A defense lawyer for Donald Trump pressed Michael Cohen, a critical witness in the former president's hush money trial, about comments he made expressing his desire that Trump would end up in prison and suggested Cohen was upset that he didn't get a position inside the White House.
Todd Blanche on Thursday continued his cross-examination of Cohen on the stand, picking at his credibility, motivations against Trump and playing clips of Cohen relishing in Trump being indicted in New York City last year for the $130,000 in payments to former porn star Stormy Daniels.
In his podcast, Cohen said, "I truly f---ing hope this man ends up in prison."
"It won't bring back the year that I lost or the damage done to my family. But revenge is a dish best served cold," Cohen said on the tape. "You better believe that I want this man to go down."
Prosecutors say Cohen, Trump's former fixer who once said he would take a bullet for Trump, paid Daniels to silence her about allegations that she and Trump had a sexual affair in 2006 just weeks before the 2016 election.
They contend that the former president then falsified business records to repay Cohen, leading to the 34 criminal charges against him in Manhattan criminal court.
Blanche also questioned Cohen about a job in the Trump White House.
"The truth is, Mr. Cohen, you really wanted to work in the White House, correct?" Blanche asked.
"No sir," Cohen responded.
Blanche then brought up text messages from November 2016 in which Cohen told his daugther that he could become the president's chief of staff.
Cohen admitted that he may have wanted the post for "ego reasons," he had hoped to become Trump's personal attorney.
"I don't think you're characterizing this correctly at all," Cohen said. "My conversations with my daughter, I wanted a hybrid position where I would still have access to President Trump but I would not be a White House employee."
