The courtroom atmosphere heated up when Trump attorney Todd Blanche attempted to prevent the jury from seeing a photo of former President Donald Trump and his bodyguard Keith Schiller, potentially bolstering ex-Trump fixer Michael Cohen’s testimony and proving Donald cheated on Melania with Stormy Daniels and wanted it covered up.
Cohen’s testimony continued in the Stormy Daniels hush money-election interference trial, with a week of damaging examinations and cross-examinations that tested Cohen’s credibility. Blanche’s cross-examination included a moment where Cohen admitted to stealing money from the Trump Organization.
However, just before lunch, prosecutors unearthed a crucial piece of evidence: photos of Trump with his bodyguard Schiller on Oct. 24, 2016, around 7:57 pm. This evidence could support Cohen’s testimony about speaking directly to Trump. Blanche argued against its admission, claiming the defense never implied Schiller and Trump weren’t together that evening.
Blanche’s vigorous argument prompted a response from Judge Juan Merchan, who indicated he would research a legal issue raised by the defense during the lunch break. The issue concerned whether the evidence constituted hearsay, as the prosecution argued it was not, given an earlier expert witness’s foundation.
The potential admission of this evidence could undermine Blanche’s argument that Cohen lied about speaking to Trump on Oct. 24. Consequently, Blanche vehemently opposed its introduction. Judge Merchan is expected to rule on the evidence after lunch.
Jonah Bromwich
May 20, 2024, 12:47 p.m. ET
The prosecutors have found pictures of Trump with his bodyguard Keith Schiller on Oct. 24, 2016, right around 7:57 pm. The defense had sought to suggest that Michael Cohen had talked to Schiller that night instead of Trump, as Cohen originally testified. Now, the prosecutors will fight to get this piece of evidence in, which shows that Cohen could have talked to both Schiller and Trump on the call, as he testified he did earlier today.
Jonah Bromwich
May 20, 2024, 12:49 p.m. ETTodd Blanche argues that the defense never said or implied that Schiller and Trump were not together that evening.
Maggie Haberman
May 20, 2024, 12:53 p.m. ETBlanche’s voice rises into a higher register as he argues his point.
Jonah Bromwich
May 20, 2024, 12:58 p.m. ET“I think it’s relevant,” Justice Merchan says, but he does not decide whether he will allow the evidence in. He says he wants to research another legal issue the defense raised, a hearsay issue, during the lunch break. Hearsay is secondhand information — but the prosecution has argued that the evidence is not hearsay because an earlier expert witness laid the foundation for this evidence to be shown to jurors. We’ll see what the judge concludes after lunch.
Jonah Bromwich
May 20, 2024, 12:59 p.m. ETThis evidence would go some way toward defanging an argument that Todd Blanche spent a lot of time on: He suggested that Michael Cohen had lied about speaking to Trump on Oct. 24. So it’s no wonder Blanche was fighting as hard as he could to keep this piece of evidence out.
