MSNBC Hails "Real Triumph" for Trump Defense Team in Michael Cohen Cross-examination

MSNBC legal correspondent Lisa Rubin declares that a key exchange between Trump lawyer Todd Blanche and star witness Michael Cohen represents a significant victory for the Trump defense team.

In a captivating cross-examination that left MSNBC commentators in awe, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche skillfully challenged the credibility of Michael Cohen, the prosecution's star witness in the ongoing New York v. Trump trial. Lisa Rubin, MSNBC's legal correspondent, expressed her astonishment at the exchange, describing it as a "moment of real triumph" for the defense team.

Rubin highlighted a crucial moment when Blanche confronted Cohen about his communications with Trump's former bodyguard, Keith Schiller. After establishing that Cohen had called Schiller on October 24th to reach Trump, Blanche presented a previously undisclosed text message exchange between Cohen and Schiller.

In the text, Cohen inquired about who he could contact regarding harassing phone calls he had received. Schiller responded, "Call me." Cohen initially testified that the phone call on October 24th was exclusively about Trump. However, Blanche's revelation cast doubt on this claim.

Cohen admitted that he was now uncertain about the exact content of the phone call, potentially undermining his previous testimony. Rubin noted that Cohen had never seen the text message prior to the trial, despite it being among the evidence in the possession of the district attorney's office.

This revelation, Rubin argued, made the district attorney's office appear sloppy and raised questions about Cohen's credibility. She suggested that it could cast doubt on a significant portion of his testimony, including his earlier statements about contacts with Trump.

"This is a moment of real triumph for Todd Blanche," Rubin exclaimed. "He is not a person to get excitable very easily. This is a real point for the defense."

CNN analyst Elie Honig concurred, stating that Cohen had his "knees chopped out" during the cross-examination. New York Times reporter Jonathan Alter described the exchange as "pay dirt" for Trump's defense, noting that Trump appeared upbeat despite the defense's inability to sway Cohen on another payment-related issue.

During the contentious exchange, Blanche accused Cohen of lying about the phone call to Schiller. Blanche insisted that Cohen had not spoken with Trump that day, despite Cohen's previous testimony.

Cohen responded, "I'm not certain that's accurate," leaving open the possibility that he had indeed spoken with Trump. The cross-examination of Cohen is set to resume on Monday.

Cohen's credibility has been a focal point in the trial, given his prior history of lying under oath and his animosity towards Trump. The revelation regarding the text message exchange has further damaged Cohen's credibility and provided a significant boost to the Trump defense team.