In his closing statement, Trump's lead lawyer, Todd Blanche, tried to paint Michael Cohen, a key witness, as a liar and perjurer and the prosecution's case as failing to meet the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
Steinglass said the tape eclipsed coverage of a Category 4 hurricane, according to Hope Hicks; debate prep at Trump Tower was disrupted as campaign leadership discussed how to respond; and elected Republicans raced to disavow Trump's comments on the tape, with some withdrawing their endorsements. "This call makes it impossible for the defense to claim that Cohen was acting on his own here," Steinglass said.
Steinglass characterized a meeting at Trump Tower almost a decade ago as a “subversion of democracy.” The prosecutor told the jury that Judge Merchan will say Cohen is an accomplice because he participated in these crimes, but you cannot convict Trump on Cohen’s word alone — unless there is corroborating evidence.
Cohen's top quality was loyalty to his former boss, Steinglass said. Cohen was"drawn to the defendant like a moth to a flame, and he wasn't the only one. David Pecker saw Mr. Trump as a mentor; Mr. Trump saw David Pecker as a useful tool."Steinglass is explaining that Cohen had lied at Trump’s direction and that Trump was now using those lies to harm Cohen’s credibility in the trial.
It will be important to watch for Steinglass to argue at some point that no one is above the law, even the former president of the United States -- something we’ve seen other state and federal prosecutors say about Trump over the last year.Steinglass zeroed in on an example of what the prosecution considers an inconsistency in the defense team's case.
“If her testimony were so irrelevant, why did they work so hard to discredit her?” he added. “In the simplest terms, Stormy Daniels is the motive.”Steinglass displayed quotes from one of the state's exhibits: a phone call in which Cohen — well before he started cooperating with prosecutors — tells Davidson that Trump hates the fact that his team settled with Daniels.
The call summaries were made to help guide you, the prosecutor explained to the jury. The phone records are all in evidence and you can look through them at your leisure, he added.
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