Donald Trump trial updates: Michael Cohen is back on the stand for grueling cross-examination in hush money case

Trump’s legal team initiated a new appeal of his gag order on Wednesday evening.

He is not allowed to discuss witnesses, jurors and others in the twisted web of his hush money case.

Trump has already been fined $10,000 by Judge Merchan for violating the order.

He has also been threatened with jail if he violates it again.

Michael Cohen arrived to court before he is set to answer questioned by Trump’s attorneys.

He was seen wearing a pale yellow tie and dark suit.

Donald Trump could be in danger of another breach of the gag order imposed on him by the judge, according to some legal experts.

The suggestion came amid reports that Trump wrote notes to instruct allies what to say when they delivered speeches outside court earlier this week.

David R. Lurie, an attorney in New York, wrote on X:

Those notes are not privileged documents…the notes could evidence violations of the court’s order.

The much awaited cross-examination of Michael Cohen began with a shock-and awe opening meant to shatter the composure of the witness, but ended with the usual courtroom tedium and Cohen correcting Donald Trump’s lawyer on real estate.

There were swear words, insults – ‘Cheeto-dusted villain’ is one – and questions about Cohen’s move from Trump loyalist to resistance crusader, and whether it was an awakening or self-serving scheme.

Many of Blanche’s early punches didn’t land, and had the effect of bringing Cohen’s wealth of character attacks on Trump, like calling him a con man he was ashamed to work for, into the record.

Emails introduced into evidence in the Donald Trump trial reveal a move to set up a ‘back channel’ to President Trump that would run through Rudy Giuliani at a time Michael Cohen was lawyering up after an FBI raid on his apartment and office.

It was designed ‘sort of to be covert. It’s all back-channel. Sort of I Spyish,’ is how Cohen put it during his second day of testimony in the Trump hush money trial Tuesday.

Lawyer Bob Costello tore into Michael Cohen during a House hearing Wednesday – hours after the former Trump fixer called him ‘shifty’ and accused him of trying to set up a ‘back channel’ to then-President Donald Trump.

‘I read Michael Cohen’s testimony from yesterday’s trial in New York on the way down on the train, and virtually every statement he made about me is another lie,’ Costello told a House committee on ‘weaponization’ of government.

The comments came along with a blistering statement Costello released, where he blasted ‘lawfare’ he said was being deployed against Trump, and wrote about meetings with prosecutors along with Cohen.

Cohen ‘took a foolish step by lying that he had evidence that Rudy Giuliani and I had conspired to obstruct justice by dangling a pardon for him to keep his mouth shut about Donald Trump. That was totally false and utter nonsense,’ Costello said.

And he went after Cohen’s motive – in a possible teaser to what Trump’s legal team has in store for him in a second day of cross-examination set for Thursday in Manhattan criminal court.