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The Biden campaign on Wednesday proposed a series of two debates with very specific rules, including shutting off the microphone of the candidate not answering a question, and Donald Trump quickly accepted the invitations, including the stipulations, before turning around and proposing an additional series of debates.

In a stinging response the Biden campaign rejected Trump’s proposal.

“Donald Trump has a long history of playing games with debates: complaining about the rules, breaking those rules, pulling out at the last minute, or not showing up at all – which he’s done repeatedly in all three cycles he’s run for president,” said Biden-Harris 2024 Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon in a statement received by NCRM. “He said he would debate President Biden anytime, anywhere, anyplace. In fact, he’s said and posted it dozens of times with varying degrees of comprehension and basic grammar. President Biden made his terms clear for two one-on-one debates, and Donald Trump accepted those terms. No more games. No more chaos, no more debate about debates. We’ll see Donald Trump on June 27th in Atlanta – if he shows up.”

Politico warned Wednesday afternoon the “agreement does not ensure that either of the debates will happen. In fact, shortly after the campaigns agreed to two debates, the Trump campaign proposed two more.”

READ MORE: Johnson Promotes Making ‘Crime a Crime Again’ After Standing Up for Trump at Courthouse

Early Wednesday morning President Joe Biden posted a video to social media, saying, “Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020. Since then, he hasn’t shown up for a debate. Now he’s acting like he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day, pal. I’ll even do it twice.”

Biden also ridiculed Trump’s schedule, which currently has him in court four days a week.

“I hear you’re free on Wednesdays,” Biden mocked.

Barely hours later, Biden, keeping the same tone, posted to social media: “I’ve also received and accepted an invitation to a debate hosted by ABC on Tuesday, September 10th. Trump says he’ll arrange his own transportation. I’ll bring my plane, too. I plan on keeping it for another four years.”

Trump on his social media website wrote, “It is my great honor to accept the CNN Debate against Crooked Joe Biden, the WORST PRESIDENT in the History of the United States and a true Threat to Democracy, on June 27th. Likewise, I accept the ABC News Debate against Crooked Joe on September 10th. Thank you, DJT!”

Also on his Truth Social page Wednesday, Trump had written, “I would strongly recommend more than two debates and, for excitement purposes, a very large venue, although Biden is supposedly afraid of crowds – That’s only because he doesn’t get them. Just tell me when, I’ll be there. ‘Let’s get ready to Rumble!!!'”

CNN’s Kristin Holmes reported Wednesday afternoon the Trump campaign is “a little bit irked right now, the fact that Joe Biden somehow took over the debate narrative despite the fact that Donald Trump has been using this as a narrative at all his campaign rallies.”

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READ MORE: Why Are One in Five GOP Voters Still Voting for Nikki Haley Over Donald Trump?

Fox News reporter Peter Doocy, as he often does during White House press briefings, attempted to push White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's buttons regarding her boss — President Joe Biden's — decision to debate Donald Trump on June 27.

Doocy said, "I know you don’t want to talk about campaign stuff…"

Jean-Pierre interrupted, saying, "I really don't. It's not even that I don't want to — I can’t."

READ MORE: 'Says you!' John Kirby smacks down Fox News’ Peter Doocy

Doocy continued, "Then how about your insight as the most prominent political communicator in the world, the White House press secretary..."

Jean-Pierre replied, "In the world?"

The Fox News reporter went on to ask, "Does a person generally want to debate when they are winning, or when they are losing?"

Jean-Pierre replied, "I am not going to do political punditry from here, my friend."

The Fox News correspondent also "poked" Pierre regarding Donald Trump's polling over President Joe Biden in some states, according to HuffPost, "asking how a 'criminal defendant' could be ahead" of Biden "in five battleground states."

The news outlet notes: "Doocy was referring to New York Times polls that showed former President Donald Trump, who’s on trial over concealing hush money payments, beating Biden in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania. The incumbent won all of those swing states in 2020."

READ MORE: 'Excuse me?' Biden adviser shuts down Fox News reporter over loaded poll question

Doocy continued to push Jean-Pierre's buttons, asking, “So more broadly then, have you considered in the White House that some of President Biden’s recent policy positions could be a turnoff to the people that used to like him?"

The White House press secretary pointed to the fact that "combating student debt and Big Pharma have earned mass approval."

She told Doocy, "So what the president is actually doing is popular with what the majority of Americans want to do. Even in protecting reproductive rights, something that Republicans are not on the right side of history. You think about what extreme elected officials want to do. The president wants to protect and make sure that we actually are giving a woman a right to make really difficult decisions on their health care. So that part I certainly disagree with you on."

READ MORE: How Fox News is lying about Trump’s trial

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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, promoting a California sheriff who was once a member of a far-right extremist antigovernment group that has been called “instrumental” in the January 6 insurrection, on Wednesday demanded making “crimes criminal again” just one day after traveling to the Criminal Courts Building in lower Manhattan to stand up for Donald Trump. The indicted ex-president faces 34 felony charges in his election subversion, business records falsification, and “hush money” trial.

“We’ve got to make crimes criminal again,” Speaker Johnson told reporters at a “Back the Blue” Police Week news conference Wednesday, paraphrasing Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. “I mean, it’s just common sense. And I think everybody in the country who looks at this objectively understands that anybody who’s not involved in the radical woke progressive left understands clearly that you gotta maintain the peace.”

Sheriff Bianco had been invited to speak at the House GOP event. In 2021, NPRreported he “defended” his membership in the Oath Keepers extremist group, which he insisted stands “for protecting the Constitution.”

READ MORE: Johnson Would Contest 2024 Election Results Under the Same ‘Circumstances’

“If you love America, if you’re proud to be an American and you support the Constitution, you are labeled as an extremist,” Bianco said.

Speaking at the House GOP Back the Blue event Wednesday, Bianco launched an attack on the left.

“Over the past decade or so, the rule of law has been severely eroded by a sick and twisted progressive social experiment, fraudulently called criminal justice reform. In this alternate universe, law enforcement officers are the bad guys, criminals are somehow victims of society. We cannot have a country without respect for law enforcement and adherence to the law and order of our country. There must be consequences for criminal behavior. It is time to make crime a crime again.”

The Speaker on Wednesday also slammed Attorney General Merrick Garland, declaring, “the Department of Justice has clearly been politicized. Some of us consider this actually to be a weaponized DOJ and Merrick Garland is in charge. He is the Attorney General at the top, and I think that they have, they have used our system of justice against political opponents, of course, the most prominent of which is Donald J. Trump. I was with him yesterday in Manhattan, and many in the press have asked, ‘Why did you go there?’ Because I’m a former litigator, I’m a I’m an attorney. This is an egregious violation. a travesty of justice. They are using the judicial system for political purposes and this is something that framers warned us against.”

The Associated Press on Tuesday reported Speaker Johnson had become “the highest-ranking Republican to show up at court, embrace the former president’s claims of political persecution and attack the U.S. system of justice.”

READ MORE: ‘Grave Danger’: Trump’s ‘Raw Display’ of Power at Court Alarms Conservative

“It was a remarkable moment in modern American politics: The House speaker amplifying Trump’s defense and turning the Republican Party against the federal and state legal systems that are foundational to the U.S. government and a cornerstone of democracy,” the AP continued. “Johnson, who is second in line for the presidency, called the court system ‘corrupt.'”

“The speaker is leading a growing list of Republican lawmakers who are criticizing the American judicial system as they rally to Trump’s side, appearing at the courthouse to defend the party’s presumptive presidential nominee. Trump is accused of having arranged secret payments to a porn actress to hide negative stories during his successful 2016 campaign for president.”

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As Donald Trump's hush money/falsified business records trial moved along on Tuesday, May 14, his former personal attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, was aggressively cross examined by the defense team in a Lower Manhattan courtroom. And if Cohen, as reported, is the prosecution's final witness, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr.'s office may rest its case sooner rather than later.

CNN's Dana Bash discussed Cohen's testimony and the cross examination with jury consultant Robert Hirschhorn and former federal prosecutor Elie Honig during a May 15 segment. And both of them identified flaws with the defense team's approach.

Hirschhorn said of Cohen, "So, he did an OK job, but he's being a little evasive — and let me tell you why. When he gives answers like 'sounds like something I would say,' that's going to bother these jurors. Just answer yes or no. 'Sounds like something I would say' is the beginning of the cracks of Michael Cohen. And so, that's one piece."

READ MORE:Trump lawyer reportedly 'growled' when confronting Cohen about profanity-laden insult

The jury consultant continued, "The other piece is: look, I think the defense lawyer had a great opportunity — and I've heard Elie say this before — the defense lawyer should have started with ten or actually 11 times where Cohen lied to somebody. Because in closing argument, you say, 'I'll tell you who the 12th was, ladies and gentlemen: He lied to you.' So, the idea is, we'll see what happens tomorrow. But I think Cohen's in for a rough ride."

Honig argued that so far, the cross examination of Cohen by Trump's defense team has been "scattershot and sub-optimal."

The CNN legal analyst and former Southern District of New York prosecutor told Bash and Hirschhorn, "I think (attorney) Todd Blanche is not at his best in the couple hours we saw yesterday. As Robert said, first of all, it jumps around topic to topic. I actually went back after our live coverage yesterday and re-read the whole transcript. You need to be thematic; you need to be clear and strong, and I would have started with the lies, as Robert just said."

Honig continued, "There is a lot of ammunition there. And then, I would have moved on to Michael Cohen's over-the-top, personal bias towards Donald Trump….Todd Blanche takes pages upon pages upon pages, having Michael Cohen say how much he once respected Donald Trump — I don't know how that exactly resonates with the jury."

READ MORE: Former FBI counsel praises 'significant color' Michael Cohen brought to testimony

Honig added, however, that he expects "a different, more pointed tone" from Blanche when the cross examination of Cohen continues. And he pointed out that Cohen's testimony "links Donald Trump directly to the actual crime charged — to the actual falsification of business records."

READ MORE: Why Stormy Daniels 'was a dangerous witness to put on for both sides': analyst

Watch the full video below or at this link.

During Donald Trump's hush money/falsified business records trial in Lower Manhattan, many Republican allies of the former president have been showing up at the courthouse to voice their support for the former president — including Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama), Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida), former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana).

Some of them spoke to reporters outside the courthouse. Others were in the courtroom itself.

During a Wednesday morning, May 15 appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Never Trump conservative Charlie Sykes found Johnson's presence especially disconcerting.

READ MORE:'Bizarre timeline': Columnist laments 'political madness' of Stormy Daniels’ lurid testimony

"I see politicians running toward the sound of the sleaze because that is what their master is demanding of them," Sykes told hosts Joe Scarborough (a fellow Never Trumper and former GOP congressman) and Mika Brezinski. "I suppose we shouldn't be surprised, but it's still shocking. It's still amazing that you have these politicians embracing Donald Trump in the middle of a hush money trial. He could walk out of that courtroom as a convicted felon."

The conservative journalist and former Bulwark columnist continued, "Look, it's one thing for Republicans to say, 'We like Donald Trump because of his policies on taxes or on the border or on education.' But what's happening now is that it's become the new litmus test: You have to embrace it all. You have to embrace the election denial, the lies. You have to embrace the insurrection; you have to embrace the hush money to a porn star, the multiple affairs. You have to embrace the obstruction of justice. You have to make yourself part of the obstruction of justice."

Sykes warned that it's "not remotely normal" when the House speaker shows up at a former president's "felony trial" to support him "not in spite of his character, but embracing all of it."

Speaker Johnson, according to Sykes, was "using his position" to "violate the gag order" that Justice Juan Merchan has imposed on Trump during the trial.

READ MORE: Ex-federal prosecutor: Why Cohen’s hush money testimony 'exceeded expectations'

"Now, whether this is going to have effect on the jury, we don't know," Sykes argued. "Whether it is going to intimidate the jury, whether it is going to impress the jury. But again, we are seeing a scene in American politics that we have never seen before and which was unimaginable until the last two days. And by the way, as you guys have pointed out, so much for the party of morality and so much for the party of law and order."

Brzezinski noted that former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) has been vehemently critical of Johnson's visit to the Lower Manhattan courthouse during the trial, which Scarborough described as a "very sad spectacle."

On X, formerly Twitter, the arch-conservative Cheney posted, "Have to admit I’m surprised that @SpeakerJohnson wants to be in the 'I cheated on my wife with a porn star' club. I guess he's not that concerned with teaching morality to our young people after all."

Sykes commented, "The reality is that Mike Johnson's speakership hangs by a thread, that he depends upon the favor of Mar-a-Lago — that all Donald Trump has to do is turn on him, and he's out. So, here you have Mike Johnson that survived that vacate-the-speaker vote with Democratic support, basically showing where the real power in the Republican Party is."

READ MORE: Former FBI counsel praises 'significant color' Michael Cohen brought to testimony

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During his testimony in former President Donald Trump's hush money/falsified business records trial on May 13 and 14, Michael Cohen — Trump's former personal attorney and fixer — detailed his role in hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office, according to reports, may rest its case after Cohen's testimony concludes.

Former federal prosecutor Joyce White Vance offered legal analysis of Cohen's testimony — both direct and on cross examination by Trump's defense team — during a Wednesday, May 15 appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

Vance offered a caveat, telling hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski and their colleagues Willie Geist and Jonathan Lemire that "another full day of cross examination" was coming. But she stressed that Cohen's testimony, so far, has "exceeded expectations."

READ MORE:Trump lawyer reportedly 'growled' when confronting Cohen about profanity-laden insult

The MSNBC legal analyst explained, "He kept a calm demeanor, and a big part of this is less the evidence coming out and (more) the way the jury perceives Michael Cohen. They have to believe him in order to convict. There is just too much in his testimony. If he continues on this path, he may just pull it out."

Geist noted that Trump defense attorney Todd Blanche tried to paint Cohen as a "jilted former employee" and a "liar" who cannot be trusted.

Vance responded, "You know, he may have more…. I've had a lot of cases where that is the strategy on cross-examination, and where the defense lawyer tries to imply that the witness is biased against the defendant. Well, look, these witnesses are always biased against the defendant, and the prosecution handles that."

Lemire asked Vance if there is a possibility that jury deliberations could begin as soon as next week — assuming that Cohen is the prosecution's final witness — and she responded, "I think that's a possibility."

READ MORE: 'Bizarre timeline': Columnist laments 'political madness' of Stormy Daniels’ lurid testimony

"I'm a little bit surprised that we are not hearing expert testimony on the campaign finance violations that have to be proven," Vance argued. "It's possible the defense could put on, you know, a witness that will talk about that. But closing arguments, that is not going to take a full day, I wouldn't think. And then, the jury is off to the races."

Vance added that jurors, in order to convict, will need to be convinced "that Donald Trump created or caused to be created false business records" and "did that with an intent to defraud — an intent to commit or conceal another crime."

"We haven't really been looking at the evidence in that legal framework so far," Vance observed, "but that is what the judge will tell the jury they have to do. And that is a little bit different from listening to the story and saying, 'Oh, I really think Donald Trump did this.'"

READ MORE: Former FBI counsel praises 'significant color' Michael Cohen brought to testimony

Watch the full video below or at this link.

Although adult film actress Stormy Daniels' cross-examination in Donald Trump's New York hush money trial is over — the hate she continues to receive in the process is not — according to her husband, Barrett Blade.

The former president was charged with 34 felony counts for falsifying business records to suppress a $130,000 hush money payment made to Daniels in an effort to benefit his 2016 campaign.

Blade spoke with CNN's Erin Burnett Tuesday about his thoughts on the trial and his wife's involvement.

READ MORE: 'May be their downfall': Ex-prosecutor details Trump lawyers’ 'baffling missteps' at trial

"Have you discussed what happens — when you talk about getting on with your life [at the trial's conclusion] — if Trump is found not guilty?" Burnett asked.

"If Trump is found not guilty, either way, I don't think it gets better for her," Blade said. "I think if it's not guilty we got to decide what to do. It's a good chance we'll probably vacate this country. If he is found guilty, then she's still got to deal with all the hate, and I feel like she's the reason that he's guilty from all of his followers. So I don't see it as a win situation either way.

He emphasized, "I know that we would like to get on with our lives. I know that she wants to move past this. We just want we just want to do what normal people get to do, in some aspects, but I don't know if that ever will be. And it breaks my heart, some of the things that she has to go through that people don't realize.

"For example," Blade continued, "I don't see people fighting back for her. For instance, [veteran journalist] E. Jean Carroll — although we're super happy that everything that happened for happened — Stormy opened the door, but Stormy got sued for the exact same two comments, and she ended up getting legal fees she's got to pay for, but no one wants to help her with that."

READ MORE: 'Painful and salacious': GOP lawmakers worry trial is 'troubling sign for Trump'

"Or the women's groups; She fights for women's groups all day long, and I don't see anyone doing GoFundMe's to try to help with her legal fees and to help her out," he added. "[Disgraced celebrity attorney] Michael Avenatti — he did a GoFundMe to try to help her — but he ended up stealing all her money. There's a list that goes on and on and on."

"No one comes back and helps her out," Blade emphasized. "So that's the biggest heartbreak I think out of everything that's going on right now is that she's fighting for everybody and no one's fighting for her. And that's what makes me the most upset about all of the situation."

Watch the video below or at this link.

'Stormy opened the door': Daniels’ husband discusses 'biggest heartbreak' of New York trialwww.youtube.com

Donald Trump came to the aid of embattled Republican South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, whose story about shooting to death her 14-month old German wirehaired pointer named Cricket has been denounced by Americans on the left and right for weeks.

Gov. Noem not only chose to put the story in her memoir, but has repeatedly defended her decision to drag the dog into a gravel pit and shoot her, killing her with one bullet without even warning her child, who asked when they returned home from school, “Where’s Cricket?”

Trump, speaking Tuesday on “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show,” the successor to the late Rush Limbaugh’s talk radio program, did not appear to have a full grasp of the story or the massive outrage and upset Gov. Noem caused.

“I’m sure you’ve seen some of the Kristi Noem story. She might be the only person getting worse press than you on the left right now with the dog shooting story,” Clay Travis told Trump. “Is she still in the mix as a VP? Have you thought maybe she’d make more sense in a cabinet? How do you analyze stories like that as you go about making a choice?”

READ MORE: Johnson Would Contest 2024 Election Results Under the Same ‘Circumstances’

Noem, until the dog shooting story came out, was widely believed to be on Trump’s short list as a vice presidential running mate.

“Well, until this week, she was doing incredibly well and she got hit hard, and sometimes you do books and you have some guy writing a book and you maybe don’t read it as carefully,” Trump offered as a defense of the governor whose dog-shooting story came out weeks ago. “You know, you have ghost writers, do they help you? And they this case didn’t help too much.”

“Now, she’s terrific,” Trump continued, lavishing praise on Noem. “Look, she’s been a supporter of mine from day one. She did a great job of governor, as governor. And you know, you look at South Dakota numbers. She’s really done a great job.”

Trump did not say what numbers specifically, nor did he say on what Governor Noem did a great job. he also did not answer the question Travis posed about North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, nor did he bring up any of the other controversies surrounding the book.

“And in some form, I mean, I think I think she’s terrific. A couple of rough stories. There’s no question about it. And when explained the dog story, you know, people, people hear that and people from different parts of the country probably feel a little bit differently, but that’s a tough story. And, but she’s a terrific person. She said she had a bad, she had a bad week.”

Watch below or at this link.

READ MORE: ‘Mouths of Sauron’: Critics Blast ‘Mobster Tactic’ of Trump Surrogates ‘Violating’ Gag Order

Donald Trump ally and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum was put on the spot Tuesday as he appeared to violate a judge’s gag order while being interviewed by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.

Burgum, who accompanied Trump to his hush money trial, was speaking as the trial resumed after a lunch break.

While repeating many of Trump’s talking points about the trial being a political witchhunt, he claimed the judge and his daughter were politically biased.

He also attacked the witness currently giving testimony, Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen.

“[People] see right through this thing when you've got a judge that donated to Joe Biden, when you've got prosecutors that supported Joe Biden, when you've got the judge's family members that are benefiting financially as Democrat operatives and then when you've got, as you just said, the lead in this whole trial rests on the credibility of someone who spent three hours this morning describing in great detail how he lied to a grand jury, how he lied to Congress, and how he lost in in court cases.

“And so this is it's just a tough thing. The prosecution's got a tough job to try to build their case on someone who's a serial perjurer.”

ALSO READ: Marjorie Taylor Greene delays financial disclosure day after motion-to-vacate debacle

A gag order put in place by Judge Juan Merchan forbids Trump from talking about witnesses, jurors, court staff or their families. Trump has already been found to have violated it 10 times

But the order will also be violated if Trump asks somebody else to talk about them.

Collins jumped on that fact.

‘I believe [the Joe Biden donation] was to the tune of $35,” she said.

“And then you also mentioned his daughter and her political work, that was something also that the former president heatedly attacked him for, attacked her for on social media until his gag order that he's under right now was expanded to include members of the judge's family and also members of the prosecution's family.

“Did Donald Trump ask you to come out and criticize the judge's daughter?”

“No, not whatsoever,” replied Bergum.

“I'm here completely as a volunteer.”

Trump is facing 34 charges of business fraud involving hush money payments allegedly paid to an adult movie actress to silence her claims she had a sexual relationship with him.

Watch the video below or at this link.

CNN 05 14 2024 14 19 30www.youtube.com

Several of Donald Trump's Republican allies have showed up at his hush money/falsified business records trial in Lower Manhattan, where they have been vigorously defending the former president outside the courthouse.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida), Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) have all showed up. Tuberville, with Vance at this side, railed against the jurors on May 13 — implying that some of them are not U.S. citizens.

With Justice Juan Merchan having imposed a partial gag order on Trump during the trial, these Republicans have, in effect, been acting as surrogates for him by echoing the former president's talking points. And according to CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Merchan has "looked visibly annoyed" by a group of pro-Trump Republicans' presence in his courtroom during the trial.

READ MORE:Former FBI counsel praises 'significant color' Michael Cohen brought to testimony

Collins told her colleague Wolf Blitzer, "This judge does not give away much. He has a very even tone. He greets Donald Trump with a 'Good morning, Mr. Trump' every single day that he walks inside the courtroom…. But there was this moment…. where it was five or six people from Trump's team…. and they get into the second row of the entire courtroom to sit in the pews, to listen to what's happening. And the judge stared straight at them as they were walking in."

The Republican Trump allies, according to Collins, included former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Florida) and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, among others.

Collins told Blitzer that Merchan "looked visibly annoyed."

The CNN reporter explained, "Michael Cohen was in the middle of a line of questioning…. You saw the judge basically stare straight at them…. It seemed disruptive to the proceedings. Every time I've been there, I've never seen a large group of people come in and sit at the front of the courtroom while the witness is on the stand testifying."

READ MORE: 'Unflappable': Legal expert advises Michael Cohen to be like Stormy Daniels on the stand

When Blitzer asked Collins if Johnson was "part of that entourage," she responded that he wasn't.

Collins told Blitzer that although the House speaker did talk to reporters outside the courthouse, she had not seen him inside the courtroom itself.

READ MORE: Why Stormy Daniels 'was a dangerous witness to put on for both sides': analyst

Watch the video below or at this link.

Donald Trump's hush money/falsified business records trial continued to move along at a rapid pace on Monday, May 13, when the prosecution called Michael Cohen — Trump's former personal attorney and fixer — to the stand. Cohen's testimony followed testimony from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr.'s other star witnesses, including adult film performer Stormy Daniels, National Enquirer Publisher David Pecker and former Trump White House advisor Hope Hicks.

During an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" the following day, legal expert Andrew Weissmann laid out some reasons why he thought Cohen's testimony went well for the prosecution.

The former federal prosecutor and ex-FBI general counsel told MSNBC colleagues Willie Geist and Jonathan Lemire, "One of the sort of small pieces that really should be shocking is Michael Cohen confirming that not only was there sort of this catch-and-kill component to the deal with David Pecker, but also, he said: We disseminated false stories, and we got the stories before they were printed and could pass on them and shape them and edit them. So, he gave examples of that involving Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Hillary Clinton, where they actually saw the headlines and the stories and gave comments and directed how those stories should appear."

READ MORE:Tuberville slammed for berating 'supposedly American citizens' in Trump hush money courtroom

The legal analyst continued, "That is shocking. You know, it's one thing to have media outlets accuse you of being biased or favoring one side or the other. But this idea that you'd have a private agreement to sort of both catch and kill stories that would denigrate one candidate and disseminate negative stories against another is truly sort of the stuff that happens in Russia and other autocratic systems."

When Lemire asked Weissmann if he thought Cohen came across as "credible" or "believable" during his testimony, Weissmann responded, "So, I was there yesterday. I thought he did really well."

The former federal prosecutor explained, "I thought he was what you want a witness to be. He was calm. He answered just the questions that were asked…. He added some, I thought, significant color. For instance, there was a psychological component to his testimony when he was asked: When you'd go into Donald Trump and he would say, you know, you did a good job or that was fantastic, how did you feel? And he said it made me feel like I was on top of the world."

Weissmann added, "The emotion in his voice — you really understood this sort of father/son relationship. That this was a really close bond, from Michael Cohen's perspective."

READ MORE: 'Wannabe fascist': How Trump's campaign meets the 4 'primary characteristics' of fascism

But Weissmann predicted that Trump's defense team will go after Cohen with a vengeance when they cross examine him.

Weissmann said of Trump's lawyers, "Obviously, they have a lot to work with. They can point out all of the ways that he has lied and committed other crimes. He's lied under oath, and he's also committed crimes not just for Donald Trump. That's clear. But he's also committed crimes on his own, unrelated to Donald Trump. And he's going to have to eat that as well."

READ MORE: 'Unflappable': Legal expert advises Michael Cohen to be like Stormy Daniels on the stand

Watch the full video below or at this link.

While Michael Cohen — Donald Trump's former personal attorney and fixer — was testifying during the former president's hush money/falsified business records trial on Monday, May 13, some of Trump's allies were voicing their support for him outside a Lower Manhattan courthouse.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama), with Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) standing beside him, defended Trump vigorously. Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, Tuberville attacked the jurors — implying that some of them were not U.S. citizens — and said it was a hardship for Trump to spend so much time in a "depressing" courtroom.

The next morning, MSNBC's Joe Scarborough called Tuberville and Vance out — slamming Vance as a flip-flopper who was a scathing Trump critic in 2016 but is now hoping to be the presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee's running mate.

READ MORE:Tuberville slammed for berating 'supposedly American citizens' in Trump hush money courtroom

The "Morning Joe" host, a Never Trump conservative and former GOP congressman, said of "Hillbilly Elegy" author Vance, "He was the elite's elite…. Nobody remembers this stuff: J.D. Vance said, in 2016, that if you loved Jesus, you couldn't support Donald Trump. He didn't say that like in 2002 in Silicon Valley…. He said that in 2016 — if you love Jesus, if you are a Christian, you cannot support Donald Trump."

Scarborough continued, "Now, furiously, on the vice presidential treadmill, he has changed his mind and decided this is the most noble of men in his porn star trial in a very, very depressing courtroom."

In a mocking tone, the Never Trumper remarked that if Tuberville needed "a list of really great interior decorators," he could offer some suggestions.

Scarborough told his MSNBC colleagues Willie Geist and Jonathan Lemire, "The stupidity of it all…. We have, in Tommy Tuberville, a man who gutted America's military readiness for a year — or tried to gut America's military readiness for a year. And generals, admirals, whether they were active or retired, were saying as much — that by holding up families, holding up officers from moving on to their next position, was completely decimating the readiness for some people."

READ MORE: 'Unflappable': Legal expert advises Michael Cohen to be like Stormy Daniels on the stand

Scarborough added, "This guy giving anybody a lecture on morality, again, being obsessed with the interior decorating of a New York City courtroom? It is beyond bizarre."

READ MORE: 'Wannabe fascist': How Trump’s campaign meets the 4 'primary characteristics' of fascism

Watch the full video below or at this link.

Jo Scarboroughwww.youtube.com

As Donald Trump's hush money trial continued in Manhattan Monday, Daily Show host Jon Stewart pointed out that another "government official" — US Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) — also found himself inside a courtroom.

According to ABC News, the Democratic lawmaker allegedly accepted "cash, gold bars, luxury wristwatches and other perks from New Jersey businessmen in exchange for official favors to benefit the businessmen and the governments of Egypt and Qatar," and, "He is the first sitting member of Congress to be charged with conspiracy by a public official to act as a foreign agent."

The Daily Show's X (formerly Twitter) account shared a clip from Monday night's episode, writing, "Jon Stewart can't believe Sen. Robert Menendez is on trial for being so cartoonishly corrupt when he could've done his corruption legally. Ya know, like Congress does."

READ MORE: Sen. Menendez may throw his wife under the bus in bribery scandal: report

"What you might not know is it is not the only salacious, high level government official trial going on today, because right across the street, New Jersey Democratic Senator Robert Menendez faced his first day of reckoning," Stewart told viewers.

"In what other country in the world can a Cuban American senator work hand in hand with an Egyptian born businessman to corner the Halal meat market?" the longtime host asked.

The Associated Press notes:

Menendez, 70, is on trial with two of the businessmen who allegedly paid him bribes — real estate developer Fred Daibes and Wael Hana. All three have pleaded not guilty. A third businessman has pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against the other defendants. The senator’s wife is also charged, but her trial is delayed until at least July.

"Perhaps the dumbest thing about this entire, not quite believable Real Housewives episode, is how unnecessary it all is," Stewart continued. "You, sir, are an elected official in America's most respected legislative body. It's like a license to print money. You don't need to break the law so cartoonishly when the legal corruption in the Senate is so f—kin lucrative."

READ MORE: 'Bribe payments': Sen. Bob Menendez indicted again — this time for obstruction of justice

"Which brings us to our new segment: Senator Robert Menendez— how dumb is you?"

Watch the video below or at this link.

Jon Stewart Gives Sen. Menendez a Lesson in Legal Corruption | The Daily Showwww.youtube.com

Since losing to President Joe Biden in 2020, former President Donald Trump has claimed he was robbed of a second presidency — even as he faces two criminal trials related to his attempt to overturn the election.

Fox News' role in perpetuating the lies pushed by Trump and MAGAworld resulted in a defamation lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems, which was settled last year.

In April of 2023, the right-wing network agreed to a nearly $800 million settlement to avoid trial. Former host Tucker Carlson even said he believes his firing — which occurred soon after the settlement — was a part of it.

READ MORE: Newsmax wants longtime Trump ally to take a hit in its $1.6 billion election lies suit: report

According to a video shared by conservative writer and MSNBC analyst Tim Miller Monday night, the right-wing network has yet to stop alleging voter fraud.

Miller shared a clip of Fox News host Greg Gutfeld alleging that Democrats will likely rig the November election, writing, "Didn’t Fox pay a gazillion dollar settlement for airing unfounded claims of voter fraud recently? How is this still happening? Is board member Paul Ryan alive?"

"When you see these Trump polls, and these rallies, I'm worried about what we don't see," Gutfield said. "What are the Democrats cooking up with the votes? Legal or illegal? Judging by your eyes or your eyes, this election should not even be close."

He continued, "So the Dems have two options. One, accept the outcome, be comforted by the fact that you got one Biden term — a deal with the dementia-ridden devil, or resort to electoral dirty tricks."

READ MORE: Conservative slams 'propaganda princess' Maria Bartiromo for fawning over Trump’s election lies

"And that's why we need the utmost transparency, because I fear the Dems will go the second right. Although I have very little evidence of that, but that hasn't stopped me before."

Watch the video below or at this link.

Former Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's took the stand during the New York hush money trial Monday, where he was "calm and collected," according to The Washington Post, amid recalling his former boss directing him to make payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels to benefit Trump's 2016 campaign.

ABC News reports the former Trump lawyer "recalled then-Trump Organization CFO [Alan] Weisselberg saying the monthly payments to reimburse him for the Stormy Daniels nondisclosure payment would be recorded 'as a legal service render since I was going to be given the title as personal attorney to the president.'"

New York criminal defense attorney Arthur Aidala, speaking with CNN's Abby Phillips, Anderson Cooper, Laura Coates, Kaitlan Collins, and former prosecutor Jeffrey Toobin, played devil's advocate by arguing that the reimbursements could be considered legal fees.

READ MORE: 'Docs were falsified': Ex-judge explains how Cohen links 'the pieces' of Trump’s criminal intent

Phillips asked, "Is there a defense in Trump attorney saying, 'Well, he was advised by Allen Weisselberg, but this is the best way to do it, and he agreed."

Aidala replied, "That's definitely a piece of it. And also, it's not that a veterinarian laid out the money, and he's giving it to Michael Cohen and legal fee and then Michael Cohen is going to give him. His lawyer did lay out the money. The money is going to Michael Cohen. Michael Cohen is his lawyer. So writing 'legal fee' down is not so far-fetched. If I'm doing the closing argument, I would say, 'Ladies and gentlemen, the jury, do you think when Donald trump had construction done on one of his buildings, and he wrote a check to the construction firm, do you think he broke it down like, 'Well, this much was for concrete, this much was for rebar, and this much is for window,' or do you say, 'Here's the big check; you deal with it from here. Here Michael Cohen, here's the big check. If some of it is money that you earn, it's yours. If some of it is money you laid out, it's yours. But in my mind, it all goes under legal fees."

Coates replied, "The prosecution has different information, right? That's why they have book excerpts that talk about how meticulously he managed his money. He knew where his money was going."

Cooper added, "He was telling Michael Cohen to pay $0.20 on the dollar."

READ MORE: 'Painful and salacious': GOP lawmakers worry trial is 'troubling sign for Trump'

Coates said, "Exactly, part of his testimony today was about Michael Cohen's job being to renegotiate invoices that he didn't like."

Aidala replied, "The argument isn't he's not a paying Michael Cohen. The argument you make as defending Donald Trump is, it's money going to his lawyer."

Coates replied, "Not for legal services. That's the point."

Aidala said, "I think you could argue to a jury that this is minutia, and it is a political hit job on this guy because that guy sitting in the front row, Alvin Bragg, who is not sitting in a murder trial right now, who's not sitting in a robbery trial right now. He's sitting here because he doesn't want him to be president of the United States. It's called selective prosecutions, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, and your justice in this courtroom, and justice dictates that you walk him right out."

READ MORE: Michael Cohen warns of bombshell evidence during Trump trial: report

Coates replied, As a trial attorney, "I would then say, think about us sitting in different rooms. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the president of the United States is in the Oval Office, not managing the free world. He wasn't talking about diplomacy, he wasn't talking about congressional action. He was thinking about writing checks to Michael Cohen because of Stormy Daniels. So you want to talk about the rooms that we're in, and why we're there and how long we stay there, are you telling me that the person who is now the president of the United States was doing this?"

Phillips then said, "But do words not mean anything? I mean, they weren't legal services. That's a fact."

Former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Toobin chimed in, saying, "What you're leaving out, Arthur, understandably, because you're making the case for the defense, is this is not an ordinary legal fee because, as Donald Trump knows, this lawyer laid out $130,000 of his own money for the campaign.

That's what he did well, today is i think he made it clear that this if you believe is thesauri that nothing to do with Melania, there's nothing to do with his family. This had everything to do with the campaign.

READ MORE: 'He wasn’t thinking about Melania': Cohen reveals Trump’s real fears in 'hush money' testimony

Cooper emphasized, "That was one of the most brutal moments of Michael Cohen's testimony."

Watch the video below or at this link.

'Do words not mean anything?' CNN analysts spar over key witness Michael Cohen's testimony claimwww.youtube.com

During one of several rants outside the courtroom Monday during his New York trial for alleged criminal business records falsification, election interference, and “hush money,” Donald Trump repeatedly complained falsely that the judge overseeing the case was appointed by “Democrat politicians.”

Trump is well-acquainted with New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan.

Merchan was the judge who presided over the trial of Trump’s former Chief Financial Officer, Allan Weisselberg, who was convicted. He also presided over the fraud and money-laundering trial of former Trump 2016 campaign CEO and senior White House counselor Steve Bannon.

“We have a corrupt judge, and we have a judge who’s highly-conflicted,” Trump, nearly yelling, told reporters Monday afternoon. “And he’s keeping me from campaigning. He’s an appointed, New York judge, he’s appointed.”

READ MORE: ‘He Wasn’t Thinking About Melania’: Cohen Reveals Trump’s Fears in ‘Hush Money’ Testimony

“You know who appointed him? Democrat politicians. He’s appointed.”

Trump repeated his baseless claims Merchan is “corrupt” and “conflicted,” adding, “he ought to let us go out and campaign and get rid of this scam.”

Trump is incorrect about Judge Merchan’s background: he was not appointed by “Democrat politicians.”

In 2006, Republican New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed Merchan to his first judicial post, to the New York City Family Court. In 2009, Chief Administrative Judge Ann Pfau appointed Merchan as Acting Justice to the Supreme Court of New York. Pfau was appointed to her first judicial post by Republican New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

READ MORE: Johnson Would Contest 2024 Election Results Under the Same ‘Circumstances’

Trump also appeared to suggest appointed judges are somehow suspect – despite frequently bragging that he himself appointed three justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, not to mention 234 judges in total he appointed to the federal bench.

Some legal experts believe a system where judges are appointed rather than elected serves justice better.

“The quality of justice suffers when politics invades the judicial sphere, casting doubt on the impartiality of case outcomes and eroding public confidence in our nation’s system of justice,” an article at the American Bar Association reads.

Watch Trump below or at this link.

Donald Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen — who's considered a key witness in the New York hush money trial against the ex-president — took the stand Monday at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse.

CNN's Jake Tapper spoke to legal analyst Judge LaDoris Hazzard Cordell about the potential impact of Cohen's testimony, how she believes the jurors will respond and whether or not she thinks the former president will also take the stand in the coming days.

"This was one of the biggest days of the trial so far," Tapper noted, emphasizing that it "seemed to make Mr. Trump the angriest."

The Lead with Jake Tapper host asked Cordell, "What does it feel like as a judge when you see a big witness on upon whom the entire case might hinge take the stand. What is that like as a judge?"

READ MORE: 'He wasn’t thinking about Melania': Cohen reveals Trump’s real fears in 'hush money' testimony

The former Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at Stanford Law School replied, "I chuckle when I hear various pundits weighing in about how various witnesses like Michael Cohen are likely to be perceived by the jurors. I presided over many criminal jury trials, some of them high-profile, and I stopped trying to second-guessed jurors. You just can't do it. So Michael Cohen testified today, and this is one half of the case, meaning it's the prosecution’s side. We don't know how he will hold up in cross-examination."

Cordell continued, "My guess is that he will be well prepared. He's no dummy. He knows the questions that are likely to be asked of him. And that's why the prosecution went to some extent — maybe they should have done a little bit more — talking about the bad stuff about Michael Cohen. That he was the fixer, and he considered himself 'Trump's thug,' those kinds of things. So that it won't hit the jurors brand new when the defense steps up. But you mustn't lose sight of why people are there in the courtroom. They're there in a courtroom because a crime or crimes are being alleged. And in this case, it's about the intent. So if they've established — and they will — that documents were falsified, I think they will do that."

"Then the issue, and part of the crime is, did Trump, with knowledge of these falsified documents, do it with the intent to commit another crime, or to aid or conceal the commission of the crime?" the retired judge asked. "That's the issue here — the intent."

"How do you prove intent, Jake? You can't unless you get inside somebody's head at the time," Cordell emphasized. "So if can't do it that way, then it's proved by circumstantial evidence. And in a trial court, circumstantial evidence is given the same weight as direct evidence. So that's really what this case is about. And Michael Cohen now is kind of pulling all the pieces together. So it's a fascinating story. It's very sad that these kinds of things were going on. But we've only heard part of it. The other part is going to come from the cross-examination of Mr. Cohen, and whether or not any defense is put on at all."

READ MORE: Hush money judge’s ruling nixes testimony from Trump’s convicted accountant

Tapper noted, "Michael Cohen might be the last prosecution witness," asking Cordell, "Do you think it's smart to end the case and the presentation of a case on the testimony of somebody who does have a record, a convicted record of being lot of lying and perjuring?"

Cordell replied, "I think it's fine. And the jurors, they're not naive people. I'm sure there have been other people who have testified in courts who don't have great backgrounds. That's really, in my view, not going to have an impact on the jurors. I do want to add, though, that with regard to the defense side, Donald Trump's latest rant just a few minutes ago in front of everyone is exactly the reason why he won't be testifying. He is a loose cannon."

She emphasized, "And another point about that rant: He said that there was no crime. He did not deny anything. He didn't deny the payment. He didn't deny the affair. He just said, ‘What I did was not a crime.' I think it's just proof that he is definitely not going to be testifying, because he can't be controlled once he starts talking."

Watch the video below or at this link.

READ MORE: Michael Cohen warns of bombshell evidence during Trump trial: report

Former Donald Trump lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen is expected to testify in the ex-president's New York hush money trial Monday.

In a Sunday morning CNN interview, former prosecutor Joey Jackson predicted that the best case scenario for Cohen — who's likely the final key witness — is that he'll able to establish the alleged conspiracy that Trump falsified business documents to cover up hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in order to boost his chance in the 2016 election; and that he's able "to establish Trump's guilt."

In order to do that, former FBI counsel and MSNBC legal analyst Andrew Weissmann told MSNBC host Jen Psaki that Cohen will have to "contain his cool" on the stand.

READ MORE: Corporations avoiding politics during 'most toxic presidential campaign in modern history'

"He needs to not be thin-skinned," Weissmann continued. "He does have some areas he really does have to worry about in terms of answering questions. You mentioned one, which is, his having lied — he says he lied to a federal judge when he pleaded guilty [in 2016] and he has to own that. And that, by the way is not something he did because of Donald Trump.

"That was something he chose to do. He's also going to have to answer why he tape-recorded some conversations, but not other conversations. That's an effective line of cross-examination," he added.

"And he just needs to be, frankly, like Stormy Daniels, which is smart, careful, and unflappable. She got better on cross-examination. She was humanized, and you saw just how effective she was. But she was unflappable, and that's not a characteristic people usually associate with Michael Cohen."

Watch the video below or at this link.

READ MORE: 'Juicy set of' bank documents shed major light on Trump hush money trial: FOIA release

'Smart': Legal expert advises Michael Cohen be like Stormy Daniels on the standwww.youtube.com