Defense attorney Todd Blanche continued to work to paint a picture of Michael Cohen as a proven liar who pleaded guilty to crimes associated with those lies and leveraged his cooperation as part of those plea deals to secure a shorter prison sentence.

"When you plead guilty to a crime, one of the things you get -- one of the benefits you get -- is a little time off your sentence ... correct?" Blanche asked.

Blanche then said that in the case of Cohen's guilty plea to charges that included those related to the Stormy Daniels payment, "You got that credit even though you lied."

Cohen, for his part, has claimed some responsibility for the hush money charges Donald Trump now faces -- but he has suggested that he himself should not have been charged, and that the system that charged him was "corrupt."

"Do you have any doubt in your mind that the outcome of this trial affects you personally?" Blanche asked Cohen.

"Yes," Cohen replied.

Defense attorney Todd Blanche got fiery as Michael Cohen refused to give yes-or-no answers to some of his questions.

"Sir, sir, please don't make a speech," Blanche snapped at Cohen.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger objected, and Judge Merchan instructed Cohen to just answer the question.

Blanche continued his deep dive into Cohen's past perjury.

"There is no doubt you know what perjury means?" Blanche asked.

"I know what perjury means," Cohen said.

Blanche then asked Cohen about his 2019 congressional testimony following his guilty plea.

"When congressmen ask you questions, they go on and on and on?" Blanche asked.

"Yes sir," Cohen said.

"Even more than I do," Blanche joked.

Defense attorney Todd Blanche confronted Cohen with his past statements about the late Judge William Pauley, to whom he pleaded guilty in 2018 to charges including those related to the Stormy Daniels payment.

“You also believe Judge Pauley is corrupt as well?” Blanche said.

“I have said that,” Cohen said.

“He is deceased, by the way,” Blanche said.

“Yes he is,” Cohen said.

Cohen confirmed that he at one point described Pauley and prosecutors as “f------ animals.”

“Do you believe that Judge Pauley was in on it?” Blanche asked.

“I do,” Cohen said.

Cohen said he does not believe he should have been charged with federal crimes in 2018.

“I do not believe I should have been charged,” Cohen said.

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.

Several members of the public waited overnight to secure a spot in the courtroom for Michael Cohen's testimony, traveling from as far as Los Angeles for the momentous day in court.

Michael Powers told ABC News that he joined the line at 2:30 p.m. yesterday to secure his spot in court, though he enlisted the help of professional line sitters to hold the spot overnight. He rejoined the line at 5:00 a.m.

"It's history in the making," Powers said. "This isn't gonna happen very often."

Powers said he prioritized seeing Michael Cohen's testimony due to its importance to the prosecution's case.

"I find him credible" Powers said. "He's lied in the past, but he lied for Donald Trump in my opinion, so I think he'll be a good witness."

Other members of the public waited overnight without the use of line sitters, including Chris Sagastizabal, who joined the line at 6:45 p.m. on Sunday with two friends.

"I changed my work schedule," Sagastizabal said.

Five members in the public have been seated in the courtroom this morning, with several others seated in a nearby overflow room.