Trump storms out of NY fraud trial after $10k gag order fine: Live

On a dramatic day in court in Lower Manhattan, Donald Trump appeared on the witness stand for the first time in his multitude of civil and criminal trials.

The former president was called to testify after remarks he made outside the courtroom in a break from his civil fraud trial in New York were reported by the Associated Press and broke the gag order imposed by Justice Arthur Engoron.

Those involved in the trial were forbidden from speaking or posting about members of the court staff after a post by Mr Trump in the first week of the trial. Having already violated that order once, the defendant was called to testify by the judge after he said: “This judge is a very partisan judge with a person who is very partisan sitting alongside him, perhaps more partisan than he is.”

The former president claimed he had been speaking about witness Michael Cohen, his former lawyer. Judge Engoron found this testimony “not credible” and fined him $10,000.

Later, when a move for a directed verdict by his legal team was denied by the judge, a clearly frustrated Mr Trump stood and left the courtroom mumbling: “Unbelievable. Unbelievable.”

Key Points

• Trump called to witness stand and fined $10k for violating gag order in fraud trial

• Trump attorneys target Michael Cohen in heated trial fraud testimony

• Meadows told Trump that 2020 election fraud claims were bogus, report says

• Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis pleads guilty in Georgia election subversion case

• Trump congratulates speaker nominee Mike Johnson after slamming Emmer

Watch: Today in court

02:40 , Oliver O'Connell

George Santos goes to war with Elon Musk

02:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Truly, a man with nothing left to lose...

New York Rep George Santos fired shots at Elon Musk after X, previously known as Twitter, provided additional context in a note below the embattled Republican’s incendiary tweet.

On Tuesday, Mr Santos posted a photo of himself on X with text over it that read: “They’re not after me. They’re after you. I’m just in the way.”

Below the post, a note from X stated: “They are in fact after Representative Santos, who is accused of stealing money from his own donors, among other offenses.” The note also included a link to the series of fraud charges against the congressman filed by the Eastern District of New York.

On Wednesday, Mr Santos acknowledged X’s addition, writing: “The way Elon came after my meme with that community note is abhorrent.” Mr Musk has yet to respond.

George Santos goes to war with Elon Musk over ‘abhorrent’ note

Full story: Trump called to witness stand and fined $10k for violating gag order in fraud trial

01:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s first turn on the witness stand during the multiple criminal and civil cases against him arrived on 25 October, when the former president was called to testify about his comments outside the courtroom during his fraud trial in New York.

He was fined $10,000 after the judge presiding over the case found that the former president violated the case’s gag order, again, with disparaging comments about his chief clerk steps away from the courtroom’s doors in lower Manhattan.

Mr Trump was called to the witness stand by Judge Arthur Engoron to testify about statements he gave to reporters on 25 October, in which he criticised a “very partisan judge” and “a person who’s very partisan sitting alongside of him,” what the judge determined was a comment aimed at his chief clerk.

The former president and his attorneys argued that Mr Trump was referring to Michael Cohen, his former lawyer who was testifying against him.

Alex Woodward reports from the New York Supreme Court in Lower Manhattan.

Trump called to witness stand and fined $10k for violating gag order in fraud trial

Ramaswamy teams up with Alex Jones after Fox News ‘disaster’

01:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy has stoked more controversy after taking part in an interview with notorious conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

The 38-year-old is an outside contender to clinch the GOP nomination but is gaining attention for his outspoken and attention-grabbing views.

Earlier this month Mr Ramaswamy was widely panned for an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, a topic which took centre stage when he sat down with Jones for an episode of his Truth podcast.

Holly Hales has the story.

Vivek Ramaswamy teams up with Alex Jones after Fox News ‘disaster’

Fall of the House of Usher makes sly dig at Donald Trump

Thursday 26 October 2023 00:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Mike Flanagan’s new horror series has been out on Netflix for over a week now, but fans may have missed a subtle Donald Trump reference.

The Fall of the House of Usher follows Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood), the CEO of a corrupt pharmaceutical company, who must face his murky past when each of his children begins to die in a mysterious and brutal fashion.

Meanwhile, Carla Gugino plays Verna, a shape-shifting demon who torments the Usher family, playing a significant role in their demise.

Tom Murray has the story.

Fall of the House of Usher makes blink-and-you-miss-it dig at Donald Trump

Voices: The House GOP civil war that delivered Trump is over. The radicals won

Thursday 26 October 2023 00:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Eric Garcia writes:

Mr Johnson is a zealot of the highest order, someone who worked for the hard-right Alliance Defending Freedom; an ardent opponent of abortion who wants to restrict the rights of LGBT+ people and who served as Donald Trump’s Howitzer in Congress to overturn the 2020 election results.

But his fervor for theocratic policies did not impede his ability to unite nearly every faction of the very divided House Republican conference. Indeed, many of the Republicans who had previously raised serious objections to creeping fanaticism in the party brushed off these concerns as technicalities.

Read more...

The House GOP civil war that delivered Trump is over. The radicals won

Biden unconcerned over new House Speaker’s election subversion record

Thursday 26 October 2023 00:15 , Oliver O'Connell

President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he is not concerned that newly installed House Speaker Mike Johnson will attempt to unlawfully block him from serving a second term if he wins next year’s presidential election.

Mr Biden was asked about the possibility during a press conference alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in the White House Rose Garden, just minutes after the House’s Republican majority voted unanimously to install Mr Johnson as successor to ousted former speaker Kevin McCarthy after a chaotic 22-day interregnum.

The Louisiana congressman was a staunch supporter of former president Donald Trump during the ex-president’s attempt to remain in office despite having lost the 2020 election. He frequently promoted outlandish conspiracy theories about non-existent voter fraud and rigged voting machines which Trump allies had floated to explain his loss, and marshalled House GOP support for a failed lawsuit that sought to have the US Supreme Court throw out electoral votes from swing states won by Mr Biden.

Read Andrew Feinberg’s full report.

Wednesday 25 October 2023 23:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Earlier: Trump shares screenshot of private texts from House speaker candidate

Wednesday 25 October 2023 23:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Former president Donald Trump shared private texts between himself and short-lived Speaker of the House hopeful Congressman Chuck Fleischmann on Truth Social.

The texts claimed that all of the GOP Speaker hopefuls were backing Mr Trump, according to Fox Chattanooga.

Mr Fleischmann was among six candidates who were under consideration for House speaker after Majority Whip Tom Emmer exited the race on Tuesday.

Graig Graziosi reports.

Trump shares screenshot of private texts from House speaker candidate

Court sketch artists capture a first: Donald Trump under oath in witness box

Wednesday 25 October 2023 22:24 , Oliver O'Connell

DeSantis trolls Trump and compares him to Biden over teleprompter use

Wednesday 25 October 2023 22:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Ron DeSantis is finally turning his fire on Donald Trump, though admittedly in a much more cautious manner than have some others.

The Florida governor was back on the campaign trail this week and spoke to reporters in New Hampshire on Tuesday, where alongside the state’s Republican governor he is attempting to capture some momentum and break out from the pack of Trump alternatives running for the GOP 2024 nomination.

“This is a different Donald Trump than in 2015 and 2016,” he told a small crowd of voters assembled in a restaurant, while claiming that the ex-president was “wedded” to the teleprompter.

“In 2016, he was freewheeling, he’s out there barnstorming the country, doing all this. Now, it’s just a different guy, and it’s sad to see,” said the governor.

John Bowden has the story.

Ron DeSantis trolls Trump and compares him to Biden over teleprompter use

Cohen explains discrepancy in testimony over inflating numbers on financial statements

Wednesday 25 October 2023 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s attorneys and Colleen Faherty with the attorney general’s office grew increasingly frustrated with one another over Michael Cohen’s prior statements and testimony.

“This counsel is repeatedly trying to impeach the witness,” Faherty said.

Cohen had been sitting in silence on the stand with reading glasses on reviewing a document in front of him.

“I think we’re making a mountain out of a molehill. We’ve spent hours and hours … talking about the witnesses’ credibility or lack thereof,” Judge Engoron said

Cohen went on to explain a response he gave on cross-examination about Mr Trump directing him and Allen Weisselberg to inflate valuations in the financial statements to increase his net worth — at the heart of the discrepancy between his earlier testimony and what he is saying now.

“When I was asked the question, ‘Did he ask you to inflate the numbers,’ he did not specifically say ‘Go inflate the numbers.’ As I’ve said before Donald Trump speaks like a mob boss,” Cohen said.

“So when he said to me, ‘I’m actually worth like six billion, seven maybe eight — Allen Weisselberg and I understood he was stating what he wanted.”

Cohen was then dismissed as a witness and court adjourned for the day.

Full story: Trump called to witness stand and fined $10k for violating gag order in fraud trial

Wednesday 25 October 2023 21:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s first turn on the witness stand during the multiple criminal and civil cases against him arrived on 25 October, when the former president was called to testify about his comments outside the courtroom during his fraud trial in New York.

He was fined $10,000 after the judge presiding over the case found that the former president violated the case’s gag order, again, with disparaging comments about his chief clerk steps away from the courtroom’s doors in lower Manhattan.

Mr Trump was called to the witness stand by Judge Arthur Engoron to testify about statements he gave to reporters on 25 October, in which he criticised a “very partisan judge” and “a person who’s very partisan sitting alongside of him,” what the judge determined was a comment aimed at his chief clerk.

The former president and his attorneys argued that Mr Trump was referring to Michael Cohen, his former lawyer who was testifying against him.

Alex Woodward reports from the New York Supreme Court in Lower Manhattan.

Trump called to witness stand and fined $10k for violating gag order in fraud trial

Trump leaves court as directed verdict denied by judge

Wednesday 25 October 2023 21:24 , Oliver O'Connell

Cross-examination of Michael Cohen continued, with questioning by Clifford Robert, representing Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr.

He asked Cohen about his 2019 congressional testimony in which he had said he did not recall if Donald Trump had asked him to inflate the numbers in financial statements.

Cohen confirms that was his testimony.

The former president throws his hands up in the air and after a brief huddle with his legal team, a directed verdict was requested based on that testimony. It was immediately denied by Judge Engoron.

Mr Trump then stood and left the room, mumbling: “Unbelievable. Unbelievable.”

He was followed by his Secret Service detail and son Eric.

Trump legal team objects to fine

Wednesday 25 October 2023 21:18 , Oliver O'Connell

All three attorneys in the Trump defence team — Christopher Kise, Alina Habba, and Clifford Robert — complained about the fine imposed on their client for violating his gag order for a second time.

Specifically, they complained that they had to litigate in front of “two judges” — Justice Arthur Engoron and his law clerk.

The judge said he valued the input of both his law clerks but he makes the final decisions.

After further protestation, he said the ruling stands and warns the former president: “Don’t do it again!”

Next time the penalty could be more severe and jail time has been mentioned as one punishment in the past.

Trump fined $10,000 for violating New York fraud trial gag order

Wednesday 25 October 2023 21:01 , Megan Sheets

As court resumed after lunch, Judge Arthur Engoron returned to the remarks made by Donald Trump outside the courtroom that appeared to defy the gag order on speaking about the court staff. Here’s the scene:

The judge calls on Trump to testify. He identifies himself: “Donald John Trump. New York. Trump Organization.”

Judge Engoron reads the statement he made about the judge and the person sitting next to him — widely interpreted as the court clerk.

“To whom were you referring?”

“You, and Cohen.”

He is asked specifically about the clerk.

“I think she is a very biased … We put up a picture and you didn’t want that up. I think we got if off our website. … We have so many different sites … I believe it was one of the political groups, one of the PACs.”

“The witness is excused. I have no further questions.”

The judge suggested that his comments were “ambiguous, at best” whether they were referring to Cohen or his clerk.

“I find the witness is not credible.”

Judge Engoron fines Trump $10,000 for violating the gag order.

Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill...

Wednesday 25 October 2023 19:19 , Oliver O'Connell

House Republicans overwhelmingly elected Rep Mike Johnson (R-LA) to be the next speaker of the House after 22 days where the House of Representatives had no leader amid turmoil across the globe and the need to pass spending bills next month.

Mr Johnson, the former deputy whip for House Republicans, won 220 votes on the floor after House Republicans coalesced around him on Tuesday evening. His ascent came after House Majority Whip Tom Emmer dropped out a mere four hours after the House Republican conference nominated him to be speaker.

Republicans from all factions of the conference cheered Mr Johnson and whistled on the floor, chanting his name.

Eric Garcia reports for The Independent from Capitol Hil.

House finally has a speaker as Mike Johnson wins after weeks of chaos

ACLU calls for re-evaluation of Trump’s federal election subversion case gag order

Wednesday 25 October 2023 19:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Speaking of gag orders... the American Civil Liberties Union has come out against the gag order imposed on Donald Trump in his federal election interference case by Judge Tanya Chutkan.

The rights organization explains:

Former President, and now Defendant, Donald Trump has said many things. Much that he has said has been patently false and has caused great harm to countless individuals, as well as to the Republic itself. Some of his words and actions have led him to this criminal indictment, which alleges grave wrongdoing in contempt of the peaceful transition of power. But Trump retains a First Amendment right to speak, and the rest of us retain a right to hear what he has to say. Thus, any restraint this Court imposes on Defendant’s future speech must be precisely defined and narrowly tailored to protect the impartial administration of justice. Respectfully, the Court’s October 17 gag order fails that test, and Amici urge the Court to re-evaluate it.

You can read the ACLU’s full argument here.

Watch: Christie comments on Meadows immunity and Trump’s 2024 prospects

Wednesday 25 October 2023 18:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Watch: Trump responds to reporters about whether he broke gag order

Wednesday 25 October 2023 18:22 , Oliver O'Connell

Wednesday 25 October 2023 18:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Alina Habba asks Cohen to confirm his testimony from yesterday: that Donald Trump directed him and CFO Allen Weisselberg to alter annual financial statements to boost Trump’s net worth.

Cohen agrees that’s what he said.

“In February 2019, two years after leaving the Trump Organization... [you testified] to the [Congressional] Permanent Select Committee that you couldn’t recall President Trump ever asking you to inflate [his financial statements]?” Habba asks.

Habba pulls up the deposition transcript, in which Cohen does indeed say, “Not that I recall.”

“I was in the camp of Donald Trump,” Cohen explains and goes on to say he was lying at the time.

“Did you ever ask President Trump to pardon you?”

“No,” Cohen says.

“He didn’t pardon you, did he?

“No.”

Court breaks for lunch and will resume at 2.15pm.

Cliff Robert, attorney for Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr, will have more questions for Cohen when court resumes.

Full story: Trump narrowly avoids another gag order sanction in fraud trial

Wednesday 25 October 2023 17:39 , Oliver O'Connell

The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial in New York nearly hit the former president with another penalty for what appeared to be a violation of the gag order against him in the case.

In a morning break on 25 October during the second day of trial testimony from Michael Cohen, Mr Trump berated Judge Arthur Engoron and appeared to once again attack the court clerk.

Alex Woodward reports from the New York Supreme Court in Lower Manhattan:

Trump narrowly avoids another gag order sanction in fraud trial

Habba continues cross-examination of Cohen

Wednesday 25 October 2023 17:36 , Oliver O'Connell

Alina Habba is continuing a line of questioning to suggest that Michael Cohen makes a lot of money from criticising Donald Trump and, in turn, that the news media makes a lot of money off of the former president.

“You have made a career out of publicly attacking President Trump haven’t you,” Habba asks.

“Yes,” Cohen replied.

At one point she called Mr Trump “the most famous person in the world” to run for the presidency.

Habba also asked about an interview Cohen gave to ABC News, in which he said: “I’ve been admiring Donald Trump since I was in high school.”

The story says that he read The Art of the Deal twice.

Habba asked if it was true that he read The Art of Deal twice while in high school.

“No,” Cohen says. “I read it twice when I was in college.”

Trump skirts violating gag order with comments outside courtroom

Wednesday 25 October 2023 17:07 , Oliver O'Connell

As court returns from the morning break, Judge Arthur Engoron had something to say...

“I’m very protective of my staff,” Judge Engoron says.

“It was just brought to my attention that the Associated Press reported that … Mr Donald J Trump just gave the following to the press gaggle outside the court: ‘This judge is a very partisan judge with a person who is very partisan sitting alongside him, perhaps more partisan than he is.’”

Mr Trump’s attorneys tried to speak up, but the judge told them not to interrupt him.

“Why should there not be severe sanctions for this blatant, severe” violation of the order, the judge asks.

Mr Kise says Mr Trump was referring to the witness, Michael Cohen, not the chief clerk sitting next to the judge, who has come under fire from the former president before, leading to a gag order concerning comments about the court staff.

Judge Engoron says he will take the matter “under advisement”.

Here’s our earlier reporting on his previous violation of the gag order.

Trump threatened with jail time for ‘blatant’ violation of gag order

What do Team Trump hope to achieve with cross-examination of Cohen?

Wednesday 25 October 2023 16:57 , Oliver O'Connell

What does Donald Trump’s defence team hope to achieve with its cross-examination of Michael Cohen? There is no jury to sway, so are they playing to an audience of one, and is that the judge or the former president?

Alex Woodward writes:

The question is whether any of this stuff matters to the judge, who doesn’t solely need Cohen’s testimony to make a judgment about the scope of fraud alleged in the lawsuit.

But it’s an attempt to bury him in front of Trump. Cohen doesn’t seem fazed. He knows Habba. He’s already been to jail and lost his law license. He now makes a good chunk of change from his anti-Trump audience and book sales.

Watch: Trump again complains about basis for trial in shadow testimony

Wednesday 25 October 2023 16:43 , Oliver O'Connell

Cohen asked if he turned on Trump for not being brought to White House

Wednesday 25 October 2023 16:29 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward reports:

Habba has pressed Cohen whether he wanted a job as White House chief of staff, suggesting he has lied on the witness stand about that.

She brings up text messages to an unknown person saying that Trump “needs to ask. I would never.”

“And you were never given a position in the White House, were you Mr Cohen?” Habba asked.

“There was no shame being personal attorney to the president,” he said. “I didn’t ask for a position.”

The questioning so far has intended to undermine Cohen’s previous testimony and paint him as a turncoat, motivated by Trump not hiring him for the administration, who then used Trump as leverage to save his skin from harsher criminal penalties in his own separate cases.

Habba also asks Cohen whether he then “cashed in” on his connections to Trump and, later, his fallout from his former boss.

“Do you have significant animosity towards him?” she asks.

“Yes, I do,” he says.

“You have made a career out of publicly attacking President Trump, haven’t you?” she asks.

There’s a pause. Cohen says, “Yes.”

She asks whether a substantial amount of his income comes from criticising Trump.

“And other people … [his podcast, Mea Culpa] discusses the news of the day,” he responds. “It would be a no.”

Court takes its mid-morning break.

Wednesday 25 October 2023 16:25 , Oliver O'Connell

There are several back-and-forths between attorneys over articles from Politico and Reuters being shown to the court.

The former — which includes Cohen as a Trump employee praising his boss’s $10bn empire — raises an objection from prosecutors because it was never admitted into evidence leading the defence team to accuse the NYAG’s office of “grandstanding”.

Alina Habba then asks about Mr Cohen’s quotes about Mr Trump from the 2015 Reuters article, which is all about how Trump has exaggerated throughout his career.

NYAG counsel Colleen Faherty interjects to make the point that the article Habba is using against the witness says “exaggerating has always been a frequent impulse” for the man sitting just a few feet away.

Habba tries to show Cohen working with NYAG on case

Wednesday 25 October 2023 15:58 , Oliver O'Connell

The court is shown a tweet from Michael Cohen in which he thanks New York Attorney General Letitia James “for acknowledging my participation and assistance in bringing accountability to the Mandarin Mussolini!”

He acknowledges thanking Ms James in a tweet, but not personally.

The court is shown an excerpt from his book Revenge, in which he explains his testimony before seven different congressional committees and meetings with the Manhattan District Attorney, the New York Attorney General, and the Department of Justice.

“I gave them a roadmap. I gave them everything I knew about Donald Trump,” he wrote.

“I explained the various roles of their executives and countless acts of illegal activities,” including providing personal financial statements, copies of checks and other documents, he wrote.

Habba is trying to argue that Cohen was working with Ms James in this case.

“When I was in conversation with the Manhattan DA, the attorney general’s office participated in those meetings,” Cohen replies.

“There were no specific AG meetings. They were present with my meetings with the Manhattan district attorney.”

Cohen is not a defendant in this case, which must mean that the attorney general “must not believe your story is credible, is that correct?” Habba asks.

“You can ask Ms James,” Cohen replies.

“Object,” Ms James says from her seat in the courtroom, which gets a laugh.

Wednesday 25 October 2023 15:48 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward reports:

We’re seeing a clip of Cohen from CNN from July 2016, when he was still working for the Trump Organization.

In the clip, he said he considered himself to be a real estate expert and that Donald Trump’s net worth was north of $10bn.

Cohen, asked by Habba about that, says: “I recall that’s what Mr Trump wanted me to say, yes.”

Habba: “You went through a couple of properties in that clip owned by the Trump Organization, correct? … You stated that those properties are second to none … and that the Trump brand has value as well, correct? … The Trump brand was worth billions of dollars, correct Mr Cohen?”

Cohen: “I don’t know that to be the answer … I’m not a brand expert, Ms Habba.”

Cohen then testifies that neither he nor Mr Trump or Allen Weisselberg ever included the “brand” value in any of those statements of financial condition.

Questioning moves on to Cohen’s direct testimony

Wednesday 25 October 2023 15:32 , Oliver O'Connell

Habba is questioning Cohen now on that key line of testimony from yesterday, trying to undermine his claims about the crafting of fraudulent statements of financial condition.

He told the court on Tuesday that Donald Trump instructed him and Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg to “reverse engineer” the statements to reach an “arbitrary” net worth number that Mr Trump came up with for the year.

Clips of Cohen’s deposition testimony are shown as Habba grills him over perceived inconsistencies.

Cross-examination of Cohen continues... and is quickly interrupted by an objection...

Wednesday 25 October 2023 15:26 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward reports:

New York Attorney General’s Office counsel Colleen Faherty is objecting to Alina Habba repeatedly accusing Michael Cohen of perjury after yesterday’s hearing when Cohen admitted to lying to the federal judge in his plea hearing in an unrelated case.

“That’s a fair question. He admitted … that he lied to Judge Pauley, right across the street,” Trump Attorney Christopher Kise said.

“The fact the witness admitted to perjury … couldn’t be more relevant to the case,” Clifford Robert (representing Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump) added.

Mr Kise accused the attorney general’s office of trying to “cover for a defective witness” who lacks credibility.

Ms Faherty – who called yesterday’s hearing a “little bit of a circus” – pleaded with the judge to tone it down.

“That type of showmanship should not be permitted,” she said. “I would just ask for the courtesy and respect that we proceed without this showmanship with words like perjury … Please, can we please proceed?”

Judge Arthur Engoron allows Trump’s team to go after Cohen for lying and dishonesty, but accusing him of perjury – a legal term and a crime – seems to be off the table.

Wednesday 25 October 2023 15:21 , Oliver O'Connell

Habba complains about eye-rolling during cross-examination

Wednesday 25 October 2023 15:17 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump attorney Alina Habba tells Judge Arthur Engoron that it’s “incredibly distracting” when the court clerk is whispering and rolling her eyes from the bench during cross-examination. He grants her request to… not let her do that.

In Pictures: Trump, Cohen, and James arrive at court

Wednesday 25 October 2023 15:08 , Oliver O'Connell

Did Cohen incriminate Trump in direct examination?

Wednesday 25 October 2023 14:55 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward reports:

The central piece of testimony during Michael Cohen’s time on the stand yesterday came pretty early in the day, as Cohen outlined how the former president tapped him to come up with fraudulent statements of financial condition that reflected what Trump wanted.

Under questioning from counsel with the New York Attorney General’s office, Cohen said he was “tasked by Mr Trump to increase the total assets based upon a number that he arbitrarily elected.”

Cohen and convicted former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg were instructed to “reverse engineer the various different asset classes – increase those assets – in order to achieve the number that Mr Trump had tasked us with,” Cohen said.

Asked by counsel for the attorney general’s office what that number was, Cohen replied: “Whatever number Mr Trump told us to.”

The scene in court this morning

Wednesday 25 October 2023 14:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward sent this report from the New York Superior Courthouse in Lower Manhattan as we await the beginning of proceedings on the sixteenth day of Donald Trump’s civil fraud trial.

When he left his civil fraud trial on Tuesday, Donald Trump learned that one of his codefendants in Georgia pleaded guilty and that his former White House chief of staff has agreed to an immunity deal in a federal case against the former president.

Inside the courtroom, Trump spent the day watching testimony from his former attorney Michael Cohen, who appeared unfazed by Trump’s attorneys’ attempts to humiliate him into admitting crimes he had already gone to prison for. On the stand, Cohen repeatedly pinned the blame on fraudulent financial documents at the centre of the case on the man staring at him from just a few feet away.

It was a bit like bowling with the bumpers on. Trying to undermine the credibility of a convicted felon on the witness stand would play well to a jury, but there is none in this case. New York Judge Arthur Engoron knows all about Michael Cohen, and he has already determined that a trial isn’t necessary to show that Trump, his adult sons and chief associates spent years defrauding banks and insurers by using financial statements that grossly inflated his net worth and assets.

The former president is returning to the courtroom in lower Manhattan for a second consecutive day in the trial’s fourth week, as his attorney Alina Habba is set to resume her cross-examination of Cohen after several heated exchanges on Tuesday afternoon.

New York Attorney General Letitia James took her seat one row behind her team inside the courthouse on Wednesday morning as Secret Service and New York court officers surveyed the room. The former president’s attorneys trickled in shortly after 9.30am.

Trump, meanwhile, has used the trial’s large press pool to speak out against the witnesses, the judge and Ms James, while raising money for his campaign and relying on his attorneys to delay and deflect.

In a post on his Truth Social as reporters were queueing outside the courthouse, he once again blasted a “very partisan and angry” judge, the “corrupt” attorney general, and the “rigged” trial against him and his business empire. He claimed that Republicans now “have the right” to target their political opponents “when we assume office”.

Read Alex’s full account of Tuesday in court.

Full story: Trump congratulates speaker nominee Mike Johnson after slamming Emmer

Wednesday 25 October 2023 14:40 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump congratulated Rep Mike Johnson (R-LA) after he became the fourth Republican nominee for speaker in three weeks following the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).

Mr Trump took to Truth Social on Wednesday morning, just a day after he helped end the speakership bid of Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) after just a few hours following his nomination earlier on Tuesday.

The vote on the House floor on the speakership of the fourth Republican nominee for the top job in the lower chamber is expected at noon.

After three weeks of infighting, backstabbing, and chaotic wrangling, Republicans appear more unified behind Mr Johnson than behind any of those that came before him – including Reps Steve Scalise (R-LA), Jim Jordan (R-OH), and Tom Emmer (R-MN) – but nothing is certain in this Republican Party.

The House GOP has churned through 14 candidates, and now four nominees – including Mr Johnson – in 22 days since the ouster of then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on 3 October.

Late on Tuesday night, Mr Johnson crossed the threshold needed within the Republican conference when he received 128 votes in an internal ballot – far from the 217 votes he needs in a chamber with 433 out of 435 seats currently filled.

Read more of Gustaf Kilander’s report from Washington, DC.

Trump congratulates speaker nominee Mike Johnson after slamming Emmer

As heads back to court, Trump claims even fake news sees facts on his side, threatens reciprocal trials

Wednesday 25 October 2023 14:30 , Oliver O'Connell

In another post on Truth Social this morning before he heads back to court, a boisterous Donald Trump claims that “the good news, that even the Fake News is seeing, is that the facts are ALL on my side!”

Big talk considering the judge has already ruled against him and his company in a pre-trial ruling.

Nevertheless, while also claiming that it is a “RIGGED TRIAL, right out of a Banana Republic” it means that Republicans have “the right to do the same thing when we assume office” before specifically naming President Joe Biden.

Here’s that post in full as he heads back to Lower Manhattan:

I will soon be leaving for Crooked Joe Biden’s “Political Opponent Court” in Lower Manhattan. I have a very partisan and angry Judge, a Corrupt Attorney General, and am not allowed a Jury Trial under the Statute they have chosen to use (for the very first time ever!). The good news, that even the Fake News is seeing, is that the facts are ALL on my side! I BUILT A GREAT COMPANY, FAR BIGGER & STRONGER THAN ANYONE HAD ASSUMED! This is a RIGGED TRIAL, right out of a Banana Republic, but sadly, it gives the Republicans the right to do the same thing when we assume office…And remember, Crooked Joe Biden is the most CORRUPT (and Incompetent!) President in the history of the U.S., VERY FERTILE GROUND THERE, but very bad for our Country! This unfair political Witch Hunt is causing companies to leave New York at a record pace. They don’t want this to happen to them!

Yesterday in court: Trump attorneys target Michael Cohen in heated trial fraud testimony

Wednesday 25 October 2023 14:20 , Oliver O'Connell

On his first day on the witness stand in his former employer’s blockbuster fraud trial, Donald Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen ended his testimony with a heated exchange with the former president’s attorneys determined to undermine Mr Trump’s one-time “fixer” and now star witness in the sprawling case against him.

Trump attorney Alina Habba, pacing the front of a lower Manhattan courtroom with a series of direct questions on 24 October, pressed Cohen to admit he previously lied to a federal judge and asked him whether his wife knew he committed tax crimes – an exchange that drew thunderous objections from Cohen and counsel with the office of New York Attorney General, whose lawsuit threatens to blow up Mr Trump’s business empire.

“Your honour, this witness is completely out of control,” Trump attorney Christopher Kise said.

Alex Woodward filed this full report from the courthouse:

Trump attorneys target Michael Cohen in heated trial fraud testimony

Trump sends love to House GOP, says he won’t endorse a candidate... but backs Johnson for Speaker...

Wednesday 25 October 2023 14:10 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump began his day by offering his congratulations and sending his love to House Republicans for their “big and very important day” on Tuesday, claiming that “even the Fake News Media is impressed” with how they chose a fourth nominee for Speaker [which begs the question of what media he was consuming].

The former president added that he was not going to make an endorsement but his “strong SUGGESTION” was for members to back leading candidate Mike Johnson.

Here’s the post in full:

Congratulations to Congressional Republicans! Yesterday was a big and very important day. It gave us a quick and easy way forward with 5 candidates who are beyond reproach, and represent the absolute best there is in the Republican Party. Even the Fake News Media is impressed with what took place yesterday and, more importantly, with the Candidates themselves. Congratulations to Reps. Byron Donalds (Florida), Charles J. “Chuck” Fleischmann (Tennessee), Mark Green (Tennessee), & Roger Williams (Texas), & the ultimate winner of yesterday’s vote, by a significant margin, Mike Johnson (Louisiana). I am not going to make an Endorsement in this race, because I COULD NEVER GO AGAINST ANY OF THESE FINE AND VERY TALENTED MEN, all of whom have supported me, in both mind and spirit, from the very beginning of our GREAT 2016 Victory. In 2024, we will have an even bigger, & more important, WIN! My strong SUGGESTION is to go with the leading candidate, Mike Johnson, & GET IT DONE, FAST! LOVE, DJT

Meadows told Trump that 2020 election fraud claims were bogus, report says

Wednesday 25 October 2023 14:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Mark Meadows, the ex-North Carolina congressman who served as Donald Trump’s White House chief of staff during his last year in office, has told prosecutors that he personally warned Mr Trump that claims of fraud tainting the 2020 election had no basis in reality.

According to ABC News, Mr Meadows admitted that the then-president had been “dishonest” with the American public when he began floating the outrageous allegations in the wake of his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden during one of several sessions with prosecutors — including sworn testimony before a federal grand jury”.

The former top White House aide reportedly told prosecutors: “Obviously we didn’t win”.

Mr Meadows’ admissions that Mr Trump had lost the election and his concession that the loss was not tainted by fraud contradicts much of what he has recounted about that time period in his book, The Chief’s Chief.

He has also repeatedly parroted the ex-president’s baseless claims in interviews with right-wing media outlets.

Read more...

Full story: GOP Majority Whip Tom Emmer drops speaker bid after four hours

Wednesday 25 October 2023 13:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s speaker bid lasted only four hours before he dropped out in the face of steadfast opposition from a number of right-wing members of the House Republican conference.

Mr Emmer won the nomination on Tuesday for speaker after five rounds of internal voting, but it quickly became clear that he wouldn’t reach the 217 votes needed on the floor of the House.

Mr Emmer and Rep Mike Johnson were the final two in the internal ballot after Rep Kevin Hern was booted in the fourth round and Rep Byron Donalds dropped out voluntarily.

Shortly after Mr Emmer received the backing of fellow Republican congressmen, former President Donald Trump – who had spent the day sitting in a New York courtroom where he is accused of fraud – launched a furious attack on him.

Read more...

GOP Majority Whip Tom Emmer drops speaker bid after four hours

Protester chants ‘lock him up’ at Trump ahead of NH rally

Wednesday 25 October 2023 12:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump was greeted by a protester chanting “lock him up” as he arrived in New Hampshire to file for the state’s Republican primary ahead of a rally with supporters in the afternoon.

The ex-president was seen greeting supporters as he stepped out of a black vehicle, surrounded by Secret Service agents. A man was heard chanting “lock him up! Donald Trump!” into a megaphone for a few seconds before journalists were shooed away by handlers with the Trump campaign.

Mr Trump filed his name as a candidate in the 2024 election on Monday ahead of a rally in Derry, New Hampshire, where he is likely to address his ongoing legal battles as well as, potentially, some of his GOP rivals for the nomination. But he has largely depicted the 2024 Republican primary as decided, even going as far as refusing to attend debates with candidates who significantly trail him in the polls.

Read the full story.

ICYMI: Trump claims he is ‘genius’ for realising ‘us’ is spelled the same as ‘US’

Wednesday 25 October 2023 12:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump bemoaned the fact that he was never described as “genius” after revealing to his followers that he had recently realised that the word “us” was spelled the same as “US”.

The former president questioned whether anybody else had ever thought to make the connection before, as he addressed supporters in New Hampshire on Monday, amid several ongoing criminal investigations into his conduct during his time in office.

During his rambling speech, Mr Trump compared himself to Nelson Mandela and later backed Jesus Christ to be the next Speaker of the House.

Mike Bedigan has the full story.

Trump claims he is ‘genius’ for realising ‘us’ is spelled the same as ‘US’

Jenna Ellis cries in court as she pleads guilty in Georgia election case

Wednesday 25 October 2023 11:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Jenna Ellis, one of the group of attorneys charged as a co-defendant of Donald Trump in the sprawling Georgia election subversion indictment, broke down in tears in court as she took a plea deal.

She became the fourth of 19 defendants in the case brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to plead guilty, and a third member of the former president’s inner circle of attorneys to turn into a cooperating witness.

A new charging document filed by the clerk of the Fulton County Superior Court on 24 October charges her with one count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings.

Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis cries in court as she pleads guilty in Georgia election case

Trump suggests he has been in touch with Kim Jong-Un

Wednesday 25 October 2023 10:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump appeared to suggest that he was still in contact with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and that the North Korean dictator had criticised the presidency of Joe Biden with him.

The former president, addressing supporters in New Hampshire, said Mr Kim was “getting very anxious again” and had called Mr Biden “a very bad word”.

At the rally on Monday, Mr Trump spoke about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, telling those gathered that “everybody felt safe when I was president”.

Read the full report.

Trump tells supporters ‘you don’t have to vote’

Wednesday 25 October 2023 08:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump suggested his supporters don’t have to vote and compared himself to Nelson Mandela on Monday during an outlandish campaign speech in New Hampshire.

As the former president repeated familiar, baseless claims about previous elections being rigged and stolen from him, he told attendees in Derry they should monitor other voters instead of casting their own ballots.

“So we have to be careful, you gotta get out there and you got to watch those voters,” Mr Trump said. “You don’t have to vote, don’t worry about voting. The voting, we got plenty of votes, you gotta watch.”

The comments prompted criticism from a member of the Ron DeSantis campaign.

“This is the type of talk that loses elections,” press secretary Bryan Griffin wrote on X.

Continued...

Trump tells supporters ‘you don’t have to vote’ at New Hampshire rally

Series of bids filed to have Trump election interference case thrown out

Wednesday 25 October 2023 06:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s lawyers fired a shotgun blast of legal motions overnight aimed at seeing the Justice Department’s case against him for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election thrown out of court or significantly reduced in scope.

In four motions filed to Judge Tanya Chutkan, the Trump legal team made a smattering of arguments aimed at hindering or thwarting his prosecution entirely. His attorneys put forth arguments on the grounds of prosecutorial bias, insufficient evidence, improper procedure and even double jeopardy.

The motions were filed on a day that saw yet another blow to the former president’s legal defence efforts: A fourth guilty plea, and the third from a member of his legal team, in Georgia where a state-run prosecution of the Trump campaign’s efforts to alter the election results is well underway.

John Bowden has the story.

Trump files series of bids to have election interference case tossed

What did Trump say about Tom Emmer?

Wednesday 25 October 2023 04:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump voiced his unhappiness with the result of the latest ballot to decide who would be the Republican Party nominee for Speaker of the House.

As the lunch break drew to a close at his civil trial for fraud in New York, the former president posted on Truth Social, attacking Minnesota Rep Tom Emmer as a “Globalist RINO”.

Mr Trump wrote: “I have many wonderful friends wanting to be Speaker of the House, and some are truly great Warriors. RINO Tom Emmer, who I do not know well, is not one of them. He never respected the Power of a Trump Endorsement, or the breadth and scope of MAGA—MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Continued...

Could new documentary about wrestling abuse be ‘game changer’ for Jim Jordan?

Wednesday 25 October 2023 03:00 , Bevan Hurley

A major documentary on the Ohio State University (OSU) sexual abuse scandal that is expected to renew attention on then-OSU coach and now Republican Congressman Jim Jordan is currently in the middle of production.

The untitled Max (HBO) film, produced by George Clooney and directed by Academy Award-winner Eva Orner, will tell the story of decades of abuse by former OSU sports doctor Richard Strauss through the eyes of victims “including All American wrestlers and football players, many of whom have not spoken out until now”, the streaming site said in a statement last year.

A staffer at Clooney’s production house Smokehouse Pictures told The Independent they were “still thick in production on it”.

Attention on the scandal intensified in recent weeks as Jordan began his ill-fated run for House Speaker, only to be cast aside by the same chaotic forces he helped to foster within the party. Mr Jordan has denied any knowledge of the abuse by Strauss, despite numerous witnesses stating they discussed it with him directly.

Several victims have since gone on record to say that Mr Jordan’s alleged participation in the culture of silence that enabled Strauss’ abuse to go unpunished should have disqualified him from the speakership.

New doc on the wrestling abuse that dogged Jim Jordan’s Speaker run

Christie lashes out at House GOP over speaker chaos ‘embarrassment’

Wednesday 25 October 2023 02:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Chris Christie berated members of his own party for their failure to elect a Speaker of the House on Monday as the GOP enters its fourth week of chaos in the lower chamber.

The GOP presidential candidate appeared on MSNBC where he urged the chamber to pick a Republican and unify around them before the essential functions of government were threatened by the stalemate.

As of Tuesday, the Republicans seemed no closer to selecting a leader. GOP Majority Whip Tom Emmer was nominated by his caucus in a closed-door session only to see his bid begin dissolving minutes later, with more than two dozen holdouts materialising against him. Potentially his greatest opponent: Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination, who denounced Mr Emmer in a social media posting on Tuesday.

Mr Christie, who has hinged his bid for the Republican nomination on a total repudiation of the far right and Donald Trump, took aim at that chaos the evening prior.

Continued...

Christie lashes out at House GOP ‘embarrassment’ over speaker chaos

Only Jesus Christ could get the votes for House speaker, says Trump

Wednesday 25 October 2023 01:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump has suggested that the only candidate able to receive the required number of votes to become speaker of the House would be Jesus Christ, possibly in an attempt to lock down evangelical Christian votes ahead of the 2024 Republican primary.

The former president was speaking to the press on Monday while filing to run in the New Hampshire primary, noting that only being able to lose four votes within the GOP House conference to become speaker makes it a difficult hurdle regardless of the candidate.

“That four threshold is very tough. It’s a very tough thing, no matter who it is. There’s only one person that can do it all the way. Do you know who that is? Jesus Christ,” Mr Trump said.

“If Jesus came down and said, ‘I want to be Speaker,’ he would do it. Other than that, I haven’t seen, I haven’t seen anybody that can guarantee it,” he added.

Mr Trump didn’t endorse any specific candidate, having spoken to several of them over the weekend.

Read more...

ICYMI: Trump heckled by protester chanting ‘lock him up’

Wednesday 25 October 2023 00:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump was greeted by a protester chanting “lock him up” as he arrived in New Hampshire to file for the state’s Republican primary ahead of a rally with supporters in the afternoon.

The ex-president was seen greeting supporters as he stepped out of a black vehicle, surrounded by Secret Service agents. A man was heard chanting “lock him up! Donald Trump!” into a megaphone for a few seconds before journalists were shooed away by handlers with the Trump campaign.

Mr Trump filed his name as a candidate in the 2024 election on Monday ahead of a rally in Derry, New Hampshire, where he is likely to address his ongoing legal battles as well as, potentially, some of his GOP rivals for the nomination. But he has largely depicted the 2024 Republican primary as decided, even going as far as refusing to attend debates with candidates who significantly trail him in the polls.

John Bowden reports.

Trump heckled by protester chanting ‘lock him up’ ahead of rally

Trump tells supporters ‘you don’t have to vote’

Tuesday 24 October 2023 23:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump suggested his supporters don’t have to vote and compared himself to Nelson Mandela on Monday during an outlandish campaign speech in New Hampshire.

As the former president repeated familiar, baseless claims about previous elections being rigged and stolen from him, he told attendees in Derry they should monitor other voters instead of casting their own ballots.

“So we have to be careful, you gotta get out there and you got to watch those voters,” Mr Trump said. “You don’t have to vote, don’t worry about voting. The voting, we got plenty of votes, you gotta watch.”

The comments prompted criticism from a member of the Ron DeSantis campaign.

“This is the type of talk that loses elections,” press secretary Bryan Griffin wrote on X.

Continued...

Trump tells supporters ‘you don’t have to vote’ at New Hampshire rally

Today in court: Trump attorneys target Michael Cohen in heated trial fraud testimony

Tuesday 24 October 2023 22:43 , Oliver O'Connell

On his first day on the witness stand in his former employer’s blockbuster fraud trial, Donald Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen ended his testimony with a heated exchange with the former president’s attorneys determined to undermine Mr Trump’s one-time “fixer” and now star witness in the sprawling case against him.

Trump attorney Alina Habba, pacing the front of a lower Manhattan courtroom with a series of direct questions on 24 October, pressed Cohen to admit he previously lied to a federal judge and asked him whether his wife knew he committed tax crimes – an exchange that drew thunderous objections from Cohen and counsel with the office of New York Attorney General, whose lawsuit threatens to blow up Mr Trump’s business empire.

“Your honour, this witness is completely out of control,” Trump attorney Christopher Kise said.

Alex Woodward filed this full report from the courthouse:

Trump attorneys target Michael Cohen in heated trial fraud testimony

ICYMI: Trump claims he is ‘genius’ for realising ‘us’ is spelled the same as ‘US’

Tuesday 24 October 2023 22:35 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump bemoaned the fact that he was never described as “genius” after revealing to his followers that he had recently realised that the word “us” was spelled the same as “US”.

The former president questioned whether anybody else had ever thought to make the connection before, as he addressed supporters in New Hampshire on Monday, amid several ongoing criminal investigations into his conduct during his time in office.

During his rambling speech, Mr Trump compared himself to Nelson Mandela and later backed Jesus Christ to be the next Speaker of the House.

Mike Bedigan reports.

Trump claims he is ‘genius’ for realising ‘us’ is spelled the same as ‘US’

Meadows told Trump that 2020 election fraud claims were bogus, report says

Tuesday 24 October 2023 22:17 , Oliver O'Connell

Mark Meadows, the ex-North Carolina congressman who served as Donald Trump’s White House chief of staff during his last year in office, has told prosecutors that he personally warned Mr Trump that claims of fraud tainting the 2020 election had no basis in reality.

According to ABC News, Mr Meadows admitted that the then-president had been “dishonest” with the American public when he began floating the outrageous allegations in the wake of his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden during one of several sessions with prosecutors — including sworn testimony before a federal grand jury”.

The former top White House aide reportedly told prosecutors: “Obviously we didn’t win”.

Andrew Feinberg has the details.

Mark Meadows told Trump that 2020 election fraud claims were bogus, report says

Voices: Tom Emmer was doomed before his speaker bid even began

Tuesday 24 October 2023 22:07 , Oliver O'Connell

Eric Garcia writes:

Good evening and welcome to the 21st day of the House Republican speaker thunderdome!

The latest victim: House Majority Whip Tom Emmer.

The Minnesota Republican barely got to enjoy the fact he emerged out of a nine-man (and only men ran for the office) Royal Rumble to win the House GOP conference’s nomination to be speaker of the House before he ultimately ended his bid. This came three weeks to the day since Rep Matt Gaetz (R-FL) turned the House of Representatives into Mojo Dojo Casa House and booted Kevin McCarthy.

After an all-night candidate forum on Monday and a process of elimination ballot in the Longworth House Office Building, Mr Emmer emerged as the winner.

On paper, he should be a perfect choice for the gavel.

Read the full article.

Emmer drops speaker bid after just four hours and one Trump attack

Tuesday 24 October 2023 21:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s speaker bid lasted only four hours before he dropped out in the face of steadfast opposition from a number of rightwing members of the House Republican conference.

Mr Emmer won the nomination on Tuesday for speaker after five rounds of internal voting, but it quickly became clear that he wouldn’t reach the 217 votes needed on the floor of the House.

Mr Emmer and Rep Mike Johnson were the final two in the internal ballot after Rep Kevin Hern was booted in the fourth round and Rep Byron Donalds dropped out voluntarily.

Gustaf Kilander and Eric Garcia report from Washington, DC.

GOP Majority Whip Tom Emmer drops speaker bid after four hours

Tuesday 24 October 2023 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward writes:

We end today with a pretty heated series of exchanges.

Habba is trying to undermine Cohen’s earlier testimony, showing that he has previously lied under oath, including in a case tied to financial documents (his taxes), in addition to his false testimony to Congress.

She cuts Cohen off when he tries to explain how he took the plea deal but didn’t necessarily agree with the charges against him.

“You’re not on Mea Culpa, you’re not on your podcast and you’re not on CNN. You’re here with me.”

Groans from the Attorney General’s table.

Habba’s cross-exam of Cohen will continue tomorrow.

Tuesday 24 October 2023 21:31 , Oliver O'Connell

Habba asked whether Cohen ever told his wife that “you were committing tax evasion.”

Cohen fired back, objecting to the question.

“Did your wife sign these returns?” she asked.

“So you lied to Judge Pauley, which we now established, but I’m supposed to [believe] you’re not going to lie to me now.”

Asked, again, if he lied under oath, Cohen said: “Asked and answered.”

Kise rises. “Your honour, this witness is out of control.”

Watch: Trump says he knows nothing about Ellis plea deal and says Emmer nomination looks ‘finished'

Tuesday 24 October 2023 21:28 , Oliver O'Connell

Tuesday 24 October 2023 21:24 , Oliver O'Connell

Habba takes Cohen through his various convictions and guilty pleas and showing a transcript from his 2018 plea hearing and court filings stating that he “used power and influence for deceptive ends”.

“Deception is a form of lying, is it not Mr Cohen?” she asked.

On the stand under questioning from Ms Habba, he admitted to committing perjury in that case.

Cross-examination of Cohen begins

Tuesday 24 October 2023 21:21 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump attorney Alina Habba begins Team Trump’s cross-examination of Michael Cohen, former fixer for the former president.

Habba intends to ask only yes or no questions.

Her first is whether Cohen has any medical issues that would prevent him from testifying truthfully.

“Asked and answered,” he said.

“You are fully prepared to testify to me today?” she asks.

“Yes.”

“Under oath?”

“Yes.”

“And you understand what under oath means, right Mr Cohen?”

“I do.”

Cohen direct examination concludes

Tuesday 24 October 2023 21:10 , Oliver O'Connell

Faherty says the evidence here displays a “pattern and practise” of fraudulent activity, with a “plethora of reasons why this evidence” is related to the NYAG’s complaint.

Kise continues to object.

Judge Engoron already determined that a trial isn’t necessary to prove fraud, and he’s extremely sceptical of the dubious claim that Trump was worth $8bn at any point, saying that it’s fair game to question that figure.

“Do you agree that Trump’s net worth was $8bn at the time?” he asked Faherty.

She laughed out a “no”.

And with that, the NY AG finishes its direct examination of Cohen.

Tuesday 24 October 2023 21:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump attorney Christopher Kise, once again objecting, said the documents shown relating to the bid for the Bills are irrelevant to the case; there was no transaction, and he’s not sure what the AG’s office is trying to prove or what fact is being established, pointing to the “danger” of presenting hypotheticals.

“They need to be moored, connected, to some actual cause of action,” he said.

Judge Engoron notes that Trump Organization comptroller Jeffrey McConney, who is a defendant, signed off on an attached statement of Trump’s financial condition.

Court resumes with more discussion of the failed Buffalo Bills purchase

Tuesday 24 October 2023 20:59 , Oliver O'Connell

Court resumes for the final session of the day and NY AG counsel Colleen Faherty appears to be using the communications and documents from Trump et al surrounding the attempted purchase of the Buffalo Bills as an example of how Michael Cohen and others would pass financial statements to one another as well as other parties involved with the sale.

In this case, that’s Morgan Stanley, which compiled bids on behalf of the team. In one letter, Trump told Morgan Stanley: “I have a net worth in excess of Eight Billion Dollars”.

A July 2014 letter from Deutsche Bank to Morgan Stanley indicates that Trump put in a $1bn bid for the Bills sale, and that “based on our preliminary review” and his “current financial information … it is our assessment that [Mr Trump] would have the financial wherewithal” to make the purchase.

Cohen said Deutsche Bank would have made that assessment based on Trump’s allegedly fraudulent statement of financial condition, amended under Trump’s direction.

Tuesday 24 October 2023 20:27 , Oliver O'Connell

Trump attorney Christopher Kise says he has no idea why the AG’s office is asking about the Buffalo Bills non-sale.

Colleen Faherty with the AG’s office, who has been questioning Cohen, says her questions are well within the scope of the AG’s complaint, detailing how Trump and others pressed financial institutions for financing based on fraudulent documents.

“I think we can all agree that Mr Trump never owned the Buffalo Bills,” Judge Engoron said.

Court takes its afternoon break.

More on the attempted purchase of the Buffalo Bills

Tuesday 24 October 2023 20:20 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward writes:

Cohen is being asked about Trump’s 2014 attempt to buy the Buffalo Bills.

Earlier today, he mentioned relying on those inflated statements of financial condition “in order to demonstrate his ability to purchase the team.”

(Former Deutsche Bank executive Nicholas Haigh previously testified that the financial institution “was not willing to increase its credit exposure to Donald Trump at that time”.)

The deal, or the attempt of a deal, was arranged with Mr Trump, Weisselberg, Cohen, and Jason Greenblatt

“We had a meeting in Mr Trump’s office with members of Deutsche Bank’s team for the purpose of securing a loan that would be predicated off his assets, so that we could acquire or at least put in a bid,” Cohen said.

Trump attorney Christopher Kise objects, saying that Cohen is not “an expert on NFL acquisitions.”

Tuesday 24 October 2023 20:13 , Oliver O'Connell

Cohen tells NY AG counsel Colleen Faherty that worked on the statement of financial condition for a number of years with Allen Weisselberg and he being asked to boost asset values by Mr Trump.

This stopped in 2016 as Trump ran for the White House. Said Cohen: “I was busy doing other things.”

Asked how the statements were used, Cohen says in 2013 he used one for a meeting with a journalist from the New York real estate publication The Real Deal for a story on Trump’s net worth. He says he allowed her to see the document and take notes but not to make a copy.

Recalling another occasion in which it was used, he said: “When Mr Trump was interested in putting in a bid for the Buffalo Bills, we used that statement in order to demonstrate his ability to purchase the team.”

He adds that this was done at Trump’s direction.

Earlier: Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis cries in court as she pleads guilty in Georgia election case

Tuesday 24 October 2023 20:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Jenna Ellis, one of the group of attorneys charged as a co-defendant of Donald Trump in the sprawling Georgia election subversion indictment, broke down in tears in court as she took a plea deal.

She became the fourth of 19 defendants in the case brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to plead guilty, and a third member of the former president’s inner circle of attorneys to turn into a cooperating witness.

A new charging document filed by the clerk of the Fulton County Superior Court on 24 October charges her with one count of aiding and abetting false statements and writings.

Continued...

Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis cries in court as she pleads guilty in Georgia election case

Cohen asked which assets he inflated in value

Tuesday 24 October 2023 19:51 , Oliver O'Connell

Cohen testifies that Donald Trump’s adult children were involved in the valuations of the properties on projects they headed — thought when pressed by Judge Engoron accepts he did not personally see that.

Asked which properties he did inflate the valuations of, he responds that among other assets were “possibly” Trump Tower, Trump Park Avenue, The Trump World Tower UN, 100 Central Park South, the Mansion at Seven Springs, and the Miss Universe Pageants.

Trump hush money lawyer joins Eric Trump for Cohen testimony

Tuesday 24 October 2023 19:36 , Oliver O'Connell

Attorney Todd Blanche, who represents Donald Trump on most of his criminal cases, has come to court to watch Michael Cohen’s testimony.

Mr Cohen will almost certainly be a witness in the Stormy Daniels hush money case when that comes to trial.

Meanwhile, back in court...

Tuesday 24 October 2023 19:31 , Oliver O'Connell

Michael Cohen describes how Donald Trump would order him and Allen Weisselberg to manipulate the value of assets to meet the net-worth that he wanted to see in his statements of financial condition.

He described how he would receive a phone call from Mr Trump’s executive assistant telling him “Mr Trump would like to see you,” and he then would meet with him and Weisselberg at his office.

The topic was his statement of financial condition. They would look at his assets, and Trump would say “I’m actually not worth $4.5bn, I’m actually worth six,” and he would then “direct Allen and I to go to Allen’s office and not return until we achieved the desired goal.”

Trump slams ‘Globalist RINO’ Tom Emmer as GOP Majority Whip wins party speaker nomination

Tuesday 24 October 2023 19:26 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump is not happy about who came out on top of the latest Republican Party speaker nominee battle, attacking the Minnesota rep as a “Globalist RINO”.

Here’s what the former president had to say:

I have many wonderful friends wanting to be Speaker of the House, and some are truly great Warriors. RINO Tom Emmer, who I do not know well, is not one of them. He never respected the Power of a Trump Endorsement, or the breadth and scope of MAGA—MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! He fought me all the way, and actually spent more time defending Ilhan Omar, than he did me—He is totally out-of-touch with Republican Voters. I believe he has now learned his lesson, because he is saying that he is Pro-Trump all the way, but who can ever be sure? Has he only changed because that’s what it takes to win? The Republican Party cannot take that chance, because that’s not where the America First Voters are. Voting for a Globalist RINO like Tom Emmer would be a tragic mistake!

There has now been no Speaker of the House for three weeks and Mr Emmer will likely struggle to turn those against him to “yes” votes.

Mr Trump’s own pick, Ohio Rep Jim Jordan, failed to secure the number of votes needed on the floor of the House and then lost the party’s nomination in a closed-door secret ballot last week.

Mr Emmer voted to certify the 2020 election results showing Joe Biden legitimately won the presidency.

Just yesterday the former president said he was staying out of the speaker fight and that he had “always gotten on well” with Mr Emmer.

What a difference a day makes.

Court about to resume

Tuesday 24 October 2023 19:19 , Oliver O'Connell

Alex Woodward writes:

There was a definite vibe shift when Michael Cohen was sworn in. He spoke loudly and deliberately, pausing frequently to choose his words precisely. The only other sounds were an occasional creaky seat and reporters’ hammering at their keyboards to capture his testimony.

Trump has mostly been sitting upright with his arms crossed, occasionally leaning forward, but he spent the first part of Cohen’s testimony staring at him intently.

Trump suggests Kim Jong-Un has been in contact with him about Biden

Tuesday 24 October 2023 19:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump appeared to suggest that he was still in contact with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and that the North Korean dictator had criticised the presidency of Joe Biden with him.

The former president, addressing supporters in New Hampshire, said Mr Kim was “getting very anxious again” and had called Mr Biden “a very bad word”.

At the rally on Monday, Mr Trump spoke about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, telling those gathered that “everybody felt safe when I was president”.

Read more...

Trump suggests Kim Jong-un has been in contact with him to criticise Biden

Trump attacks judge, AG and ‘her thugs, many of whom now have Covid'

Tuesday 24 October 2023 18:40 , Oliver O'Connell

As the court broke for lunch, not only did Donald Trump grab his chance to speak to the cameras in the hallway of the courthouse, but he also took to Truth Social to bash the “Radio Left Democrat” judge and New York Attorney General “Letitia James and her Thugs, many of whom now have Covid”.

Here’s the former president’s full post:

In the courtroom of the Biden inspired A.G. case in Lower Manhattan - Election Interference. If we had any other Judge, this case would have been thrown out years ago. He is a Radical Left Democrat who is totally controlled by Letitia James and her Thugs, many of whom now have Covid, but did not tell any of us who were dealing with them in the close confines of Court. In fact, they lost another Thug to Covid today. Judge would not delay this SCAM, Election Interference, No Jury Case. Judicial and Prosecutorial Misconduct!

Trump files series of bids to have election interference case tossed

Tuesday 24 October 2023 18:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump’s lawyers fired a shotgun blast of legal motions overnight aimed at seeing the Justice Department’s case against him for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election thrown out of court or significantly reduced in scope.

In four motions filed to Judge Tanya Chutkan, the Trump legal team made a smattering of arguments aimed at hindering or thwarting his prosecution entirely. His attorneys put forth arguments on the grounds of prosecutorial bias, insufficient evidence, improper procedure and even double jeopardy.

The motions were filed on a day that saw yet another blow to the former president’s legal defence efforts: A fourth guilty plea, and the third from a member of his legal team, in Georgia where a state-run prosecution of the Trump campaign’s efforts to alter the election results is well underway.

John Bowden has the latest from Washington, DC.

Trump files series of bids to have election interference case tossed

As Cohen testifies, Trump’s truth social account posts flattering quotes from former fixer

Tuesday 24 October 2023 18:05 , Oliver O'Connell

As Michael Cohen testifies against his former boss, flattering statements made by him about Donald Trump have been posted to the former president’s Truth Social account:

“Trump lawyer Michael Cohen told The Huffington Post that Trump is worth ‘a lot … substantially more than what’s recorded in Forbes.’ ‘They don’t take into account the value of the Trump brand, of the mark, one of the most valuable marks that’s ever been created,’ Cohen said. ‘He has very little debt, triple-A assets.’” (HuffPost, April 2011)

“Mr. Trump is more than just a boss to those of us who have been fortunate enough to be close to him, both professionally and personally,” he said in an interview. “He’s more like a patriarch, a mentor. These qualities make him very endearing to me, which is why I am so fiercely loyal to him and committed to protecting him at all costs.” (Interview with The New York Times, December 2016)

Tuesday 24 October 2023 17:56 , Oliver O'Connell

The court is shown a 30 June 2011 statement of financial condition which Cohen says he recognises.

“I was tasked by Mr Trump to increase the total assets based upon a number that he arbitrarily elected and my responsibility along with Allen Weisselberg, predominantly, was to reverse engineer the various different asset classes, increase those assets, in order to achieve the number that Mr Trump had tasked us with,” he said.

What number was that? counsel asked.

“Whatever number Mr Trump told us to,” he replied.

The court breaks for lunch.

Tuesday 24 October 2023 17:54 , Oliver O'Connell

Cohen confirms he was involved in the potential acquisition of the Buffalo Bills NFL team and the Miami Doral property.

He is shown statements of financial condition from several years.

They appear on screens on either side of the court as well as on screen in front of the AG counsel and defence.

Trump appears to be looking straight ahead.

Cohen explains reporting lines of Trump Organization

Tuesday 24 October 2023 17:49 , Oliver O'Connell

Donald Trump Jr, Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump all held the title of senior vice president, development and acquisitions, all the top level of the Trump Organization hierarchy and reported directly to their father, Cohen said.

Convicted former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg handled “every financial transaction went through his office”.

“If there was an invoice, that came to me, I would be required to approve that invoice … and that would then get presented to Allen,” Cohen said.

Cohen confirmed he had seen and worked on Trump’s statements of financial condition, the allegedly fraudulent documents at the heart of the case.

“It was to be used for purposes of demonstrating net worth, for acquisitions, for insurance purposes.”

Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill...

Tuesday 24 October 2023 17:45 , Oliver O'Connell

GOP Majority Whip Tom Emmer has won the Republican nomination for speaker after five rounds of internal voting.

Only Mr Emmer and Rep Mike Johnson remained in the speaker’s race after Rep Kevin Hern was booted on the fourth round of internal voting and Rep Byron Donalds dropped out voluntarily.

Mr Emmer won the first round of voting for the speaker nomination receiving 78 votes, with Rep Mike Johnson coming in second with 34 votes.

Mr Emmer’s lead grew in the second round, gaining 12 votes. Mr Johnson remained in second, gaining three votes. In the third ballot, Mr Emmer got 100 votes, 107 on the fourth, and finally 117 on the fifth.

The GOP spent hours behind closed doors in a candidate forum on Monday night.

Gustaf Kilander reports from Washington, DC.

GOP Majority Whip Tom Emmer wins Republican speaker nomination

Tuesday 24 October 2023 17:43 , Oliver O'Connell

Cohen says his “special counsel” title meant that he was just working for Donald Trump and not the Trump Organization as a whole.

"He would bring to me, whatever he needed resolved,” Cohen said explaining that his role existed outside the legal department.

"When I started, Jason Greenblatt was general counsel, alongside George Ross."

Tuesday 24 October 2023 17:35 , Oliver O'Connell

Michael Cohen is being questioned by Colleen Faherty of the NYAG’s office concerning the various charges of which he was convicted.

Mr Cohen’s charge for lying to Congress concerned the number of times that he stated to the Senate permanent select committee on intelligence about the failed Trump Tower Moscow project.

“I had stated three. The true answer was 10. I did that at the direction of, in concert with, and for the benefit of Mr Trump,” he said

For each crime, he answers that they were performed while working under the Trump Organization for “Donald J Trump.”

Concerning his employment history, he said he started working for Mr Trump in 2007 when he became an executive vice president and special counsel to him and the Trump Organization.

“After Mr Trump, there were a dozen-plus … including three children, and others were vice presidents. … It was basically a title of standing.”