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

Defense attorney Todd Blanche pressed Michael Cohen on the hush money payment made to Playboy model Karen McDougal, whose story Cohen said he thought could be damaging to the Trump campaign.

"President Trump at least initially didn't think it would hurt him?" Blanche asked.

"Initially yes," Cohen said.

Blanche attempted to cast doubt on how Cohen could remember a specific phone call with Trump about McDougal in June 2016 when he was getting a hundreds of calls a week at the time.

Cohen agreed with the defense that he gets 14,000 phone calls a year.

"So when you testified Monday and Tuesday about specific conversations you had with Mr. Howard, with President Trump, you were not testifying about a specific recollection of that phone call?" Blanche asked.

"I was," Cohen said. "Because these phone calls are things I've been talking about for the last six years. They are, and they, were all-consuming."

Defense attorney Todd Blanche turned his attention to the origins of the catch-and-kill arrangement with National Enquirer publisher David Pecker. He asked Michael Cohen about his past testimony regarding the August 2015 Trump Tower meeting with Trump and Pecker where prosecutors say the conspiracy was formed.

Cohen earlier testified that the meeting was important because the "power of the National Enquirer is its placements in supermarkets."

"Had you ever told anyone that before your testimony this week?" Blanche asked.

"Not that I recall," Cohen said.

Blanche asked about Dino Saludjin, the doorman who was paid off after falsely claiming that Trump had a love child.

"The story was false, correct?" Blanche asked.

"I believe so yes," Cohen responded.

"Do you have any doubt in your mind it was false?" Blanche asked.

"No sir," Cohen said.

Blanche Cohen asked if Trump "was worried about the story getting out because of his employees?" appearing to challenge Cohen's testimony about why hush money was paid.

"He mentioned that I should speak to them as well," Cohen said.

Defense attorney Todd Blanche said it is "not ethical" for a lawyer to record his client after Cohen testified that he had recorded Trump.

"You're not supposed to record your client," Blanche said.

"You're not, except the crime-fraud exception rule," Cohen responded.

"Didn't you testify that you recorded your client because you wanted to convince Mr. Pecker he would pay him?" Blanched asked, referring to Cohen's recording of Trump at a 2016 meeting.

"Yes," Cohen replied.

"And you did that under the crime-fraud exception rule?" Blanche asked.

"I was just giving the example," Cohen said.

Several members of the jury were taking notes during this exchange.

On cross-examination, Michael Cohen told jurors that, as part of his work for Donald Trump during his 2016 campiang, he surreptitiously recorded "a handful" of conversations with journalists.

"Did you tell people you were recording them?" Blanche asked.

"No sir," Cohen responded. "It is not illegal in New York."

"Who else did you record surreptitiously?" defense attorney Todd Blanche asked.

"I recorded, off the top of my head ... I can't tell you," Cohen said.

"Jeff Zucker on one event," Cohen said, referring to the then-CNN president. "Mr. Trump at another event," he said.

Trump, at the defense table, angled toward Cohen in his chair, intently watching this testimony.