being with us. >> thank you, anderson, for the opportunity for us to share a little bit about the life of my sister that was very impactful in this community. and we want as many people across the country to know about her better. thank you thank you >> the news continues the source with kaitlan collins starts now, i'll see you tomorrow good evening. >> i'm kaitlan collins on what has been one of the most dramatic days in the long running legal saga of donald trump. but i don't say that lightly tonight. he and we learn today that the former president of the united states will face his first criminal trial on march 25th. >> all in one >> courtroom will be defendant donald trump, adult film star stormy daniels and hush money payer, michael cohen we're

about to bear witness to history. yes. >> once again, but the drama does not end there. it was almost surreal to watch for hours on live tv today. a, another trump criminal case. >> the top >> prosecutor in fulton county, georgia, fani willis, took the stand in her own defense as trump and some of his 14 remaining co-defendants are trying to have her thrown off the case. let me get you up to speed. it's a lot to pay attention to here. the lawyers are trying to establish that willis higher the lead prosecutor on this case, nathan wade, when they were already in a romantic relationship and they allege that she benefited financially from that relationship. wade also took the stand today and things got really, really personal questions about the romantic relationship when it began, when it ended, trips that they've taken together, their money where it went, where it came from after wade got off the stand, it still wasn't clear what willis was going to do. but write as one of her

deputies, was objecting to her being forced to testify. she made this dramatic entrance and had this to say nothing very anxious to have this conversation with them today. why ran to the court of probably had some choice words about some of the things that you feel that way within this motion. so i don't know that it will be conversation. as you know, mr. wade is a southern gentleman. me not so much >> you could almost feel the tension. she answered those questions from ashleigh merchant, that's the defense attorney that you see here. she's representing trump's co-defendant michael roman. she's also the attorney who brought these conflict of interest allegations to light. and throughout the questioning, things got heated >> you're confused. you think i'm on trial. these people who are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020. i'm not on trial no matter how hard you tried to put me on trial, you glide in this let me tell you which one you loud and

right here. thank you. live right here. >> no, no, no. this is a true judge and a lot it was an intense back-and-forth specifically on the timeline of when this >> romantic relationship between fani willis and wade began. here's what they both said on that question. >> i don't know the day that we started seeing each other, but it was early 22 is my recollection. when did your romantic relationship with as well as begin? >> 2022 >> okay. but >> robin, your t a4 friend of fani willis's and colleagues contradicted that, saying that willis and ways romance actually began in 2019 before she hired him to work on this case. >> you have no doubt that there romantic relationship was in effect from 2019 until the last time you spoke with her >> no. dow >> then there's the key issue

here about money. well, this was peppered repeatedly with questions about how she reimbursed the prosecutor, wade, for the many troops that they took together. they both testified she paid in cash so the cash that you would pay him, you wouldn't get it out of the bank >> i have money in my house when we were growing up, my daddy had three safely now, though my father's bought me a lockbox and i always keep cash in the house >> weighed testified he didn't have any deposit slips to support those claims that she paid him in cash. she was intensely questioned about the subject as well at one point, the judge even got involved interjecting to try to determine what it was exactly the lawyer was trying to suggest that are you trying to establish that she was insolvent in some way? >> i definitely was trying to establish that she did not have these mass amounts of cash then came this extraordinary moment when willis seem to suggest

hurley prosecutor and now former romantic partner >> was sexist, while also noting that because of this whole ordeal and what has happened with these allegations, that their relationship has actually grown stronger it's interesting that we're here about this money. mr. wade is used to women that as he told me one time. only thing a woman can do for him as make him a sandwich. we would have group rule arguments about the fact that i am your equal. i don't need anything from a man. a man is not a plan. a man is a companion and so there was tension always in our relationship, which is why i was give him his money back. i don't need anybody to foot my bills. the only man who's ever foot my bills completely is my daddy. we are good friends my respect for him has grown over these seven weeks of attacks we are very good friends. i think what for these attacks, it

would have been a friendship that as life goes, he would have stopped having i think that you have seen minute that will be for instance, today we that that was just today. she's expected to be back on the stand tomorrow morning to break down what we did see today in an extraordinary moment, former federal prosecutor elie honig as well as former us attorney michael moore both cnn legal analysts, also here with us tonight. is it from atlanta? is the former georgia prosecutor, sarah flack, who previously worked with fani willis. we'll get to you in a moment, sara, because i no, you have a lot of thoughts you were in that room today, but elie, when we start with this and you just look at what happened today. i think the question is, did the defendants get what they wanted here in the sense of demonstrate demonstrating this conflict interests that they say exist or to fani wells help herself. >> i don't think the defendants got what they were hoping for today. i think there proof came up a little bit short. there's still more to come tomorrow but ultimately, i was not super compelled by either the timing

angle or by the financial angle. fani willis to me, was such an interesting witness because by the book, she was a dreadful witness. she was evasive. she was nonresponsive. she got as simple factual questions and responded with these monologues. she attacked her questioners however, on the other hand, she was a powerful presence in that courtroom. she own that courtroom. i mean, there was a moment when she even reminded the judge that she used to be his supervisor. she was telling the judge what to do. and i do not think that defense lawyers landed a punch on her that will leave a mark. i think when it came to the financial part, it's this mishmash of she's sort of reimbursed with cash a few times here in there, but they didn't drill down on specifics. there was not that moment where i said, aha, now they've got her. >> what about the moment though at the beginning where her former friend who i should not have it spoken and quite some time said that actually they were romantic in 2019 that would directly contradict what both fani willis and nathan wade have said. yeah. well, i'm glad to be with you. i do think this is going to be unique because that is just

going to come down to a question of credibility and his a judge believes. and so if you look at this witness who came in and xi so this is what happened and they said, well, you've got a reason july, you are mad at the be when you left. well, okay. but the people who really seemed to have the biggest reason to live, maybe mr. wade and ms willis. and so the judge is going to have to weigh those things out. but there are a lot of circumstantial things that i think support the friend. wait and willis admit that he was going to her house alone in 2021 let's that's a little odd. i mean, is he she claimed she was doing a strategy meetings over the indictment or something like that. that's that's nonsense >> that she's repaid him in cash cash, it can't be tracked. there's no receipts, there's no nothing but certainly we're just paying in cash. cash is at unaccounted for on forms are in tax filings and that type of thing? so there are other things i think the judge will use to look at. i thought she was a terrible witness i thought she looked like she was unhinged and we say down south to kick dog barks and i thought there was a lot of barking and from the stand, her indignation might've seen more genuine had she not let this simmer for about two

months? and she should have just come out and owned it, but in states, she just let it go on and build and build. >> she literally ran to the court. she told us that that she ran thereafter. she'd noticed she realized that wade was wrapping up his testimony and sara, i mean, you were inside that room. you not only know fani willis, you know, the judge here, you know, the defense attorney that we were just talking out there, ashley merchant. i mean, what was it like in that moment when fani willis comes in and says no, no to her team, you know, i know you're fighting the subpoena, right now. i'm actually going to testify oh, my gosh, kaitlan. >> you couldn't make this up. i mean, hollywood couldn't make this up any, any better than it was today. there was silent the courtroom, everybody it was there was confusion. i think everybody was kind of confused on is she really going to do this? and she certainly did. she came in that courtroom with one goal and that was i think to stand up for herself. i think you've heard over these past seven weeks, the silence we've all been wondering what's what is she going to say? how is she going to defend herself? and she sure did that

today she made it clear that the allegations against her or not true and she really yeah. i mean, it was less of a cross-examination than it was the da just telling us. and the court where she stands. >> well, i just thought it was remarkable. >> her team was saying >> she shouldn't have to testify in the fact that she chose to do that as the judge said, you know okay. >> well, come on. well, we'll take a five-minute break and then we'll have you hell have you up here. i think the question is, did she ultimately help or hurt her case? what did you what do you think? >> well, i mean, it depends on who you ask me. it depends on which way i think that she had to do some damage control because what has been said, the allegations patients in these motions are serious. there are some implications ethically. of course, the disqualification of her office, even possible. i don't want to say criminally, but she had to get up there and defendants herself. so in that way, i think she did that now, i don't know how far that goes. i still think tomorrow is going to be a full day of testimony.

i think the defense is going to have to really wrap up ben tie up the conflict that purported conflict here without sort of fishing. i mean, we get it. they had dinner, they were in a relationship, but they've got to make this connection and i think that fani willis's office has been pretty clear that there is no conflict of interest and that's what her goal was today. and i think she did accomplish that. >> well, and elie, on the conflict of interest allegations judge, here at indicated a few days ago that maybe there was something here that he actually wanted to hear these arguments today, but he kept redirecting everyone today. we're talking about the relationship and we're talking about the money on the money front. i mean, where does it go from here tomorrow if they weren't able to while it was dramatic, proved that there is a conflict of interest. >> i think the defense lawyers have to do two things here first of all, they have to establish a causal link here that because fani willis inserted mr. wade as the prosecutor she profit but it's substantially and second of all, they need to get so much more specific. the

cross-examinations of both weight and willis were severely lacking. they just sort of left it at this vague thing. i don't know stacks of cash. do you have receipts? not really. when did you pay? i don't know. they need to drink pulled down. how did you get this money? what documentation do you have? where's your bank records? when was the first payment? how much how how did you document this? what was the balance? it's left in this murky gray area and that's not going to be enough for them to win. the other thing is on the timing of the relationship personally, i doubt that they started the relationship afterwards. common sense is against that circumstantial factors are against that. but if you're the judge, you have to weigh the evidence here and you have doesn't matter if they lied because that's it's not that the relationship actually existed, but it's whether or not they lie. >> it's crucial to the narrative. and if they wide nathan wade submitted a sworn affidavit that fani willis put in with the court. if that's a lie, that's a major problem, but the status quo right now is you have both participants saying didn't start till after. and again the one witness, the friend maturity, who said it started before it

was very vague. the examination was brief and unclear. she just said, i sort of new and fani willis told me, but there was no specifics and they said that she was she said she resigned from the da's office. she said they the defendant or the prosecutor's office said that actually she was on the verge of being fired, that she had been reprimanded. so i think that raises questions. but the bottom line here is we're sending through this whole thing watching this today. all co-defendants and their attorneys are and they're trump's attorneys. and there were not actually talking about the election interference case. if the judge does decide to disqualify fani willis, it's not just hurts the whole office. does that mean for those co-defendant, you know, i think >> it just means delay. i think it means this case is out years before it ever gets dried. if she's disqualified, it will be especially if he happens to win the election. they're not going to bring it back and bring a sitting president and try this case. we already know under their best-case scenario if they tried to start the trial. now would be well in the next year before we could even finish the case. and so well after the election. and that's

just not going to happen. i mean, let's just but we didn't just go ahead and say, i do think that the main thing that may catch them here would be the efforts to cover it up if they did. in fact lab. but remember, they hold the keys to the truth of the case. i mean, they're fighting the subpoenas, they're fighting that having people come in and i don't want to waive any attorney-client privilege ms mr. wade, ms willis sort of had the keys. they could let it all out, let the people see it. but at every turn it's not, it's not a goal of transparency is to again, try to keep it out of the site, to come in and look like you're indignant that you're upset that you're going to call out people for trying to put you on trial. we'll just show us the texts, show us that show us the records. >> i mean, sara, this case was it's investigated for so long we were in georgia, went all these co-defendants are coming one by one, enter their not guilty pleas. i mean, what's your expectation? is it going to be fani willis taking this to trial? do you think? >> i do. i don't think that they're going to be able to make the connection. i think

that the plan was to smear her office and to get people talking to detract from what's at stake here. i don't know that they're going to be able to prove because it's it's gotta be more than just the relationship. there's gotta be an actual conflict of interests as it relates to this criminal indictment into this specific case in these specific defendants, the law all is pretty clear. i mean, there are cases where defense attorneys and prosecutors are in relationships and a conflict, hasn't been found, so i just don't know that it's going to reach the standard such that she gets disqualified in her office, gets disqualified. yeah. and that's something that their office has brought up here. other potential relationships. i mean, it's remarkable. we will all be watching tomorrow morning of course, elie honig, michael moore, sarah flack all of you. thank you for being here and up next for us here on cnn, the former manhattan district attorney who wants investigated trump on where he sees this case going from here there are also everything else that happened today because trump's first criminal trial is now said, we got a date for that

weeks after super tuesday. the question is, is it going to go on trial? as the presumptive republican presidential nominee? also, you can't make this up, but apparently this guy can because the former fbi informant, who is championed by republicans it's on capitol hill has now been arrested for lying about the bidens and ukraine voice we've kaitlan collins is presented this thursday evening by shakes. stay tuned for cnn news night with abby phillip at the top of the hour, presented by chase freedom unlimited. how do you cashback >> my money should work as hard as that do. that's why i use my freedom unlimited card every time i get gas a little slack, hold up. three. are big with chase freedom and limited uk make more of which you, how could anyone possibly know that every single one of these pistachios is guaranteed to be

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these are not all the possible side effects. so talk to your dr. if it's cold paxlovid ask your dr. today. >> news night with abby philip tonight at ten eastern on cnn the fulton county district attorney, fani willis was fired up defending her conduct on the stand today as she was also >> directly admonished at one point by the judge for the way that she was answering some of those questions. one point, the defense attorney who was leading the charge to get willis removed accused her of acting as a hostile witness >> i'm not a hostile witness. i >> very much want to become so much that your hostel, this will be an adverse witness. your interests are opposed. ms merchants? >> thank you. choose entrance contradict contrary to democracy, your honor, not tomorrow. >> i want to bring in laura coates, cnn anchor and chief legal analyst, who is outside as all of that was happening today. and laura, i mean, it

was just so remarkable and i just wonder, given your legal background, what you made of everything, what a day. >> i mean, can you imagine having jack smith special counsel prosecuting a former president united states, and other co-defendants on the stand testifying about his sexual relationships for or his romances or anything else. i mean, it was an extraordinary moment considering that they were trying to figure out if she ought to be disqualified from this prosecution. now, if they disqualify her, it's not just hurricane when it turned entire team, which means it would go to outside agency to then choose or appoint new prosecutor heaters who are not beholden to her or the indictments of before they could even dismiss the case. but she came out of the game just completely out of the gate, guns blazing, so to speak. why? because she went directly to the prosecuting attorney who was trying to litigate this matter. she was indignant. she was also persuasive. they did not test her a great deal in terms of

trying to undermine her testimony. but remember what their responsibility was here was to prove a through line did she financially benefit from having hired nathan wade? they talked about dualling sources of income. they talked about different methods of payment, but they make that through line so far, no. and the one the one witness who testified today, kaitlan to talk about and conflict what they had said and contradict the start of the romantic relationship with somebody who appeared to be a disgruntled employee with an ax to grind, who was not later corroborated or rehabilitated on that point, it was an extraordinary day and i think really tells you a lot about the stakes of this consequential moment yeah, it's everything that she's been working on. i mean, it's just remarkable. laura coates, it was great to have you there to just see this in real time. i know you'll have much more on this on your show. laerke coates live. we will all be watching and 11:00 p.m. eastern

tonight. they also want to get perspective on all of this from someone who is it's been in the shoes of a district attorney because he was one former manhattan district attorney, cy vance junior, who knows all too well the scrutiny that prosecutors face while they are investigating donald trump in, and i'm so glad to have you here in person on this matter, but just to see her part of her testimony, you know, was on the threats that she's faced. she talked about her father fearing for her safety, you know, we've read the book reports about how she had to wear a bulletproof vest. what did you make of hearing that from her and her testimony? >> well, i think she's speaking from the heart and i think to be in a position where you are threatened or your children or threatened is really no. there's nothing more fear-inducing than that. so i'm empathetic and i think it's a terrible situation for anyone to be in and i'd like to say that comes with a territory, but it's it's more than its more than we should be

having to deal with. xi should be having to deal with. so i thought, i think that is a very personal experience and it probably scares are admixture matters the cell >> well and at one point, i think one of the most searing moments was when she said, i'm not on trial, these people are on trial pointing to the co-defendants, attorneys who were in the front row for trying to overturn the election, which just kind of reminded us that this whole thing was not even, you know, about the actual case at hand here it was all focused on her really. >> well >> i understand what she meant, but i don't think that necessarily plays well with a judge. mean she is a witness who the judge expected to come and testify. and like anybody else, she has. to follow the follow the court rules and she had a little tough time doing that. >> have you ever seen a district attorney get on the stand like that? does that can you remember any other instances

>> know i i've i've i was called as a witness once when i was a very young prosecutor, but i've never been told on the witnesses televised. on the table. >> very small. >> in manhattan criminal court no, it's it is extraordinary and i i'm i i'm empathetic but when you're dealing with donald trump in a case, knowing who he is and how he litigates and that he's looking for every angle in order to accomplish his objectives are to get cases dismissed, store, to get delay this was this kind of goes into the category of an unforced error and giving trump the opportunity to do what he does best yeah. >> been hit. his team well, sometimes find if your cousin's wife's ex girlfriend donated to a democrat and they'll though we'll that

against someone and say it's a political prosecution the fact that they have this instance where they're alleging something that's not politically motivated, but just saying they were to relationship and therefore, this shouldn't go forward. i mean, i think it would be quite remarkable holds people who read that indictment and watch this play out to see rudy giuliani and all these others potentially have this turned into the hands of a different district attorney or a different prosecutor would be really remarkable. >> it would be remarkable. and the but what i the times i was angry when i was da was when i or someone else had worked okay with male unforced errors because you take the job on and you have to expect that you're gonna be scrutinized all the time and especially the case like this thig so i do think as you were asking mike, your colleagues before, i think she testified the heartfelt she was fired up, she was angry. and i think that and i think that

speaks to her credibility >> but >> this is making the case much more complicated and it's even if the motions don't succeed. this isn't going away. it's going to be part of the narrative from now to the time of trial. >> well, you're also not going away because i have to get your thoughts at a moment on what else happened this morning, but the other courthouse that i was outside good morning. so what we'll do that after a quick break, mr. vance, if you'll stick with us because we've got a lot more to talk about also on what happened today, though, in that courtroom in georgia, there was a book that came up several times where fani willis had been interviewed. she's on the record and she's quoted they zeroed in on one paragraph about her finances were going to ask the authors about that right after a quick break

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when you buy one unlimited line. plus, get the new samsung galaxy s24 on us. cable can't be tried free at foucault tv.com >> i have talked to bertrand on the uss dwight d. eisenhower in the red sea. this is cnn as fani willis was testifying today, one particular book played a notable role in the case that trump and his >> co-defendant attorneys were trying to make we've been bombarded with a book. find me the votes. >> so he gave interviews to the authors of this book. >> i have not read this book. >> can >> you show me where that is? because this is where you put the tab. >> you you saw the book here. find me the votes. >> i'm a little wary of entering an entire three hundred page book because i don't know exactly what every single line the title the book, of course is a hard charging georgia prosecutor, a rogue president. and the plot to steal american elections the full title of that book is fine me the votes. a hard charging georgia prosecutor, i rogue

president and the plot to steal an american election. of course, a reference to donald trump's request to the georgia secretary of state and notorious one, the authors of that book, michael isikoff and daniel clyde men here with me tonight. one i mean i hope this was great for book sales given this was being aired on every single cable network and they were showing the literal cover of your book. but michael, let me start with you because what the attorneys were focusing on was one single paragraph about fani willis is finances in your book, i wonder if when you heard this today, you were wondering if they're missing the point of the other 324 pages? >> well, they actually ms the point of the paragraph that they were asking about because there is a passage in the book in which we're talking about and quoting fani willis about the financial troubles she was having after she ran for a judgeship in 2018 and lost and she was talking about how she was drained. she was saying and

go mother at that point she wasn't she didn't have a lot of clients in her in her law firm. and she was struggling and she talked about that and that that was that was a reason that she hesitated when about running for da in 2020 but if they had read the next couple of paragraphs of the book, they would have understood that after her concerns about her financial troubles in 2018 she was appointed to a judgeship she got a healthy salary from that. her law practice improved and her finances were fairly much better at the time so if they had read the book a little more closely, which i hope your viewers will do. they'll see that they really kind of mischaracterized what we were saying there. >> yeah. daniel, i imagined that you didn't when you were writing this book and you are reporting this out that you probably didn't think this this paragraph would be such as a joule focus of this hearing,

but it's because the money matters here and that's that's key to the allegations that they are making against the district attorney. i mean, i wonder what stood out to you as you were listening to that today and how they were talking about your book? >> well, i was in the courtroom and it was a little bit of an out-of-body experience hearing them mentioned the book title you know, talk about entering it into evidence and all these lawyers scrutinizing our words. but the point that they were trying to make was that this was evidence that fani willis was hired, nathan wade and took on this trump case because they saw an opportunity to enrich themselves and she needed it because she was destitute as according to their interpretation of our book. but as mike just said, they distorted our account. and the reality is that she was actually doing quite well then her concern was running another race pouring in some of her own money and ending up in that

position once again. and so it. look, i'm not surprised. lawyers take whatever evidence they have facts, they have they throw against the wall and see what sticks. but she actually, when she testified, she sort of corrected the record and her account was very consistent with what we were the book. >> but michael, what i couldn't get over is as someone who has senior book and knew it was about is that these are the co-defendants attorneys for the people who were indicted for trying to overturn the election in the state of georgia, which is what your entire book is focused on that effort. and just the lengths that they went to they're citing your book, but trying to prove a different point >> yeah. >> i mean, look, the really surreal aspect of this is that we spent all day delving into the personal sex lives of the da and her >> the special prosecutor, she

hired you know they didn't really get all that much to advance their case. they had the one witness who contradicted them, but she was vague. she didn't have any specific she had been fired by fani willis. so there was that but, you know, all of which is a huge which distraction from what the case is all about and what our book is all about, which was a rather elaborate conspiracy to overthrow the results of an election. and, you know, all the serious matters we talk about in the book and which are part of the case, the pressure on state officials the blatantly false testimony by rudy giuliani and georgia legislature that led to all the threats against election workers like ruby freeman human the fake electors, the cyber heist raid in coffee county, rural georgia. all his almost forgotten. and instead we're talking about something that really has no catering on the

evidence at all. >> and kaitlan, that's that's what precisely what underscores why this is so problematic for fani willis because because the last thing she wants is for people and potential jurors out there and the public and not to be focused on the really serious matters underlying this case and the problem is for a district attorney who's bringing such a serious set of charges to herself, become a witness in a spectacle like this. and at least for a short period here lose, lose the moral high ground. now, i think this, this could if she is not disqualified, if the case continues it'll be part of the narrative, but i think she could get back on track here and bet get the focus back on the underlying issues, which is the threat have to democracy by attempts, serious attempt to

subvert an election. >> maybe that will be booked number to climb been michael isikoff, this as well timed. thank you, both. of course. that is a notable book in this moment. >> up next the other >> massive headline from today that somehow has been overshadowed in part because of what happened in georgia. donald trump is going to stand trial next month in the new york hush money case. there are historic implications. >> will talk about them in a moment >> the grand cherokee is the most awarded suv ever and because of that, it means even more. we can keep a grand cherokee in the family. >> chose now >> while still looking forward to the road during the jeep president's >> day sales event, get the 2024 or cheat grand cherokee starting at 38,000 to 90 msrp.

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about the bosley guarantee >> laura coates live tonight at 11 eastern on cnn with all the drama happening in georgia, you may have missed the other earthquake and another courtroom that happened here in new york today >> that is where a judge decided that the former president of the united states will face a criminal trial. his first criminal trial on march 25. >> next month the potential for fireworks, if that case to trump hush money trial could make what happened in georgia today. look tame. >> it is going to be donald trump, >> stormy daniels, michael cohen, all in the same courtroom of course, this is because then candidate trump is accused of using michael cohen to pay off stormy daniels just weeks before the 2016 in election to keep quiet about an alleged affair prosecutors charged trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records alleging that he hid the pale to benefit his political campaign. trump was actually in that courtroom today to witness his attorneys get repeatedly

shut down as they tried to get the trial delayed he did not seem thrilled afterward >> comes out of washington. you're coordinated with the district attorney and the >> aid gets election interference there's by biden because it's the only way he can think to get elected. i shouldn't be at a courthouse or something that virtually every legal scholar says they don't understand that there's even if he was guilty of something. here's know prime >> that's an interesting legal theory i should note none of this is president biden's doing. trump is making that up. >> but to bring back in here >> with us tonight, former cnn or former prosecutor and cnn senior legal analyst elie honig, and also cy vance junior, who served as the manhattan district attorney before alvin bragg did an trump in this matter actually began on your watch. and so it's great to have you here. >> i >> mean, i just wonder what you make of the fact that we're at this point that a trial has now been scheduled for next week, next month.

>> well, it's extraordinary it's extraordinary. and i think it's extraordinary that it's an a state office as opposed to a federal courtroom. and but it's really no surprise for manhattan i mean, i think that office has had significant cases. this is extraordinary, but the crazy atmospheric has been, we've been there before, but the, but the cases are the cases. i think both sides have arguments in this case. i think prosecutor bragg has some hard facts and hard evidence and he's got some issues that he's going to have to deal with, including michael cohen. on the other hand, michael cohen is trump's hire and the documents are the documents interesting? trump's argument. it also will be that i'm a victim here. this was extortion and i was dealing with extortion may not be the way that you like, but that'll be an argument. and then there also some legal theories around

whether the false business records statute, which is a misdemeanor in new york whether the crimes that are being whether those false records were in furtherance of a state crime or a federal crime. and there isn't a lot of settled law on that. >> normally we do the fact checking. we don't ask our guests to do it, but can you i mean, he's claiming it was the biden doj. this has been under this kind of investing patient had been under in the works for long before that. >> well, the investigation started when i was da and what i left trump was present when trump was indicted the doj and we indicted the trump organization and has been convicted of tax fraud. so there's a long history to this case before we arrived to the current indictment and and so the shock of the trump family or orbit being indicted that happened in 2020. this is just another chapter in a long

story. >> if i can add to that the justice department under joe biden, the southern district of new york, my former office declined to prosecute this case i mean, i reported on this in my book. it's been confirmed since they were internal conversations, saw you may have been part of early an early iteration of that. but when trump leaves office in january of 2021, there are a series of internal meetings between doj bosses and sdny folks would prosecuted michael cohen and the ultimate additionally, that doj made is it's not worth it. now, that raises another question though, what is alvin bragg your successor? and i should say a former colleague of by what is he doing? what is he seeing that the southern district isn't saying and the key to me is michael cohen. he's going to be such an interesting, there's gonna be a moment when michael cohen takes a stand in a criminal trial against donald trump. i'm interested what you think of his credibility. i mean, michael likes the client. i know michael. i consider him a friend but we know his history. michael likes to claim that the only things you ever lied about had to do with donald trump, that's not really true though.

he was convicted of personal tax fraud, he now claims he lied when he pled guilty to personal tax road. i see him as a problematic witness. >> well, he's more than a problematic witness. he could be exploding hand grenade for the da's office. there's a lot to work with if you're cross if you're cross-examining michael cohen, a lot, and there are conflicting stories about the same story. and so but i think as former prosecutors, we also understand that it's your job when you have a very difficult witness to make sure that the jury understands who he is. they have it's been preset. they know this is going to be a guy with a bad past you've got to inoculate the jury, and then i think if he's honest about all his failings, he's more believable. >> can i say one thing that stood out to me today, being in front of the court was the judge. trump's strategy on every trial is delay, delay, delay. this judge was like literally cutting off trump's attorneys saying, stop interrupting me because he saw through that he saw that that's what they were trying

to do and they said no happening march 25th? yeah today, that calendar entry went from pencil to pen. i mean, that's been on the calendar for a long time, but the supposition for months now has been well, it's going to conflict with jack smith's calendar and alvin bragg has signaled and the judge has signaled. we're gonna give way now jack smith's case gets delayed. and as a result that case is standing on its own in the one and only thing i was listening for today when you reported kaitlan well, the dates on there it is. that's the story. >> in 20 minutes. right when we were shocked it happened so quickly. >> that's the story that this is going to out. i mean, i'm having i'm trying i get my mind around. it was surreal as i said, when we saw an indictment of donald trump and were 39 days accounted away from a trial. >> this judge is a veteran on donald trump. so when we were investigating and dealing with the grand jury and gathering evidence and then all the way to the supreme court twice this judge knows the mo and judge personas a very even tempered, very thoughtful, very smart judge. but he is i think what you're seeing today is he's

going to control the courtroom, when donald trump's steps outside the courtroom and talks to the press that's going to be another matter. but yeah. and i should note he was much more muted in the courtroom today as well. sorry, when shooter always great to have you, elie honig. of course, you're a regular here ahead though. another interesting story as the former fbi informant, who was central two republican efforts to impeach president biden, was just indicted for making up stuff about as an invited news night with abby phillip next on cnn >> this looks like an actual farm with you don't the app i love it >> meanwhile, at a vrbo when

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with ukrainian energy company, burisma for almost a year. now, house republicans have championed these. now totally discredited claims from this informant without naming him even a trusted fbi informant has alleged a bribe to the biden family >> we already know the president took bribes from burisma today's indictment alleges that the so-called trusted informants evidence was actually a fabrication. here tonight, former white house communications director kate bedingfield, and former senior adviser to mitch mcconnell, scott jennings. scott, i mean republicans have been using this for months and they've been citing this informant, senator chuck grassley was doing it. chairman comer was doing it. now, they're putting out statements tonight saying that there are whole thing wasn't revolved around this, but there was a lot of pressure on fbi from conservatives who basically said they weren't doing their job because of this informant >> yeah.

>> if you talk to them tonight, they'll tell you this isn't really all there is to this impeachment inquiry. there's still investigating all the other payments from all the other countries that came in to all the other llcs and all the other members of the biden family. so they're full speed ahead. i actually did talk to jamie comer earlier, fellow content. >> yeah. since this came out, and what he told me that his goals here have always been to hold people accountable and make criminal referrals if necessary, and ultimately to perhaps even pass a law regarding influence peddling as it relates to the kinds of things that have been uncovered. he's not sure where the house is going to do an impeachment or not. he's never has been quite sure that they're going to go through with it. but he's just trying to find the facts and some accountability. >> well, that's quite a shifting. the goalposts from where he's been since the beginning of this process, where they've said many times that they aim to impeach president biden. they've spent months and months and months trying to pull together a case. they've had their very own witnesses. they've had republican witnesses who have essentially undermined the thrust of the case. they were making even before you you get to their star informant. now,

actually going to jail for lying about what was at the center of their case. so i think it's a little it's this is a moment where republicans are looking at how badly they fumbled the ball here they're saying, well actually our intention was never to get into the endzone. that's crazy. >> that's not quite, not quite true. and i think what we've seen time and again is that this is blown back politically on republicans. we've seen this has been a concerted effort for, as i say, many months. years really, to try to make this stick to joe biden, to try to make this kind of the center of their case it's against joe biden. it hasn't worked. we see now again, on the substance that's because there's no there there. >> but this is not the only thing they're looking into. a lot of other money has changed hands here from a lot of other sources. and so to wash that all away over, wonder who by the way was apparently quite a trusted person from the fbi that who they paid lots of money to over the years. i mean, dependent on republican lecture is fair and some of the most sensational claims that we

hear about the $5 million payment that's all from this person and who's now got arrested in las vegas today with touchdown? yes. not good. i mean, when you're when your guy gets arrested like that, but it also doesn't wipe away everything else they have been looking into, which is far more than just this piece, you would have to admit lots more has come out and look, i don't know whether they're actually going to get to an impeachment or not. but a lot of information has come out here about money that changed hands, that has nothing to do with this person. >> well, except that it continues to be they continue to make those allegations and they continue to be undermined i mean, they've tried time and again to make this argument about this payment from china, which they had again throughout the course of this process, they've had their own witnesses come out and say well, no, it actually the money actually didn't go from here to there and they've never been able to make a cohesive case here as they've desperately tried and tried to put it together. so i again, i think this is we saw the saw this throughout 2,019.20. 20. they tried to make republic look, it's tried to make this an aggressive political case

against joe biden and hunter biden. and the biden family. it didn't work. and at every turn, the substance of what they've tried to put forward falls apart what you saw in spectacular fashion. >> jamie raskin is saying that they should call off the inquiry. now >> not totally sure that'll happen >> right. to have you both tonight also, we have to update you on an important story from last night though when we started with that deadly shooting that happened at the super bowl celebration in kansas city. the people in custody, what we are learning all as a vigil was held tonight for the victim >> crap. >> that's a really good gift. >> now, we got to get france something. >> we could use. these new gift mode yes. >> what are the french like >> anyone? >> cheese. >> they like >> cheese, brilliant, done the

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filter, revisit lee filter.com today, vegas, the story of sin city premiere sunday, february 25, day ten, on cnn >> closed captioning bronchi by meso book.com we've offered a free book about missile filial math for over ten years called 1808724901 are going to msal book calm >> tonight in kansas city, a vigil was held for victims of yesterday's mass shooting at the kansas city chiefs super bowl parade. more than 20 people were hurt, including a lot of young children, some of them as young as eight years old a mother and a local radio dj, lisa lopez-galvan, was killed in that shooting. investigators say tonight that the shooting stemmed from what they believe was a dispute, that there's no indication what happened was motivated by terrorism