Prosecutor argues Trump didn't sign confidentiality agreement for a reason
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass tried to turn one of defense attorney Todd Blanche’s better arguments on its head.
Steinglass said that Trump didn’t sign the agreement because that was the point: The agreement was no less enforceable without his signature.
The timing of the payment on Oct. 27, 2016, Steinglass argued, further showed that Trump's primary concern was not his family but the election.
Prosecutor seems to say for first time there were 2 calls between Cohen and Weisselberg in late October 2016
Joshua Steinglass mentioned that in the phone records they have, prosecutors saw six calls between Michael Cohen and Allen Weisselberg over three years, two of which were in late October 2016, right before the Stormy Daniels deal was reached.
This appears to be the first time the calls have been mentioned in the case.
Steinglass also emphasized that Trump and Cohen spoke twice on the morning of Oct. 26, 2016, right before Cohen went to First Republic to submit paperwork to open his new account and to send the wire transfer to Keith Davidson on Daniels’ behalf.
Prosecutor walks through Michael Cohen's bank papers
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass is now going through the false claims and omissions in former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s paperwork to First Republic to open an account in the name of his new LLC.
Those forms could serve as the “unlawful means” through which the alleged conspiracy to promote Trump’s election was acted on.
Prosecutor: Stormy Daniels' testimony shows Trump was 'not just words'
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass is going at Trump now, referring to Story Daniels' testimony to argue that Trump is "not just words."
"Stormy Daniels was a walking, talking reminder that Trump was not just words" at a time when Trump was trying to distinguish between his words and the actions of both Clintons, Steinglass said.
He also noted that Daniels' story got little to no traction until the day after the "Access Hollywood" tape became national news, with phone traffic exploding among Keith Davidson, Dylan Howard, Michael Cohen and Trump.
Prosecutor describes ramifications of the 'Access Hollywood' tape
After a brief break, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass resumed his closing argument by describing the "Access Hollywood" tape, which multiple witnesses during the trial described as catastrophic for Trump's 2016 campaign.
Steinglass said the tape eclipsed coverage of a Category 4 hurricane, according to Hope Hicks; debate prep at Trump Tower was disrupted as campaign leadership discussed how to respond; and elected Republicans raced to disavow Trump's comments on the tape, with some withdrawing their endorsements.
Trump aide Madeleine Westerhout testified that senior Republican National Committee officials were even discussing dropping Trump from the 2016 ticket, Steinglass said.
“The video was vulgar, to say the least," he added.
Prosecution's closing arguments are one-third of the way done
Asked by Judge Juan Merchan "how much longer" the prosecution's closing arguments would take, Joshua Steinglass replied that there was still a lot to get through.
"We’re about a third of the way through," he said.
The prosecution's closing arguments began today shortly before 2:15 p.m.
Prosecutor says Cohen-Trump call shows effort to influence 2016 election
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told the jurors that it's their decision what the tape between Michael Cohen and Trump from Sept. 6, 2016, said.
Steinglass said it showed Trump suggested paying in cash — whether it means no financing, lump sum, it doesn’t matter, he said. Steinglass said they were trying to take steps that would not get noticed.
“This tape unequivocally shows a presidential candidate actively engaging in a scheme to influence the election," Steinglass said.
Prosecutor defends Michael Cohen's phone records
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass is making arguments to defend Michael Cohen's phone records after the defense questioned their integrity.
Steinglass said that Cohen had no idea the Manhattan district attorney's office would ask for phone records again in January of last year, and there would be no conceivable reason for him to delete evidence of a crime he’d already been convicted and served time for.
Prosecution using graphics to illustrate points during closing arguments
The graphics that the Manhattan district attorney's team is using during their summation are high-tech and modern.
In presenting them, prosecutors are isolating certain calls and using zoom functions to highlight them. The graphics offer a clean and accessible way for the attorneys to illustrate their points to the jury.
Prosecutor: Call between David Pecker and Trump makes it 'impossible' to claim Cohen acted independently
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass discussed a call between David Pecker and Trump in which Pecker apprised him that Michael Cohen had told Trump about Karen McDougal coming forward.
"This call makes it impossible for the defense to claim that Cohen was acting on his own here," Steinglass said.
He said the transaction was an unlawful corporate contribution to the Trump campaign — and not only did Trump know about it, Steinglass said, but he participated as well.