NEW YORK, May 15, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Donald Trump's lawyers on Tuesday got
their first stab at Michael Cohen, the former president's confidante-turned-
foe,trying to paint him as a money-hungry, untrustworthy narrator.

But the first two hours of defense attorney Todd Blanche's questioning packed
less of a punch than expected, even as senior Republican allies increasingly
politicized the proceedings by showing up to support Trump -- who is again
running for the White House but forced to sit through his own criminal trial,
the first of any former US president.

His most high-profile entourage to date turned out for the trial, including
House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson and pro-Trump politicians vying
to be on the defendant's vice-presidential shortlist.

But the focus was squarely on Cohen, who served as Trump's "fixer" for years
and described himself as a repentant former surrogate who was "knee-deep into
the cult of Donald Trump."

Trump is accused of falsifying business records as he reimbursed Cohen for a
$130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election, when
her account of a sexual encounter with the then-Republican nominee could have
doomed his campaign.

The prosecution painstakingly detailed the alleged crimes, walking Cohen and
the jury through the issue of 11 checks -- most signed by Trump -- in return
for invoices Cohen said were falsified to cover up the hush money
reimbursement.

Cohen said he had made the payments "to ensure that the story would not come
out, would not affect Mr Trump's chances of becoming president of the United
States."

He told prosecutors he arranged for the payment and reimbursements in an
illegal scheme "on behalf of Mr. Trump"

The prosecution questioned Cohen all day Monday and all morning Tuesday
before turning him over to Team Trump.

The cross-examination started off combative -- but quickly turned tepid and
convoluted.

Defense lawyer Todd Blanche's first question was stricken from the record,
after he asked Cohen if he had called him an expletive on TikTok.

"Why are you making this about yourself?" the judge asked Blanche, according
to a transcript of the sidebar that jurors did not hear.

After that, Blanche was largely deferential to Cohen, who despite having a
reputation for a temper was mostly measured as he answered a laundry list of
questions whose overall purpose was not particularly clear.

But the defense will resume Thursday morning -- there is no session Wednesday
-- and it's possible they're saving their heat for when the jury has had some
rest.

A number of jurors appeared increasingly weary over the course of Blanche's
approximately two hours of cross examination after the lunch break, with a
couple letting out yawns and wiping their eyes.

Even some court officers guarding the aisles couldn't quite hold their
composure.

"Almost there," one weary officer quipped to another as the afternoon crawled
to the finish line.

- 'Loyalty' -

Cohen, 57, is crucial to the Manhattan district attorney's case. Right out of
the gate Trump's lawyers have sought to undermine his credibility, and it's
expected they'll try to drive that point home Thursday.

Cohen spent 13 months in jail and another year and a half under house arrest
after pleading guilty in 2018 to lying to Congress and committing financial
crimes.

Speaking to prosecutors he said Trump had reassured him after FBI agents,
seeking evidence of the bank fraud and hush money payments at the heart of
the case, raided his hotel room and office in April 2018.

"Don't worry, everything's going to be fine, I'm the president of the United
States," Cohen recalled Trump saying.

"I felt reassured because I had the president of the United States protecting
me," Cohen testified.

But in a poignant moment under direct questioning, he said his dedication to
protecting Trump frayed when his family voiced exasperation, asking "why are
you holding on to this loyalty?"

"We are supposed to be your first loyalty," Cohen said his family told him.

"It was about time to listen to them."

- 'Protect my boss' -

On Monday, Cohen told jurors how he arranged the payment to Daniels to
prevent her from going public about her alleged 2006 tryst with the married
Trump, a revelation that could have been "catastrophic" to his White House
bid.

His testimony largely corroborated that of both Daniels and David Pecker, the
former tabloid boss who says he colluded with Cohen and Trump to stifle
unflattering stories of the then-presidential hopeful.

Trump, 77, has denied having sex with Daniels, and his lawyers last week
unsuccessfully asked Judge Juan Merchan for a mistrial.

Even if he is convicted in the hush money case, Trump could still run in the
November election and be sworn in as president.

In a bid to cast him as disgruntled and out for blood, Blanche on Thursday
asked Cohen several times whether he wanted to see his former boss convicted.

Cohen at first equivocated -- saying "accountability" was the goal.

"I'm just asking you to say yes or no," Blanche asked again. "Do you want to
see president Trump convicted in this case?"

Cohen then flashed a bit of his blunter side.

"Sure," he said.