Trump trial: Cohen faces Trump team grilling over past lies, recollections

Jurors saw a record of a text message on Oct. 18, 2016, from Melania Trump to Cohen.

"Good morning Michael, can u pls call DT on his cell. Thanks," Melania texted.

Cohen replied, "Of course."

Later that day, Cohen appeared on CNN to defend Trump's conduct in light to the "Access Hollywood" tape and other allegations.

"I advocated for Mr. Trump in the best light possible -- denials as well as exclamations that I have never seen him act in this sort of manner before," Cohen said.

Michael Cohen told jurors that he grew concerned in mid-October 2016 when Stormy Daniels' attorney Keith Davidson told him he was backing out of the nondisclosure deal over Cohen's failure to pay Daniels the agreed-upon $130,000.

"We were losing control over the settlement ... in order to prevent the story from coming out as a direct result of my failure to wire funds," Cohen told jurors.

"Were you concerned?" Hoffinger asked.

"Very much so," Cohen said.

Later that day, Cohen texted National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard to try to revive the deal, telling the jurors that the idea of the story going to an outlet like the Daily Mail was "incredibly stressful and incredibly important."

Cohen said he then tried to call Trump over a matter of "great importance." Cohen testified that "I didn't forward the funds, she's now declaring the agreement void," and he said he wanted to tell Trump "the story was now going to go to the Daily Mail."

The call lasted eight seconds. "I left a voicemail," Cohen said.

For the second time during the trial, the jury was shown the paperwork for Resolution Consultants LLC, the shell company Michael Cohen formed initially to pay AMI for the Karen McDougal payment.

Cohen conceded he did not give First Republic Bank the "true reason" for the account.

"I'm not sure they would have opened it," Cohen said, if the bank knew the true reason "was to pay off an adult film star for a nondisclosure agreement"

"Need an account opened for Mike Cohen immediately. He wants no address on the checks," Cohen's banker wrote to a colleague on Oct. 13, 2016, when he earlier testified earlier about Cohen's frantic effort to open the two bank accounts in October 2016.

Prosecutors suggested that Cohen misled bankers when he opened the bank account by stating the account was for legitimate business purposes.

Cohen told jurors that he opted to rename the shell company to Essential Consultants after realizing that Resolution Consultants LLC was a real company owned by a friend. The $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels was made from a new account for Essential Consultants.

Donald Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen testified that as Stormy Daniels' layer Keith Davidson pushed him to make good on the $130,000 hush payment to Stormy Daniels, he sought to "continue to delay, delay the execution of the documents, delay execution of funding."

The jury saw an email exchange in which "I used the holiday, Yom Kipur, as a way of once again of trying to delay it until after the election," Cohen said.

"And the reason for that?" asked prosecutor Susan Hoffinger.

"Because after the election it wouldn't matter," Cohen said.

"According to who?" Hoffinger asked.

"According to Mr. Trump," Cohen said.

Trump’s eyes appeared to be closed again as the questioning continued.