Trump trial live updates: Michael Cohen testimony wraps for the day

Donald Trump's defense attorney Todd Blanche grilled Michael Cohen on Thursday at the former president's hush money trial about Cohen's 2018 guilty plea to federal charges, including for lying to Congress about a Trump Tower Moscow project.

As he did when pleading guilty, Cohen, Trump's former lawyer and fixer, conceded on the witness stand that he lied to two congressional committees about his contacts with Russian officials. He also said he lied when he said he never agreed to travel to Russia in connection with the project and never discussed with Trump plans to travel to Moscow to support it.

"Just related to that issue, you lied under oath, correct?" Blanche asked.

"Yes sir," Cohen said.

Blanche dug at Cohen's motivations for the admitting to prior lies to Congress. Blanche noted that Cohen has repeatedly said he lied out of loyalty to Trump.

Cohen went on to testify that he does accept responsibility for what he did.

Defense attorney Todd Blanche returned to questioning Michael Cohen about his Mea Culpa podcast. The jury heard an excerpt from before Trump's indictment was unsealed, but after news had leaked that he had, in fact, been indicted.

"I want to thank the Manhattan district attorneys office," Cohen said on the podcast.

"He is about to get a taste of what I went through. And I promise you, its not fun," it continued.

Jurors remained stone-faced as Cohen's excited and hyper-energized voiced came through the courtroom speakers.

"What an embarrassment it is to the office of the presidency," Cohen said in the recording, adding that the indictment "filled me with delight and sadness."

"I truly f------ hope that this man ends up in prison," Cohen said in another clip. "You better believe I want this man to go down and rot inside for what he did to me in my family."

Most of the jurors appeared to have no visible reaction to the audio. Cohen, too, remained calm on the stand, answering questions from Blanche about his own words.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche resumed his cross-examination of Michael Cohen by asking Cohen about detective Jeremy Rosenberg, who took Cohen's phones from him for processing during the DA's investigation.

Cohen said he texted with Rosenberg on his personal and work phones.

Blanche was attempting to get some text messages between Cohen and Rosenberg into evidence. Prosecutors objected by arguing the texts are taken out of context. The parties went into a sidebar to hash it out.

Blanche suggested that Cohen, in the texts, told Rosenberg that he was "going to hold President Trump accountable."

Judge Merchan ultimately sustained the prosecution's objection to admitting the text messages into evidence.

"Let's get the witness please," Merchan said, and Michael Cohen entered the courtroom then took his seat at the witness stand.

Cohen carried a water bottle in his hand as he entered and did not look toward Trump when he passed defense counsel table.

Trump turned away from Cohen to his left and whispered to his attorney Emil Bove as Cohen passed.

As Cohen took his place in the witness box, Judge Merchan reminded him that he is still under oath.