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© Thomson Reuters 2024.Judge tells Trump lawyer in hush money trial he is 'losing all credibility'
By Luc Cohen, Jack Queen and Andy Sullivan NEW YORK©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.
62 Comments
John
Oh, his credibility is long gone.
Hope he got paid up front and that it was worth it because the stain will never wash away.
At least he hasn’t lost his law license (yet) or been criminally charged like multiple other lawyers for this narcotics sociopath have.
plasticmonkey
Blanche sounds like one heckuva lawyer.
John
“Narcissistic sociopath”
Trump is a criminal, evil and stupid, but there’s no evidence that he is using narcotics, although it would jibe.
Cards fan
To be expected when you take on Trump as a client.
This includes publishing articles falsely claiming Ted Cruz's father was connected to the Lee Harvey Oswald, and Hillary Clinton was on various narcotics. In other words, the same kind of media collusion rightists are always whining about. Clearly we can see it's all projection.
plasticmonkey
Shows you the caliber of the average Trump voter.
TokyoLiving
Donny only has credibility with MAGA gang..
LOL
PTownsend
MAGAs and other far right extremists constantly whine that something they call 'the media' is out to get their babbling Bible hawker, but he's still got wack US media, including outlets owned by RM, the modern day Hearst, and some from foreign countries pushing his lies. Speaking of disinformation, he started his own blog, and so far he might be making money but most of his MAGAs that invested in him have lost. It looks like he's made a mess of his latest business, infighting seems to be part of all his dealings., yet recall some of his most faithful claiming their cult leader a business and economic genius. It turns out he's just a fraudster, a pampered class brat who was able to use daddy's money, employ thugs and his incompetent family members to manage it while using criminal-level activities to stay afloat. He tried that same approach while president but the majority of US Americans saw what a failure he was and voted him out. Democracy can work, his brand of gangster authoritarianism not so well according to the majority of voters.
2020hindsights
Sure. So what political attacks are you referring to:
Oooops. So you say he is just reacting to attacks, but you have no evidence of these attacks? Talk about being unprepared. And that's why:
plasticmonkey
The back and forth may have gone something like this:
Blanche: He's allowed to respond to political attacks.
Merchan: You've presented nothing. Show me the exact post he was responding to.
Blanche: Take your pick.
Merchan: Which specifically?
Blanche: All of them.
Merchan: I have to tell you right now, you're losing all credibility with the court.
Blanche: Biden?
Merchan: Biden has nothing to do with this trial.
Blanche: Why? Because the left say so?
Cards fan
Why does this sound so familiar? hmmm lol
2020hindsights
plasticmonkey
ROFL!!
Bob Fosse
"You've presented nothing," Merchan said. "I've asked you eight or nine times, show me the exact post he was responding to. You've not even been able to do that once."
As expected. Claiming he’s not allowed to speak out or tell the truth then when given the opportunity all he has is “waaaaaaaah”
What a baby.
Cheradenine Zakalwe
Colour me not surprised.
Especially given the sources of the citations, links and evidence the MAGA mob always uses to back up their "claims."
If Trump lawyers rely on the same insight and logic...
I imagine if he had a legal ace up his sleeve he could get away with a slap on the wrist in this case of a hush money payment; it is not like it is unheard of in a case of a politician's infidelity.
Election tampering and insurrection on the other hand...
Blacklabel
projection. That judge has no credibility.
lincolnman
With this level of clumsiness and stupidity, I'm guessing two things;
This lawyer has figured out Trump is going to stiff him just like he did Giuliani and is throwing the case on purpose...
Trump and he determined his only way to avoid a guilty sentence is to appeal by saying his lawyer was incompetent...
Still can't wait until Trump takes the stand - he'll either doze off or will treat us to a series of unhinged "Bings!, Bangs!, and Dings!"....
Cards fan
Only to Trump fans. Pretty pathetic that this is the most the Trump fans could muster.
Telling they've got nothing to say about Trump colluding with the National Enquirer to make up stories about political oppents.
Strangerland
Stupidest comment this week. He's a judge - the vetting process required to get to that point, combined with their ethics oversight provides all the credibility needed to anyone who hasn't been brainwashed by MAGA.
Bob Fosse
Perhaps that could be the basis of an appeal. Sounds like a winner for sure!
Blacklabel
nobody pays attention to anything the National Enquirer says and not a crime to make up stories about political rivals.
Dems do it to Trump all the time, in actual newspapers.
Cards fan
Irrelevant.
That's actually not true.
Really? You have evidence of the Democrats engaging in catch and kill schemes with "actual newspapers"? Link please.
Bob Fosse
It’s been a while since you used the “somebody else did it before” legal defense.
Do you think it will finally work this time?
zibala
Hmm. Well, what do you think? (Not what does headline liberal news shout). Any thoughts? (As opposed to just saying No, when someone else says Yes).
Dig deep!
John
Says the one with negative credibility. I previously thought that wasn’t mathematically possible, but it seems I was mistaken.
2020hindsights
Blacklabel
Really? You've presented nothing. You're losing all credibility.
Strangerland
The jury will.
Weird MAGA fantasy not based in the reality of what is happening.
Bob Fosse
I thought I heard your clown shows honking.
lincolnman
I always thought this trial was the weakest in terms of evidence...not any more...
"Pecker back on the witness stand: In what amounted to incredibly damning testimony, Pecker laid out the 2015 deal he reached with Trump “to help the campaign.” Pecker called the arrangement to publish stories to make Trump look good — and to smear his political rivals — “highly, highly confidential.” Trump’s then lawyer Michael Cohen fed the tabloid negative stories about rivals like Sen. Ted Cruz when they sensed him gaining momentum on Trump in the GOP primary, Pecker testified. Steve Bannon also pitched negative stories about Hillary Clinton to Pecker that the Enquirer published.
“Catch and kill”: Pecker also testified about the Enquirer’s efforts regarding “catch and kill,” the practice of buying the exclusive rights to a story only to make sure it would never be published. The Enquirer paid $30,000 to a Trump Tower doorman named Dino Sajudin for a story about Trump fathering an out-of-wedlock child. Though the story turned out not to be true, Pecker said, “I made the decision to buy the story because of the potential embarrassment it would have to the campaign and Mr. Trump.” A second catch-and-kill example involved former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who was shopping a story about a sexual relationship she said she had with Trump. “I think you should buy it,” Pecker said he told Trump, who was married at the time, during the 2016 campaign."
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-trial-updates-former-national-enquirer-publisher-david-pecker-details-efforts-to-help-trumps-2016-campaign-183916839.html
And this is just the first witness....
No wonder Trump is freaking out and wetting his pants...he better hide his golf clubs so Melania can't find them...
stormcrow
Trump is always having trouble keeping his personal business in his pants.
Strangerland
Election interference must be stopped!!! Scream the right. Or at least they did until they realized that the only election interference here in the real world was on the part of their own team. He interfered in the 2016 election, stealing the election, and then he tried to overthrow democracy in 2020.
Trump has redefined a lot of things, and the term 'loser' is high among them.
Cards fan
Here's what the law actually says if anyone is interested:
https://casetext.com/statute/consolidated-laws-of-new-york/chapter-election/article-17-protecting-the-elective-franchise/title-1-violations-of-the-elective-franchise/section-17-152-conspiracy-to-promote-or-prevent-election
Strangerland
tldr; It's a crime sometimes, and Bragg is showing that this is one of those times.
bass4funk
the left reads the Yahoo News, get real! ROFL!
bass4funk
He can't. Funny, Cohen can spout out lies all day and on his Podcast (ROFL) but Trump has to sit there and just take it, the beauty of this trial is, the circus for what it is, this just continues to help Trump.
Democrats certainly are.
chotto_2
Good morning, Bass. Hope you're well.
Cephus
"Judge tells Trump lawyer in hush money trial he is 'losing all credibility".
Like the entire case has any credibility? This case is no different like Joe claiming his uncle was eaten without seasoning by African cannibals!
bass4funk
Always ;)
Strangerland
How to say your a MAGA far-right extremist, without saying you're a MAGA far-right extremist.
Or maybe a Russian - they like to pretend they're MAGA, because the MAGA believe what the Russians tell them.
Strangerland
It's beautiful.
It will be even more beautiful if he ends up in jail for contempt of court.
lincolnman
As John Stewart said last night, it sure seems strange that a guy already judged to have committed a "sexual assault", is on trial for fraudulently paying off a "porn star", with the first witness being a "Mr Pecker"...
Welcome to sleaze is as sleaze does MAGA-world...
Blacklabel
“Any two or more persons who conspire to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means and which conspiracy is acted upon by one or more of the parties thereto, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor," New York Law 17-152 reads.”
so a misdemeanor is made a felony by….another misdemeanor? Clown world.
Blacklabel
And why do they keep saying conspiracy when conspiracy isn’t in the indictments?
and how is repaying someone in 2017 for legal services influence on the 2016 election?
J101
Let's see. One is a podcast, the other is a court. How good we're you in kindergarten playing one is not like the other?
Strangerland
People outside MAGA have read how this translates to a felony. If you want to continue to remain willfully ignorant, and then be all angry about it, that's on you. The rest of us see your comment as devoid of value when you aren't ignorant of the facts.
J101
It's good that you started labelling your projections. Makes it easier to read.
Strangerland
Or in other words, maybe educate yourself and you won't need to beg us to educate you to allay your anger.
Cards fan
Because they weren't legal services. That's what the fraudulant documents were for.
Strangerland
Information widely known outside of far-right extremist MAGA media.
MAGA love willful ignorance.
Cards fan
Yes. Being held responsible for the crimes you commit makes this a clown world.
In your world, you think it should be okay to just make up literal fake news to damage opponents.
Now that is what I call a "clown world."
Blacklabel
Misdemeanor + misdemeanor doesn’t equal 34 felonies.
documents created in 2017 can’t impact a 2016 election.
if there was a conspiracy why are all the indictments about business records and none mention conspiracy?
NDA: legal
catch and kill: legal
payments to your lawyer: legal
Tabloids making up stories: legal
Cards fan
Yes, here you are, from WAPO:
Now why would notoriously frugal Trump go pay more than Cohen even requested?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-company-approved-420000-in-payments-to-cohen-relying-on-sham-invoices-prosecutors-say/2018/08/21/b6b327fc-a596-11e8-97ce-cc9042272f07_story.html
Well looky there, it sounds a whole lot like the fraud prosecutors alleged.
Strangerland
Again, if you want to remain willfully ignorant to information that is widely available, your anger is on your.
Open ended questions prove nothing other than that the questioner is too lazy to answer a question they know they won't like the actual answer to.
bass4funk
Why? Not being fair and impartial is good? hmm...
I see, so for our non-American followers, the rule of law is not good enough?
Ok...
Cards fan
lol Clearly they do. That's what the grand jury decided.
They can when they're repayments for burying stories from before the election.
Irrelevant.
Irrelevant.
Irrelevant.
A tabloid alone? Possibly legal, but you're opening yourself to defamation claims.
A tabloid in concert with a political candidate? That's probably illegal, that feels illegal.
Strangerland
Heh, says the guy from the so-called party of law and order.
I guess you guys have given up on that one.
Heh, says the guy who thinks Jan 6th was ok, and that Trump shouldn't be prosecuted even after grand juries found probable cause...
Blacklabel
Prosecutors doing a great job so far of telling us about things that happened that….aren’t crimes.
Isn’t this a criminal trial?
Cards fan
lol Actually he's done a pretty good job at proving what a crook Trump is. He's done a very good job showing that Trump's motivation for the hush money payment was nothing to do with the his wife and everything to do with the election, and he's shown Trump was aware of the fraudulent documents. If you think today was a good day for Trump or his defense, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you.
Ken
"constitutional free speech rights."
That's funny how he is the ONLY former president to say that. Not to mention "free speech" is more so for civilians not government officials. People who run the country and or work for the US government or military don't have the same rights as the citizens. They are supposed to be held to higher standards because of the weight the words they speak.
Strangerland
Meanwhile, back in the real world, they already proved all the points of the crime with Pecker's testimony alone.
Also publicly available information I will add.
wallace
I feel overwhelmed by the abundance of tears shed by people supporting the 'Make America Great Again' movement.
lincolnman
More daily MAGA-delusion...you show them they're wrong each day and they come back with the same old tired tropes...
It really just shows how desperate and dejected they are...
Ask that question when he's sentenced to jail...
Strangerland
At least the MAGA have Obamacare, so they can get care for their wounded feelings.
Strangerland
It sounds like the prosecution is intending to use Pecker's testimony to confirm testimony they intend from Michael Cohen, due to Cohen's lack of credibility. They'll use documents and other people's testimony to cross-reference the rest of Cohen's trial, thereby removing any points for the defense to call into question his credibility, since everything he says will already have been supported through testimony and facts.
The irony is that Cohen's lack of credibility literally comes from the very exact crime and instance of said crime that Trump is on trial.