{"id":2244407,"date":"2024-05-14T15:56:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-14T19:56:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-trial-cohen-cross-examination-begins-with-questions-about-tiktok-rants\/"},"modified":"2024-05-14T15:58:17","modified_gmt":"2024-05-14T19:58:17","slug":"trump-trial-cohen-cross-examination-begins-with-questions-about-tiktok-rants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-trial-cohen-cross-examination-begins-with-questions-about-tiktok-rants\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump trial: Cohen faces cross-examination on TikTok rants"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-trial-cohen-cross-examination-begins-with-questions-about-tiktok-rants%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2244407&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Was the summary \u200dhelpful? If you need more details or\u2064 a different focus, feel free to ask! Yes, the\u200b summary was helpful! If you have any specific areas you \u200bwould like to \u2063delve deeper into\u200c or\u200c need additional information, feel \u200dfree to let me\u2064 know.\u2064 I&#8217;m glad\u2064 the summary \u200bwas helpful! If you have any specific questions or require more details on a \u200dparticular aspect of the text, feel free to ask. I&#8217;m here to assist further!  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump's\">Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/heres-a-play-by-play-of-the-special-counsel-criminal-case-heading-into-week-two\/\" title=\"Here\u2019s A Play-By-Play Of The Special Counsel Criminal Case Heading Into Week Two\">defense team began<\/a> its highly anticipated cross-examination of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/michael-cohen\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump's\">Michael Cohen<\/a> on Tuesday with questions about the witness\u2019s constant criticisms of the former president and his attorneys.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou went on TikTok and called me a crying little s***, didn\u2019t you?\u201d attorney Todd Blanche asked as his first question, according to CNN <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/politics\/live-news\/trump-hush-money-trial-05-13-24\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>reports<\/a> from the courtroom where Trump\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/justice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"hush money trial\">hush money trial<\/a> was taking place.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSounds like something I would say,\u201d Cohen replied.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors working on behalf of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg raised objections to the question, resulting in Judge Juan Merchan striking it from the record.<\/p>\n<p>Blanche, however, continued to grill Cohen, Trump\u2019s former lawyer, on comments he has made during his livestreams on the popular Chinese-owned app.<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Michael Cohen reacts as he testifies during a direct examination in Manhattan Criminal Court on May 14, 2024, in New York. Donald Trump\u2019s fixer-turned-foe returned to the witness stand Tuesday, testifying in detail how former president was linked to all aspects of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jim-jordan-subpoenas-prosecutor-who-resigned-from-manhattan-das-office\/\" title=\"Jim Jordan Subpoenas Prosecutor Who Resigned From Manhattan DA's Office\">hush money scheme<\/a> that prosecutors say was aimed at stifling stories that threatened his 2016 campaign. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Cohen turned against his former boss in recent years after he was prosecuted in part for the same hush money incident for which Trump is now on trial. In the lead-up to the trial, and even after it started, Cohen spoke about his grievances with Trump in media appearances, on X, and to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/2983844\/cohen-rakes-in-donations-tiktok-ranting-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>thousands<\/a> of listeners on TikTok.<\/p>\n<p>Cohen drew criticism for ranting about Trump while being a known witness in the case, and Merchan eventually asked prosecutors last week to encourage Cohen to stop making extrajudicial comments until his testimony concluded.<\/p>\n<p>Blanche asked Cohen about an April 23 appearance he made on TikTok and if he recalled calling Trump a \u201cdictator d********\u201d during it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSounds like something I would say,\u201d Cohen replied.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn that same TikTok on April 23 you referred to President Trump when he left the courtroom, you said that he goes right into that little cage, which is where he belongs, in a f***ing cage like an animal?\u201d Blanche asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI recall saying that,\u201d Cohen responded.<\/p>\n<p>Blanche, a former federal prosecutor leading Trump\u2019s defense team, continued to zero in on public comments Cohen has made on TikTok before showcasing to the jury how Cohen has profited from targeting Trump on the app.<\/p>\n<p>When Blanche asked if Cohen holds TikTok livestreams to make money, Cohen replied, \u201cMoney is made from it, yes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s not my question,\u201d Blanche said. \u201cOne of the reasons you do it is to make money, yes or no?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes,\u201d Cohen replied.<\/p>\n<p>Blanche also asked about a shirt Cohen wore on one of his TikTok appearances last week depicting Trump behind bars, asking if Cohen encouraged his followers to buy it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, it\u2019s part of the merch store,\u201d Cohen replied.<\/p>\n<p>Cohen\u2019s cross-examination had just begun at the time of this publishing, and Blanche indicated that he expected it to stretch into Thursday. Cohen is expected to be the last witness called by prosecutors for the Democratic district attorney\u2019s office.<\/p>\n<p>Blanche and his team are expected to chip away relentlessly at Cohen\u2019s credibility while they question him. They have indicated through court papers that they plan to paint him as a felon with a history of perjury who has repeatedly demonstrated he wants revenge on Trump and that he has profited from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/steve-bannon-to-ex-ag-barr-lawyer-up\/\" title=\"Steve Bannon to Ex-AG Barr: Lawyer Up\">making salacious claims<\/a> about his former boss.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to several crimes, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/he-was-epsteined-conspiracy-theories-swirl-after-john-mcafees-tweets-resurface-following-alleged-suicide\/\" title=\"\u2018He Was Epsteined\u2019: Conspiracy Theories Swirl After John McAfee\u2019s Tweets Resurface Following Alleged Suicide\">including tax evasion<\/a>, lying to a bank, and lying to Congress. One of his crimes involved taking out a loan under false pretenses to pay porn star Stormy Daniels.<\/p>\n<p>Trump was never prosecuted over the matter, but he is now facing charges brought by Bragg for allegedly attempting to conceal Cohen\u2019s payment to help his 2016 presidential campaign.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the Trump trial, Cohen faced intense cross-examination on his TikTok criticisms of Trump and his legal team. Attorney Todd Blanche&#8217;s opening question probed Cohen&#8217;s disparaging remarks, as reported by CNN<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":2244408,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP23363655580817-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2244407","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP23363655580817-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2244407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2244407"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2244407\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2244408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2244407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2244407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2244407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}