Defense segues to Cohen's role in spinning news stories

Donald Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche resumed his understated style of questioning Thursday afternoon at the former president's hush money trial after reaching a crescendo just prior to the lunch break.

Blanche asked former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen as cross-examination continued to rehash his previous testimony in a "timeline fashion." He began with a moment in 2011, when Cohen created a website to assess his boss' odds of winning the presidency.

Blanche then segued into Cohen's role in spinning news stories. In one of the earliest examples, Blanche noted, Cohen helped plant a positive story in the National Enquirer about Trump's potential presidential bid. That story also included positive information about Cohen, the defense attorney noted.

Blanche sought to suggest that Cohen didn't always consult Trump about how to fend off or respond to unflattering news stories. Cohen, however, insisted he always did because Trump might "blow up" at him and it could mean the end of his job.

The questions appeared aimed at suggesting that Trump might not have been in on all the machinations surrounding porn actor Stormy Daniels' claims, though Blanche didn't specifically ask about that, at least to that point.