking Cohen for his mishandling of the prank caller incident.

"Revenge plot of the fixer foiled by a 14 year old prankster that got under his skin. Ha!!! Best story ever," one posted on X.

"What a loser," another wrote.

"How could Cohen fix anything? He couldn’t even handle a 14 year old prankster. He’s pathetic," someone else chimed in.

"I wouldn’t trust a word he says. It is proven all he does is lie," another added.

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