Laughter erupted in Manhattan criminal court as prosecutors in former President Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial read a now-infamous tweet: “If anyone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you don’t retain the services of Michael Cohen!”
That’s the report Friday morning from CNN analysts Kaitlan Collins and Paula Reid, who discussed what role the former president’s own words — particularly when it comes to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s star witness — will play in court.
The analysts suggested Trump’s social media messages — particularly April 21, 2018 tweets and another on Aug. 22, 2018 tweet — could present the jury with a living document detailing the complex relationship between the former president and Cohen, his longtime fixer.
“Initially when everything was happening to Michael Cohen, Donald Trump was saying, ‘I’m not worried about him, he’d never flip,” Collins said. “To see the total 180 that relationship has done is so remarkable to me.”
The tweets become especially relevant if Trump opts not to take the stand, as, according to Reid, “his testimony would decide the case.”
Depending on what evidence Justice Juan Merchan allows in the courtroom, that narrative may be told via social media instead.
Particularly telling is a series of tweets from April 21, 2018, in which Trump avows faith in Cohen’s loyalty.
‘Most people will flip if the Government lets them out of trouble,” Trump wrote. Sorry, I don’t see Michael doing that despite the horrible Witch Hunt and the dishonest media!”
Years later, Trump’s sudden shift spurred laughter in the courtroom when his tweet warning would-be clients away from Cohen was read aloud.
“The irony of that is Donald Trump retained Michael Cohen’s services it’s for decades,” Collins said. “And it’s precisely why we’re sitting here outside the courthouse right now.”
