Cohen believed he was telling the truth about his interactions with Trump and Schiller.
Defense attorneys accused Cohen of lying about the purpose of the call.
Michael Cohen testified about a call between Trump and himself on October 24, 2016 regarding a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels.
Michael Cohen, former lawyer and fixer for Donald Trump, faced intense questioning from defense attorneys during the fifth week of his criminal trial in Manhattan. The defense accused Cohen of lying about a phone call between Trump and himself on October 24, 2016 regarding a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels. Cohen testified that he called Trump's bodyguard Keith Schiller to speak with Trump about the agreement, but defense attorneys argued that the call was actually related to harassment calls Cohen had been receiving from an unidentified teenager.
Cohen is a key witness in the trial, which alleges that Trump falsified business records related to reimbursements for hush money payments made to Daniels and Karen McDougal. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and maintains that the payments were not for sexual encounters.
The defense's accusations came during a grueling cross-examination by Todd Blanche, one of Trump's attorneys. Cohen appeared calm under pressure but was pressed on his credibility and past lies. The trial is expected to continue with closing arguments by Tuesday.
Here are some takeaways from Day 18 of the Trump hush money trial:
Michael Cohen testified that he called Donald Trump's bodyguard Keith Schiller on October 24, 2016 to speak with Trump about an agreement with Stormy Daniels.
Cohen believed he was telling the truth regarding his interactions with Trump and Schiller.
Defense attorneys accused Cohen of lying about the purpose of the call and presented text messages that were unrelated to anything having to do with Trump or Daniels.
The trial is being closely watched as it could have implications for Trump's presidential campaign. If convicted, he could face prison time.
Cohen has a history of lying and has already been convicted of several crimes. This could cast doubt on his credibility.
The defense presented text messages that were unrelated to anything having to do with Trump or Daniels, but it's unclear if these texts were sent during or before the October 24 call.
Cohen testified that he called Donald Trump's bodyguard Keith Schiller on Oct. 24, 2016 to speak with Trump about an agreement with Stormy Daniels.
Cohen believed he was telling the truth regarding his interactions with Trump and Schiller.
Accuracy
Donald Trump's lawyers accused the star prosecution witness in his hush money trial of lying to jurors.
Cohen said he believed he also spoke to Trump about the Daniels deal.
Cohen told jurors that Trump promised to reimburse him for the money he fronted and was constantly updated about behind-the-scenes efforts to bury potentially detrimental stories.
Deception
(30%)
The article contains selective reporting as it only reports details that support the defense's position and implies that Cohen is a liar without providing any evidence to back up this claim. The author also uses emotional manipulation by describing Cohen as a 'serial fabulist' and 'media-obsessed opportunist'.
Defense attorney Todd Blanche pressed Cohen for hours with questions that focused as much on his misdeeds as on the case's specific allegations and tried to sow doubt in jurors' minds about Cohen's crucial testimony implicating the former president.
The defense accused the star prosecution witness in his hush money trial of lying to jurors, portraying Trump fixer-turned-foe Michael Cohen on Thursday as a serial fabulist who is bent on seeing the former president behind bars.
Fallacies
(80%)
The article contains several instances of appeals to authority and inflammatory rhetoric. The defense attorney's accusations against Michael Cohen are presented as facts without any evidence provided to support them. The author uses phrases like 'star prosecution witness', 'heated moment', 'risk of prosecutors' reliance on Cohen', and 'former president Trump talks to the media outside Manhattan criminal court'. These phrases imply that there is something suspicious or questionable about Cohen's testimony, but no evidence is presented to back up these implications. Additionally, the author uses inflammatory language when describing Cohen as a 'serial fabulist' and a 'media-obsessed opportunist'. This language is not based on any facts presented in the article and serves only to sway the reader's opinion against Cohen.
][The defense] accused the star prosecution witness in his hush money trial of lying to jurors, portraying Trump fixer-turned-foe Michael Cohen on Thursday as a serial fabulist who is bent on seeing the former president behind bars.[/
Defense attorney Todd Blanche pressed Cohen for hours with questions that focused as much on his misdeeds as on the case's specific allegations and tried to sow doubt in jurors' minds about Cohen's crucial testimony implicating the former president.
Donald Trump's lawyers accused the star prosecution witness in his hush money trial of lying to jurors.
Cohen believed he also spoke to Trump about the Daniels deal.
Accuracy
,
Deception
(30%)
The authors use sensational language in the title and throughout the article to grab readers' attention. They also selectively report information by focusing on dramatic moments in the trial while omitting important context about Cohen's testimony and Trump's involvement. For example, they mention that Blanche accused Cohen of lying about a phone call but do not provide enough context for readers to understand why this is significant or what was discussed during the call. They also imply that this is the 'clearest example yet' of defense efforts to cast doubt on Cohen's credibility without explaining why it is clearer than previous examples. Additionally, they use emotional manipulation by describing Blanche's 'most dramatic moment' and Cohen's 'cool demeanor throughout the testimony.'
Takeaways from Day 18 of the Trump hush money trial
It was the most dramatic moment of the cross-examination...
the clearest example yet...
Blanche used the texts to challenge Cohen’s account...
Fallacies
(85%)
The authors use inflammatory rhetoric by describing Todd Blanche's behavior as 'the most dramatic moment' and 'biggest rhetorical flourish', and 'huge blow to Cohen's credibility'. They also use the phrase 'clearest example yet'. These phrases are not objective descriptions, but rather attempts to sway the reader's opinion. This is a form of informal fallacy known as emotional appeal or appeals to emotion.
]The most dramatic moment[
a huge blow to Cohen's credibility
the clearest example yet
Bias
(75%)
The authors demonstrate a clear bias towards discrediting Michael Cohen's testimony by repeatedly challenging his memory and inconsistencies in his statements. They use language that depicts Cohen as unreliable and dishonest, such as 'biggest rhetorical flourish', 'blow to Cohen’s credibility', 'hours tediously moving through inconsistent statements', and 'hammered Cohen with repetitive questions'. The authors also imply that Trump's demeanor during the trial is a deliberate strategy to not react, which could be interpreted as an attempt to discredit the proceedings.
Blanche questioned Cohen on myriad of topics, including the recanting of his 2018 guilty plea on tax charges, whether he wanted to work in the White House and what he’s said about a pardon from Trump.
The most dramatic moment of the cross-examination of the key witness in the hush money case, andthe clearest example yet of the defense’s effort to cast doubt on Cohen’s memory of phone calls and other significant interactions with Trump in 2016.
Trump hardly reacted to Cohen’s testimony during a day-and-a-half of prosecutors’ questions, and he even seemed disinterested during the first half of Blanche’s questioning of him. But Trump’s tuned-out body language has appeared to become part of his strategy this trial to not act out as he did previously during the New York civil fraud trial last fall and the E. Jean Carroll defamation case in January.
Michael Cohen testified that he called Donald Trump's bodyguard Keith Schiller on Oct. 24, 2016 to speak with Trump about an agreement with Stormy Daniels.
Cohen told jurors that Trump promised to reimburse him for the money he fronted and was constantly updated about behind-the-scenes efforts to bury potentially detrimental stories.
Accuracy
] Michael Cohen testified that he called Donald Trump's bodyguard Keith Schiller on Oct. 24, 2016 to speak with Trump about an agreement with Stormy Daniels.[
Cohen claimed that during the days leading up to Oct. 24, he received harassing phone calls from an unidentified teenager.
Deception
(30%)
The article contains selective reporting as the author only reports details that support their position of Cohen lying about a phone call. The author does not provide any context or information about why Cohen might have lied other than to imply he is a serial liar. The article also contains emotional manipulation through the use of phrases like 'heated trial' and 'fiery interrogation' to elicit an emotional response from readers.
The defense accused Michael Cohen of lying about a phone call he said he had about the alleged deal with adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Despite the fiery interrogation, Cohen stood by his testimony, maintaining that he spoke to both Trump and Schiller in that phone call.
Fallacies
(85%)
The author makes an appeal to authority fallacy by stating 'Despite the fiery interrogation, Cohen stood by his testimony' without providing any evidence or reasoning as to why Cohen's testimony should be trusted based on his authority. Additionally, there are dichotomous depictions in the article when it states 'The defense’s cross-examination of Cohen largely focused on painting him as a serial liar whose testimony should not be trusted.' This statement implies that if someone is a liar, their testimony should not be trusted without providing any evidence or reasoning to support this claim.
]The defense’s cross-examination of Cohen largely focused on painting him as a serial liar whose testimony should not be trusted.[
Despite the fiery interrogation, Cohen stood by his testimony.
Bias
(95%)
The author does not directly express any bias in the article. However, the defense attorney's accusations against Michael Cohen imply that he is a liar. The author reports these accusations without taking a position on their validity. Therefore, there is a potential for monetary bias as the outcome of this trial could impact Trump financially.
The defense’s cross-examination of Cohen largely focused on painting him as a serial liar whose testimony should not be trusted.
Cohen did not explode during questioning and seemed stressed under intense questioning from Todd Blanche.
Cohen will return to the stand on Monday for more cross-examination.
Accuracy
Blanche accused Cohen of inventing the content of a phone call between him and Trump on Oct. 24, 2016, which Cohen previously testified was about updating hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels.
Deception
(30%)
The authors use emotional manipulation by describing Cohen as a 'hothead' and a 'paid bully' in the past. They also use sensationalism by implying that there was a dramatic moment during the cross-examination where Blanche accused Cohen of lying about a phone call, without providing any context or evidence to support this claim.
They use sensationalism by implying that there was a dramatic moment during the cross-examination where Blanche accused Cohen of lying about a phone call.
The authors describe Cohen as a 'hothead' and a 'paid bully' in the past.
