It just keeps getting better (my perspective) when it comes to Michael Cohen. Now Fox News reports that not only has the case against Donald Trump imploded, but things may now Boomerang and turn on Cohen. From Fox News: ‘CRINGEWORTHY’: Michael Cohen’s testimony can be used against him Watch this: Full transript: The defenses cross-examination of Michael Cohen is back underway let’s bring in trial attorney Mercedes Cen uh Todd blanch is exploring some interesting ground right now and that is secret recordings that Michael Cohen had on his phone according to our Carrie kupek Cohen has testified that he had about a hundred secret recordings on his phone about 40 of them were with journalists one of them was with the former president of the United States we don’t know what the other ones were but I’m not quite sure what he’s getting at here I mean legally speaking if you’re in New York which is a one party consent state but you’re recording somebody who’s in California which is a two-party State the stricter law is the superseding law so potentially there’s a an infringement on the law there but what do you think the bigger picture is here great to be on with you John and Sandra as always it really is about giving the jury the perspective that Michael Cohen is untrustworthy it’s cringeworthy for jurors even though you’re absolutely right if it’s a one- party state there’s no laws that have been broken but it’s cringeworthy for jurors to sit there who are trying to determine his credibility that he has so many recordings in which when it’s a one party State you know you don’t have to disclose it to the participant in the call that you’re actually recording them so it is personally when this comes up in cases that I’ve handled it is something that especially if it’s at the opposing side you can certainly put your arms around it and almost jump up and down and Glee because this is something that can be used against the opposing side Mercedes let me get your reaction to this Cohen um would communicate he said in this courtroom just now with reporters via text signal and other encrypted apps Cohen decided what communication to use depending on the topic that he was discussing with the particular reporter saying if it was a private or unusual conversation I’d go to one of the encrypted apps to John’s point and uh what Carrie was highlighting a moment ago there were a total of 95 total recordings on his phone he’d record Trump and reporters Cohen says he understands that it’s not ethical for a lawyer to record their client but he noted that there is a quote crime fraud exemption rule blanch then said but didn’t you just record Trump to show to pecker not the crime fraud exemption rule Cohen answers saying yes but you asked me if there are any exceptions your response to that Mercedes well those that’s a great Q&A think about the two lawyers that are on that jury they know how inappropriate generally speaking it is to record your clients without them knowing that they’re being recorded that is something that because we’re fiduciaries we have this this hir duty to our clients you don’t generally typically record your client if you believe that your client’s about to commit a crime then of course you can set aside the attorney client privilege then you have to notify the authorities there’s a whole body of law that talks about that but the good thing about that Q&A between Todd blanch and Michael Cohen is that there seems to be an inconsistency and wherever you have an inconsistency with a witness that you are attacking their credibility it has to be highlighted before the jury and that’s exactly what Todd blanch did all right so uh so blanch is trying to paint a picture of a guy here who literally cannot be trusted and then there’s this idea too of has he lied on the stand and there’s a lot of people who believe that Cohen wasn’t truthful when he said that he made the recording of trump to show David pecker uh because why would he need to show that to David pecker some people think it was for his own purposes and then there’s this idea the phone call with the chief of security Keith Schiller which Cohen said was about story Daniels but blanch is now saying or eliciting from Cohen that it was about a 14-year-old Prank Caller does this go to the potential instruction from the judge uh that if the jury believes that Cohen has lied about anything on the stand they can discount the entirety of his testimony there is a perfect jury instruction that I use in every single trial falses Anum falses and Plum basically false in one false in everything if the jury and this will be an instruction we’ll have to see if if the judge allows this instruction but generally speaking it is allowed if the jury believes that Michael Cohen has lied under oath in this during this trial they can discount his entire testimony now that’s obviously that is very Broad and sweeping we’ll have to see what the what the jur what the judge decides about that jury instruction in particular but you see that jury instruction just about all trials lot more to come this afternoon Mercedes thanks so much we’ll be right back hey everyone I’m Emily compono catch me and my co-hosts Harris vulner and Kaye mcki on outnumbered every weekday at 12:00 p.m. Eastern or set your DVR also don’t forget to subscribe to the Fox News YouTube page for daily highlights And from yesterday in case you missed this: Alvin Bragg’s Case Continues To Fall Apart As Michael Cohen Implodes On Cross-Exam There’s an old saying that says you should quit while you’re ahead. I was going to say Alvin Bragg would have been wise to follow that, but then I realized he was never really “ahead” in the first place. This “got Trump” case started off ill-conceived and it has only gone downhill since it started. But the juiciest parts have been disgraced former Trump attorney Michael Cohen’s implosion on the witness stand. When your testimony doesn’t go well on direct exam (by the attorney that called you and should be friendly to you), then you can really expect a big crash and burn on cross exam. Former Federal Prosecutor Katie Cherkasky used the word “annihilation” on Fox News: Former federal prosecutor Katie Cherkasky told Fox News this morning that there will likely be an “annihilation” of Michael Cohen on cross examination when he takes the stand in the Alvin Bragg vs Trump case.. pic.twitter.com/RQSIJYhwXA — Paul Villarreal (AKA Vince Manfeld) (@AureliusStoic1) May 6, 2024 Even CNN’s panel is now saying Alvin Bragg’s case has entered the “territory of doom”: A panel of attorneys told CNN anchor Jake Tapper on Tuesday that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s (D) case against Donald Trump is entering the territory of doom. Earlier in the day, Trump’s defense team cross-examined Michael Cohen, one of… https://t.co/KPb0psk4Vc pic.twitter.com/7U4xcwNpvU — JPNWMN (@JPNWMN) May 15, 2024 Sure enough, the cross exam did not dissappoint! We’ve only just begun, and my friends over at TrendingPolitics provided this partial transcript which is delicious to read: “You continued to call President Trump various names on your podcasts and when you’re even doing CNN interviews, correct?” Blanche asks. “Correct,” Cohen says. After President Trump criticized Cohen in a Truth Social post in March of 2023, Cohen shot back with another insult. “You called him dumba** Donald?” Blanche asked. “Sounds correct,” Cohen confirms. Nor could Cohen contain himself from commenting about the trial on TikTok where he has been criticized for allegedly monetizing his comments. Blanche highlighted one statement where Cohen admitted he had “mental excitement about the fact that this trial was starting” and noted a paralegal was monitoring his social media. “That didn’t stop you, did it?” he asked. Cohen said, “No, sir.” Later, the defense shifted back to Cohen’s well-known lies under oath, asking if those oaths differed in any way from the one he took on the witness stand today. “Was that oath that you took every single time, so going back to all the depositions, the same oath that you took Monday morning in this courtroom?” Blanche asks. “Yes sir,” Cohen says. “The oath doesn’t change, depending on the location, does it?” Blanche asks. “No,” Cohen says. “And each time you met with a federal agent you were told that if you made a false statement that that was a felony, a federal crime, correct” Blanche asks. “Yes sir,” Cohen says. Lies to the U.S. House Intelligence Committee were referenced which ultimately led to Cohen’s perjury charges in 2018. “There were a couple of different lies?” Blanche asks. “That’s correct,” Cohen says. When asked about which lies he told during that previous testimony, Cohen admitted he couldn’t remember them all. “What was the other lie?” Blanche asks. “I don’t recall. I think those were the two,” Cohen says, referencing a claim that he stopped the Trump Tower Moscow project talks in January 2016. “You lied under oath, correct?” Blanche asks. “Yes sir,” Cohen says. “And you lied again when you met with the special counsel on August 7, (2018), correct?” Blanche asks. “Correct,” Cohen says. “You said you were accepting responsibility for those lies, for lying to Congress. But in fact, you repeatedly said — and even said this morning, and even this week — that the reason why you lied was because of your loyalty to President Trump,” Blanche says. “I worked with a joint defense agreement and we crafted the two-page document in order to stay on message — the message we all knew Mr. Trump wanted, including Mr. Trump’s attorney at the time,” Cohen responds. “So are you saying you’re accepting responsibility, or blaming the joint defense agreement?” Blanche followed up. “Accepting responsibility, I read it and I submitted it to the committee,” Cohen said on the stand. Watch for yourself here: Here’s how the AP covered it: With prosecutors’ hush money case against Donald Trump barreling toward its end, their star witness was back in the hot seat Thursday as defense lawyers sought to chip away at Michael Cohen’s crucial testimony implicating the former president. Trump’s attorneys resumed the potentially explosive cross-examination of Cohen, trying to paint him as bent on destroying his former boss’s reputation and to undermine his credibility, which could determine the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s fate in the case. Cohen is prosecutors’ final witness — at least for now — as they try to prove Trump schemed to suppress a damaging story he feared would torpedo his 2016 presidential campaign and then falsified business records to cover it up. Trump did not look at Cohen as he entered the room, gazing straight ahead. The trial got off to a slow start, with attorneys halting proceedings to have several sidebar conversations with the judge out of earshot of reporters. The stop-and-start continued as Trump lawyer Todd Blanche resumed his cross-examination by asking Cohen about text messages he exchanged with an investigator for the Manhattan district attorney’s office who collected his cellphones as part of the hush money probe. It’s hard to imagine someone LESS credible than Cohen: Michael Cohen did you ever meet Alvin Bragg Replies NO Lawyer plays tape Its Cohen on tape Yes I’ve met with Alvin Bragg multiple times Perjury King wont let us down pic.twitter.com/n2fxm2Zkac — 0HOUR (@0HOUR) May 16, 2024 In fact, I keep saying this, but things are going SO BADLY that if I didn’t know any better, I would think Bragg and Cohen were intentionally sabotaging this case. That’s a big-time tinfoil hat conspiracy, but I’m not the only one to have that thought cross my mind: This may very well be the most intricate sting operation ever. Bragg may very well be a grey hat when this tale is over freed from elite capture. ( I think this about Adams as well). How so you wake up moderate TDS sufferers? Each witness the prosecution delivers is a… — The Duchess Of Mega MAGA (@MrsBodington) May 6, 2024 In case you missed it, here was more from yesteray: Michael Cohen’s Secret Recording of Trump Backfires, Proves Trump’s Innocence! If I didn’t know any better, I would almost think Michael Cohen is purposely sabotaging this case against Donald Trump. Either that or the man really is wildly inept and incompetent. Because it’s almost getting comical at this point. It also proves Alvin Bragg (who some of you have dubbed “Fat Alvin”) is also wildly inept and incompetent because it’s mind-boggling to think he actually CHOSE to play this tape. This should be evidence submitted by the Defense, but it was submitted by Bragg himself. Check it out: This stupid Cohen tapes his client,Trump, and there isn’t a damn thing on it . All this tape shows is that Cohen is a sleezball and nothing else. pic.twitter.com/mz1O8qaXwx — Red Trumper (@Redhead4645) May 14, 2024 @MichaelCohen212 Michael Cohen’s “Gotcha” tape on #Trump is a DUD proving Trump innocent. It’s all about trapping President Trump in that dingy courtroom, refusing to address him as president. It’s all a psychological operation to weaken and demoralize the greatest president… pic.twitter.com/kuWVf6mk0w — Salty Texan (@texan_maga) May 13, 2024 Listen to the for yourself right here: So the tape proves that President Trump had no idea what Cohen was even talking about….Cohen is the one devising this plan and telling Trump how he’s going to handle things. Trump seems a bit confused about what Cohen is even talking about. Talk about a self-inflicted injury!  I can’t believe Bragg played this! Now compare this to what we learned yesterday….it was Cohen who claims he (Cohen) took out a $130,000 home equity line of credit to get the money to pay Stormy Daniels: BREAKING: Michael Cohen Took Out a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) on HIS HOUSE To Pay Stormy Daniels — Makes No Sense! If I didn't know any better, all of this evidence continues to support a story where COHEN is the one having the affair with Stormy Daniels and then trying to cover it up, not Trump. Doesn't that fit the puzzle pieces almost perfectly? I explain it all right here: BREAKING: Michael Cohen Took Out a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) on HIS HOUSE To Pay Stormy Daniels -- Makes No Sense! This story (and "Get Trump Lawfare") continues to get weirder by the day. It's almost beginning to look as if it were Michael Cohen and not Donald Trump having the affair with Stormy Daniels. We just learned today that Michael Cohen decided to take out a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) on HIS OWN PERSONAL HOUSE in order to pay Stormy Daniels the so-called "hush money". I'll break down all my thoughts on that down below, but first just watch this: Wow. It just came out that convicted felon and serial perjurer Michael Cohen took out a home equity line of credit on his house to pay Stormy Daniels so his wife wouldn't find out We're supposed to believe a guy who collateralized his house and hid it from his own wife pic.twitter.com/KpOvAaGHUz — johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) May 13, 2024 More here: WOW!! Serial liar Michael Cohen admits on the witness stand during Donald Trump's 'Hush Money' trial that he took out a home equity loan to pay Stormy Daniels' so that his wife wouldn't find out. Is Michael Cohen a credible witness for the prosecution?#MichaelCohen… pic.twitter.com/tOCU36eIvA — Conservative Brief (@ConservBrief) May 13, 2024 Quick summary: Michael Cohen testified that he used a home equity line of credit (HELOC) to fund the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels. He explained that he chose this method because it allowed him to access the funds without directly withdrawing a large sum from his joint bank account with his wife, which he believed would have raised questions or concerns from her. The HELOC provided a more discreet way to obtain the money, as it was paperless and did not require direct communication with his spouse about the transaction. Cohen's decision to use a HELOC was influenced by his desire to keep the payment and its purpose confidential, not only from his wife but also from public scrutiny. Ok, so now my thoughts.... This makes NO SENSE at all. So first of all, it's not at all clear why Cohen had to make the payment himself and not Trump. That's Step One, and I do not think that has been remotely explained well enough. That's very strange. But let's just assume that yes, Cohen needs to be the one to physically make the payment, not Trump or any of Trump's companies. Ok, but then why does Cohen have to go take out a HELOC on his house? He claims it's so that his wife wouldn't find out since they have a shared checking out. Anyone else calling BS on this? So if I am to believe his statement, then I have to believe he had joint checking accounts with his wife but the house was only in his name? Really? Anyone believe that? Of course not!  That would be absurd. The wife wanted joint checking accounts but was fine not being on the deed to the house? That doesn't make any sense. But if the wife was on the deed to the house, then Cohen's story falls apart because she would have to sign the paperwork for the HELOC, so it would actually become WAY more noticeable doing what he did. Also....by taking out a HELOC, he is making a public record of the transaction. That mortgage will be filed with the local county recorder and be public record for all the world to see, even after paid off. Even when you pay it off, the record is not released, you just get two records: you still see the original Mortgage and then whenever you pay it off you then see a RELEASE of Mortgage. So Cohen was trying to hide this activity from his wife (and apparently others) and chose to create a huge public record of it instead? Sorry, I don't buy it. But that's not all.... Set aside all of those questions, next I want to know why Cohen was doing this in his personal accounts in the first place. I'm giving you as a freebie that we'll just assume for some reason that Cohen has to make the payment instead of Trump or a Trump organization. But why is it Cohen personally? Shouldn't it be Cohen's law firm? Shouldn't all of this run through his Trust Account if it were being done (allegedly) for a client (Trump)? Isn't that kind of grounds for disbarment to take client funds and intermix and commingle them with your personal funds? Folks, NONE of this makes any sense. Michael Cohen said he used his home equity line of credit (HELOC) to fund the $130,000 payment to Daniels, explaining that he couldn’t pull the money directly from his bank account because he owned it jointly with his wife. Follow live: https://t.co/8AwsVc4CVs pic.twitter.com/Rsu3V71LYn — The Hill (@thehill) May 13, 2024 Cohen describes the system of obtaining the funds for the hush money from a home equity line of credit (HELOC). Once he repaid the loan, Cohen said: "Nobody would be the wiser." — Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) May 13, 2024 In actuality, what it's starting to look like to me and to many other people online is that perhaps COHEN was the one having an affair with Stormy Daniels. Doesn't that fit our fact pattern much better? Is that what actually happened here? It’s looking more and more likely that Michael Cohen was the one messing around with Stormy Daniels https://t.co/1Lj2UwP6pQ — johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) May 13, 2024 Our President also spoke out today. Watch here: TRUMP FULL REMARKS--DAY 16 "We're leading in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Michigan, Georgia and Nevada" "We had a rally--over 100,000 people this weekend" "This all comes from Biden because he can't win...he can't put two sentences together" pic.twitter.com/WIFCeBMSWY — johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) May 13, 2024 RELATED REPORT: TONY SERUGA BOMBSHELL: Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen Had An Affair Since 2006, Conspired To Extort Trump Wow....buckle up for this one! Tony Seruga (not to be confused with Tony Segura, gay rights activist, or Tom Segura, comedian) just posted some WILD accusations to Twitter. I want to be clear upfront we have not been able to independently verify these accusations, we are simply reporting what Tony Seruga has claimed on Twitter. For those who don't know Seruga, he posts the following in his bio on Twitter, where he has nearly 80,000 followers: Investor | Board Member | Big Data Pioneer | Intel Ops | CIA/NSA Contractor/Whistleblower | CRE | Philanthropist | Healthcare M&A @ http://GreenlawCapital.com Here is a longer bio assembled by Grok: Tony Seruga is a prominent figure in the intelligence community with over 39 years of experience as an intelligence analyst. He has worked with various high-profile clients, including the United States Government, British Government, Israeli Government, Saudi Arabia Government, Microsoft, and several other notable organizations. Throughout his career, Seruga has made significant contributions to the field of intelligence analysis. However, it is essential to acknowledge that his work has not been without controversy. In 2023, he made headlines when he claimed that there would be a terrorist attack on US soil in the next 14 months. This prediction was met with criticism and skepticism from various sources. Despite the controversy, Seruga's expertise and experience in the intelligence community remain highly regarded. He is known for his dedication to his work and his commitment to providing valuable insights to his clients. I post that bio to establish this is not just some random, no-name Twitter account making these accusations. Now there's a lot at play here, let me try and explain it all.... Tony Seruga claims that he used to share an office building in Newport Beach with Michael Avenatti.  Yes, that would be the disgraced porno lawyer that once represented Stormy Daniels and claimed he would "take down Trump". We all know how that turned out....Avenatti himself was sentenced to 14 years in prison on December 5, 2023 (thank you Trump Boomerang Effect!). Seruga posted to Twitter that Avenatti told him in 2018 that it was actually Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels who were having the affair (not Trump) and that they conspired together to extort Donald Trump // Trump Organization. Wow! Now read the bombshell report, which I first saw posted by my friend Chuck Callesto: BOMSHELL REPORT: Accusations emerge that Michael Cohen was HAVING AN AFFAIR with Stormy Daniels since 2006 and that the "hush money scheme was cooked up by Michael Cohen to EXTORT THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION before the 2016 election".. "Avenatti shared details of his client Stormy… pic.twitter.com/9dDCqLg0qc — Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) March 27, 2024 BOMBSHELL REPORT: Accusations emerge that Michael Cohen was HAVING AN AFFAIR with Stormy Daniels since 2006 and that the "hush money scheme was cooked up by Michael Cohen to EXTORT THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION before the 2016 election".. "Avenatti shared details of his client Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, case and the fact that her and Michael Cohen were actually having an affair since 2006." -Tony Seruga Of course we always like to go direct to the source so I've found the original post by Seruga making this claim: I spoke with Michael Avenatti who at one time had an office in the same building as one of my businesses in Newport Beach, CA (in November 2018, a few days after his arrest on suspicion of domestic violence, Avenatti's law firm was evicted from those same offices in Newport Beach… pic.twitter.com/MFnmH4NsER — Tony Seruga (@TonySeruga) March 27, 2024 And follow up here: Understand, Michael Avenatti is a serial liar, but he did speak about his client (that he would later steal from) and Michael Cohen’s affair touching on their scheme to bilk the Trump Organization out of money. He spoke about it on more than one occasion. He was very passionate… — Tony Seruga (@TonySeruga) March 27, 2024 Here are screenshots of those posts in case they get taken down: Wow, right? Talk about a turn of events if true! EDITOR'S NOTE: we have not been able to independently verify the claims made by Tony Seruga in the above Tweets.   Here is the Vigilant News Network discussing the accusations in more depth: New Report Drops a Bombshell on the Whole Stormy Daniels Affair With Trump Lie This is a “holy smokes” moment. Whistleblower Tony Seruga claims that Michael Avenatti revealed that Michael Cohen was having an affair with Stormy Daniels since 2006 and cooked up a hush-money… pic.twitter.com/V8XqzUGpx1 — The Vigilant Fox (@VigilantFox) March 28, 2024