The defense questioned Trump's former lawyer on Day 18 of the hush money trial.
Former President Donald Trump is on trial in New York City, where he is facing felony charges related to a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. It marks the first time in history that a former U.S. president has been tried on criminal charges.
Trump last April pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.
Defense attorney Todd Blanche emphasized that Cohen told a federal judge that he was not pressured or induced to take a guilty plea in 2018 on charge including those related to the Stormy Daniels payment.
"That was a lie?" Blanche said.
"That was not true, correct," Cohen said.
Blanche later asked Cohen to confirm that he believes he lied at the time.
"It was a lie?" Blanche asked.
"Correct," Cohen said.
Under cross-examination from defense attorneys, Michael Cohen continued to suggest that he was pressured in 2018 to plead guilty to changes including those related to the Stormy Daniels payment.
"No one indicated you threatened you to guilty correct?" defense attorney Todd Blanche asked.
"As I stated previously, I was provided with 48 hours within which to accept the plea or the Southern District of New York was going to file an 80-page indictment that included my wife, and I elected to protect my family," Cohen responded.
"You do feel you were induced to plead guilty?" Blanche asked.
"I never denied the underlying facts, I just do not believe I should have been criminally charged for either of those two -- or six -- offenses," Cohen said.
Cohen confirmed that prosecutors never directly told him that his wife would be indicted, telling jurors he heard that from his lawyers.
"I accepted responsibility," Cohen said.
Focusing on Michael Cohen's 2018 guilty plea for lying to Congress in 2017, Blanche attempted to suggest that Cohen has not accepted responsibility for the crime and instead blames Trump.
"The reason why you lied was because of your loyalty to President Trump?" Blanche said.
"We crafted this document -- a two page document -- in order to stay on message we all knew Mr. Trump wanted, including Mr. Trump's attorney at the time," Cohen said.
"Are you saying you accept responsibility or blaming the joint defense agreement," Blanche asked.
"Accepting responsibility…" Cohen said.
Blanche continued to recount the many lies Cohen has acknowledged telling in the past, including in answering questions before the House Intelligence Committee and federal investigators.
Defense attorney Todd Blanche challenged Michael Cohen on his past lies during his sworn testimony.
Regarding Cohen's testimony before Congress in 2017, Blanche asked Cohen, "That's one of the times you have lied under oath?"
"That's correct," Cohen said.
Cohen told jurors that he has done at least 17 sworn interviews with federal agents.
"Each time you met with the federal agents, you were told that if you made a false statement that was a felony -- a federal crime?" Blanche asked.
"Yes sir," Cohen said.
Blanche hammered at the idea that Cohen knows the penalty for perjury, has testified under oath many times, and has lied before.
