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Soon, Michael Cohen, Trump's Former Fixer and Lawyer, Takes the Stand; Jury Selection Begins in Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) Bribery Trial; Students Walk Out During Jerry Seinfeld's Duke Commencement Speech. Aired 7-7:30a ET

Aired May 13, 2024 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[07:00:00]

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: There's my mom and dad. I lost my dad when I was young. My mom died in a plane crash when I was 18. And I really try and carry their spirit and honor with me when I fly.

The big thing for me is continuing the crusade of my mom because she really wanted to get more women and people of color involved in aviation. And there is a really disproportionate lack of representation in aviation. It's primarily white men. And so we need to fix that.

And so the hope is that we can sort of bring this and inspire kids and inspire people who are older, too. You know, it is, like I said in my broadcast from the cockpit, never too late. You need to go flying with me.

KASIE HUNT, CNN ANCHOR: I can't wait. You got to teach me. All right, thank you, Pete. I really appreciate it.

Thanks to our panel for being here. Thanks to all of you for watching. I'm Kasie Hunt.

CNN New Central starts right now.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: The former fixer takes the stand. Michael Cohen, once describing himself as Trump's spokesman, thug, pitbull, and lawless lawyer, this morning, he could be the lynchpin in prosecution's case in Trump's criminal trial.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, high drama as we hit the crucial moment in Donald Trump's trial. Meanwhile, jury selection begins in the case against Democratic Senator Bob Menendez. What he is saying about resigning if he is convicted.

SARA SIDNER, CNN ANCHOR: And pro-Palestinian protesters disrupt college commencements across the entire country, students walking out of graduation ceremonies and turning their backs on speakers.

I'm Sara Sidner with Kate Bolduan and John Berman. This is CNN News Central. BOLDUAN: The breaking news, it may all come down to this. We are right now standing by for Donald Trump's former fixer, Michael Cohen, to take the stand in this historic criminal trial, a crucial moment in this whole thing. By legal minds and casual observers inside and outside the courtroom, Michael Cohen is seen as the missing link in the prosecution's case so far.

He made the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels. He will tell the jury he paid her because Donald Trump told him to. But prosecutors need to prove Trump was directly involved in falsifying business records to cover it all up, which means Cohen's job is to connect the dots.

Trump denies any role in falsifying the records and says that he never had sex with Stormy Daniels. His defense will call Cohen a liar and try, essentially, to eviscerate his credibility with the jury. But bottom line, the man who once wrote, I know where the skeletons are buried because I was the one who buried them, he will soon begin testifying under oath.

CNN's Brynn Gingras is live outside the courtroom. It's all built up to this, Brynn.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, Kate, listen, jurors have heard the name, Michael Cohen, for the last several weeks. They've heard about him being aggressive. He's been called a jerk. He's been called a fixer only because he broke things first. Now, they will be able to use their own judgment when he finally takes the stand.

And, of course, as you just laid out perfectly, Kate, this is the time prosecutors want to use Michael Cohen to connect the dots to all that evidence, all that testimony that has come in the last several weeks. Michael Cohen for the prosecution, the hope is that he is going to bring jurors into that room in February 2017, the Oval Office when prosecutors say Donald Trump and he hatched this plan this way to reimburse him, you know, disguising those paperworks as legal fees on the business ledgers.

So, we'll see if he does that for the prosecution. We'll see if jurors believe him. Of course, when it's time for the defense in cross- examination, we know that they are just going to hammer away at his credibility, as they have been doing with all these other witnesses that we have seen on the stand anytime his name is mentioned. They're going to pin him as someone who has a vengeance against Donald Trump, who really wants -- who's openly said that he wants his entire family to go to jail. So we'll see how it gets.

But that's for sure. I can tell you there's going to be fireworks inside that courtroom for the next couple of days. We expect him to be on the stand for a couple of days. And then, listen, we're hearing from the prosecution, Kate, that there might be one more witness before the prosecution rests. And of course, then it's the defense's turn in this trial.

BOLDUAN: All right. Brynn, thank you so much, laying it out for us perfectly. Let's see what the first question is.

BERMAN: Look, this is the moment in this case that we've been watching so closely, and pretty soon we'll know which way the prosecution is taking it.

Donald Trump leaves for court shortly. Meanwhile thousands of his supporters left a rally over the weekend thinking about fava beans and putting the lotion in the basket.

CNN's Steve Contorno joins us now with that. Steve?

STEVE CONTORNO, CNN REPORTER: John, we saw a very clear window into the mood and mindset of Donald Trump heading into this critical week in his hush money trial, attacking not just President Joe Biden, his opponent this fall, but also the judge in the case.

[07:05:00]

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT, 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And as you know, I've come here from New York where I'm being forced to endure a Biden show trial, all done by Biden, carried out by -- being done by him, carried out by radical Democrat district attorney. You know who he is? Fat Alvin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONTORNO: Now, you heard Trump there complaining about the fact that he has to be in New York for most of the week, not on the campaign trail, but worth noting that he spent Saturday in Wildwood, New Jersey, which is not expected to be a swing state this fall. It's a state that President Biden won by 16 points four years ago.

And he has not necessarily taken advantage of the time that he has been able to get away from New York. That was just his third rally since the trial started. And this week, as he gets into this next critical phase, he has Wednesday off and he will be spending that time fundraising, not on the campaign trail, John.

BERMAN: All right. Steve Contorno for us watching Donald Trump over the weekend, thank you so much for that, Steve. Sara?

SIDNER: All right. Gold bars, nearly a half million dollars in cash and a Mercedes Benz, were they bribes accepted by a senator? Jury selection begins today in the case against the Democratic Senator Bob Menendez. This, by the way, is the second time he's faced these kinds of charges.

And this morning, police searching for this man, accused of randomly attacking actor Steve Buscemi on a New York City sidewalk.

And a pilot forced to make an emergency landing without landing there. You got to see how this ended. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:10:00]

SIDNER: This morning, jury selection will begin in the bribery trial of New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez. Menendez charged with taking bribes including gold bars, loads of cash and a Mercedes Benz to help push U.S. aid and weapons to a foreign government. That is the accusation by prosecutors. His wife, Nadine, has also been charged in the case. She faces trial in July.

CNN's Jason Carroll is live outside court this morning. Jason, what can you tell us as jury selection will begin today?

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Jury selection will begin today. It's expected to take about a day or so, and then we'll get right to opening statements where both sides of the defense of the prosecution will be laying out their cases for jurors.

Prosecution will argue that Senator Menendez allegedly accepted bribes, bribes from two New Jersey businessmen, bribes in the form of hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, gold bars and home furnishings, those bribes allegedly for his influence with the governments of Egypt and Qatar.

For the defense Senator Menendez has all along said steadfastly denied all of these allegations, Sara, saying that this money that was found at his home was money that he saved over a period of time, for example, and that he kept it at his home in part for cultural reasons.

One of the big questions, though, looming over this trial in terms of defense is whether or not eventually the defense will point the finger at his wife, Nadine Menendez, who's being tried separately. The reason why I say that is because I look at some of the court documents and it says part of the following. It says Senator Menendez intends to present a defense arguing in part that he lacked the requisite knowledge of much of the conduct and statements of his wife, Nadine, and did not agree to join any of the charged conspiracy. So, again, that's one of the questions looming over this trial when it gets underway, again, Nadine Menendez being tried separately for medical reasons.

There was another man who was charged initially with all of this. Jose Uribe, he was charged with bribery charges. He ended up pleading guilty and is now cooperating with the prosecution.

So, awaiting jury selection as it gets underway just at about 9:00 today. Sara?

SIDNER: Interesting. There are two trials here and that he seems to be putting some of the blame, according to your court documents, on his wife. Jason Carroll, thank you so much for that update. I appreciate it. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Campus protests hitting college commencement ceremonies now, students at Duke University walking out on Jerry Seinfeld. And why Donald Trump was praising Hannibal Lecter before a campaign crowd this weekend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The late, great Hannibal Lecter is a wonderful man. He oftentimes would have a friend for dinner. Remember the last scene? Excuse me, I'm about to have a friend for dinner as this poor doctor walked by.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:15:00]

BOLDUAN: The pro-Palestinian protests that engulfed college campuses have now found a new stage, the graduation stage. At Duke University Sunday, about 30 students walked out of the commencement ceremony as comedian Jerry Seinfeld was being introduced. Seinfeld has supported Israel throughout the war against Hamas in Gaza, and here is some of what he then said in his address.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JERRY SEINFELD, COMEDIAN: I totally admire the ambitions of your generation to create a more just and inclusive society. I think it is also wonderful that you care so much about not hurting other people's feelings in the million and one ways we all do that every second of every day. It's lovely to want to fix those things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: That is far from the only protest to hit college commencement ceremonies over the weekend.

CNN's Nick Valencia joins us now. What all happened, Nick?

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Hey, Kate, good morning. Commencement season is upon us and these pro-Palestinian demonstrators are choosing to voice their opposition to the war in Gaza in a variety of ways, some continuing to call for a ceasefire and over the weekend, we saw that at commencement ceremonies across the country, really. Some chanted, others held signs, some draped themselves in Palestinian flags, calling for their schools to divest from Israel.

But for the most part, these ceremonies went on without a hitch. In Southern California, though, there was a brief interruption. According to The New York Times, at least one person was arrested over a skirmish outside of Pomona College's graduation.

[07:20:02]

They had to move their graduation 30 miles away from their campus.

And at Duke University, we saw what happened there in the intro. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld, who's been a very vocal supporter of Israel since the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7th, he was protested by a few dozen pro-Palestinian demonstrators who chose to walk out and have their own commencement ceremony.

Across the country, in California, at U.C. Berkeley, the dean of students had to take the microphone. There was a pause in ceremony there. And listen to what the dean of students had to say to try to get control again of that graduation ceremony.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUNN LEE, DEAN OF STUDENTS, U.C. BERKELEY: Students, if you're open to it, I invite you to speak with me after the event in a space that's more appropriate. But in the meanwhile, I ask that you allow the program to continue, okay? Because otherwise we're going to have to continue to have you leave, and that breaks my heart. So --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALENCIA: The ceremony did continue. No one was arrested and those demonstrators we understand did leave voluntarily. More commencement addresses and graduation ceremonies are planned across the country this week and we're starting to see some schools try to get ahead of these potential demonstrations. We're just learning the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee has reached an agreement with pro-Palestinian demonstrators to dismantle their encampment by tomorrow. In exchange, they've agreed not to interrupt a potential -- or not to interrupt a graduation ceremony. In exchange, the university will join calls now for a ceasefire in Gaza. Kate?

BOLDUAN: Nick Valencia, thank you so much. John?

VALENCIA: You bet.

BERMAN: All right. The breaking news this morning, our special coverage of Michael Cohen on the stand, that's footage from just moments ago. He is on his way to the courthouse. This is the critical moment in the trial against Donald Trump. Cohen testifies shortly. And we're getting new reporting on how he has been preparing for this testimony.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:25:00]

BERMAN: All right. This was just moments ago, Michael Cohen leaving his apartment for his testimony in the criminal trial against Donald Trump. He takes the stand today. This is the critical moment in the case. Trump is charged with falsifying documents to cover up hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, all to influence the 2016 election.

Now, it seems the prosecutors are counting on Cohen to make the crucial link between Trump himself and the documents.

With us now, CNN Legal Analyst Jennifer Rodgers and Joey Jackson. All right, we're here. Michael Cohen takes the stand today. What do prosecutors need to get from him?

JENNIFER RODGERS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, it's what you just said, John. It's the words coming out of Donald Trump's mouth that show that he knew that this reimbursement scheme to Michael Cohen was illegal.

BERMAN: How do you do that, Mr. Jackson? Do you get him to say it quickly or are we going to hold Michael Cohen's hand and walk him through everything that we've heard in this trial today?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, John. Good morning. This is going to be nothing quick about this. Okay, just to be clear, I think that, first of all, we should back up and note that Michael Cohen, right, a lot of what he will say has already been spoken to by other witnesses. I think that was very intentional on the part of the prosecutors such that they didn't want to leave too much reliance upon him.

Having said that, I think those other witnesses, you can draw the reasonable inference that Trump knew about this. And, in fact, he has an own tweet saying it was reimbursement. There's a testimony as to the White House meeting with Michael Cohen in the Oval Office. There's testimony as to the Sharpies and the reimbursements from his personal bank account.

Having said that, you could still argue that Trump has what we call plausible deniability. With Michael Cohen, not so much. If others have put Trump in the room, Michael Cohen puts him at the table. And so I think what you're going to see is they're going to walk Cohen through the chapter and verse, the totality of it, much of which again has already been testified to, but he's a very critical witness.

However, what you're going to get from Michael Cohen is the words out of Donald Trump's mouth to him in addition to another person. His name is Mr. Weisselberg. He was a chief financial officer and we'll hear about his involvement as well. He's not testifying. Michael Cohen is, big, big day.

BERMAN: So, Michael Cohen is a hothead. I mean, he yelled at me. He's yelled at half the reporters in America. He's yelled on podcasts. He's also a convicted perjurer. How do you prep a witness like Michael Cohen?

RODGERS: Well, extensively. He has a great lawyer, my friend and former colleague, Danya Perry, who knows exactly what he's going to be facing and will take him through all of it. You do a lot of mock cross, where it will be very, very aggressive. But they're going to take him through all of this on direct. And he just has to be, answer the questions, don't get aggravated. You're going to be asked about your guilty plea and what you did. You just have to say it matter of factly.

He's a lawyer. He knows all of this anyway, but they will be really taking him through it because he knows this is the crucial thing. He wants to see Donald Trump held accountable. He's said it a million times in a million different ways. If he screws up his testimony, that's unlikely to happen. So, it's really high stakes. BERMAN: How explicitly does he need to say in his testimony some version of Donald Trump and I talked about falsifying the records?

RODGERS: Oh, for sure. And not only that, but what did he say?

[07:30:00]

What did you say? What did Allen Weisselberg say? Really, everything that will have happened in that meeting and on those phone calls and every time they talked about it will be elicited.

BERMAN: So, Jen just brought up.