MSNBC host Jill Wine-Banks backs 'persuasive witness' Michael Cohen set to testify in Trump civil fraud trial
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: As reported by CNN earlier this week, Michael Cohen, who served as an attorney to former President Donald Trump, is set to testify at the Trump civil fraud trial in New York on Tuesday.
MSNBC host Alicia Menendez and former Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks shed some more light on this testimony by Cohen and how he will be a “very credible witness” in the trial.
Jill Wine-Banks talks about Trump’s gag order
To begin with, host Alicia Menendez asked Jill Wine-Banks about Donald Trump’s gag order, “Jill, what are Trump’s chances of getting DC gag order permanently lifted?”
Wine-Banks smiled a little and responded, “None. That’s the simple answer. It will be reinstated because he is a criminal defendant, he isn’t anything else in that courtroom but a criminal defendant.”
Wine-Banks continued, “Criminal defendants cannot taint the jury pool, threaten witnesses, threaten court personnel, they simply cannot be allowed to.”
As the two women spoke more about Trump’s gag order, its violation, and the penalty, Menendez quickly moved on to discuss Michael Cohen.
Jill Wine-Banks says she believes Michael Cohen
The topic shifted to Michael Cohen, as Alicia Menendez asked, “Jill let me ask you, in Trump’s New York trial, Michael Cohen expected to testify this week, how useful is Cohen likely to be as a witness?”
Jill Wine-Banks was quick to respond to Cohen’s credibility, “You know, people have said, whose going to believe Michael Cohen? Well, I believe Michael Cohen. I think he has facts that have been confirmed and corroborated over and over again by the documents.”
She added, “So he can tell a narrative, he can put it to a jury in a way that they can hear a story which they will believe and understand. And the documents confirm everything that he is saying.”
Wine-Banks believes Cohen will be a “very persuasive witness.” She also spoke about how it was “interesting” that Donald Trump was returning to the courtroom to confront Cohen.
“I think he will be a very credible witness and that he will hurt Donald Trump a great deal,” concluded Wine-Banks on her take on Cohen testifying in the NY Trump trial.