Trump civil fraud case: Judge fines Trump $354M, says frauds 'shock the conscience'

The heated cross-examination of Michael Cohen resumed with the state attorney general's office accusing defense lawyers of "showmanship" and the judge stepping in to referee.

Trump attorney Alina Habba accused Cohen of perjuring himself when he pleaded guilty in 2018 to criminal conduct including tax evasion, among other crimes. Cohen testified yesterday that "there was no tax evasion. At best, it could be characterized as a tax omission."

Habba said that testimony amounted to perjury. Collen Faherty, a lawyer for the state, accused Habba of "showmanship" and "a little bit of a stunt."

Habba shot back, "This is not showmanship. I'm just doing my job."

Another Trump lawyer, Chris Kise, interjected, "There is nothing wrong with calling a liar a liar. Perjury is perjury. The attorney general is trying to cover for an extraordinarily defective witness."

Judge Engoron sided with the defense but instructed Habba to not use the word "perjury," prompting Trump to shake his head.

"Yesterday was the first time you admitted in open court that you lied to Judge Pauley?" Habba asked, referring to the federal judge who took Cohen's plea.

"In open court, yes," Cohen responded.

Addressing reporters in the hallway before he entered the courtroom, Trump spoke about the current House speaker race, his former chief of staff Mark Meadows, and his false allegations of a rigged election.

"We're a nation in decline, all because of a rigged and stolen election," Trump said before entering court for the resumption of Michael Cohen's cross-examination.

Before Cohen returned to the stand, defense attorney Alina Habba requested that Judge Engoron and his clerk refrain from any distracting behavior.

"It is incredibly distracting when there are eye rolls and constant whispering at the bench," said Habba, who added that the judge she clerked for earlier in her career was "very strict."

Susan Hoffinger, who is leading Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's criminal hush money case against Donald Trump, is attendance at the trial this morning. With Cohen serving as a key witness in that case, Hoffinger also was in court yesterday to hear Cohen's direct examination.

New York Attorney General Letitia James is also back in the courtroom for the second day of Cohen's testimony.

Seated in the gallery behind her team of lawyers, James encounters Trump each time he enters and exits the courtroom, though it appears the two rarely make eye contact.

Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen is set to face a grueling day of cross examination, as defense lawyers attempt to discredit him after his potentially damaging testimony yesterday.

Calm and confident when answering questions from a state lawyer, Cohen dealt a blow to his former boss early in his testimony yesterday when he said he "reverse engineered" Trump's financial statements to "achieve the number" Trump wanted, inflating the values of assets such as Trump Park Avenue, Trump World Tower, and the Miss Universe Pageant to achieve Trump's desired figure -- though his testimony was notably devoid of notes, communications, or draft financials to support his claims.

Trump's lawyer Alina Habba hammered at Cohen's inconsistencies during the first hour of cross-examination, confronting Cohen with his past guilty pleas and history of false testimony. A disbarred lawyer, Cohen's answers grew combative at times, often responding to questions with "objection" or "asked and answered."

Trump said in a Truth Social post this morning that he plans to attend court for a second day in a row. In a social media post overnight, he described Cohen's testimony yesterday as a "complete and total disaster."

New York Attorney General Letitia James offered a contrasting opinion of Cohen's testimony in a video statement posted to social media.

"Donald Trump lives in a fantasy land. He directed those around him to lie and scheme to make his fantasy a reality," James said.