During the ongoing trial, Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger resumed questioning Michael Cohen, continuing her direct examination as promised before the break. The prosecution focused on text messages exchanged between Cohen and Hope Hicks on November 5, 2016, the day following the release of a story by the Wall Street Journal.
In the text messages, Cohen expressed his observation that only six stories were circulating and gaining little to no traction. Hicks echoed his sentiment, stating, 'Keep praying!! It’s working!' Cohen testified that they were apprehensive about the potential escalation of the story into a significant issue. They closely monitored the story's traction across various news sources to gauge its impact.