the judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal trial urged prosecutors to instruct Michael Cohen, Trump’s estranged former lawyer and fixer, to cease making public statements about the case before his anticipated testimony next week. Todd Blanche, Trump’s defense lawyer in the case related to hush money paid to a porn star, highlighted Cohen’s social media activity on Wednesday, where he wore a T-shirt depicting Trump behind bars.
Justice Juan Merchan directly suggested prosecutors convey the request to Cohen, emphasizing that it “comes from the bench.” He made this statement at the conclusion of the 15th day of the trial, marking the first criminal trial of a sitting or former U.S. president.
Prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office agreed to relay the message. However, Cohen’s lawyer did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding the judge’s remarks or the timing of Cohen’s expected testimony.
Cohen’s testimony against his former boss, whom he once vowed to protect at all costs, holds significant weight in the prosecution’s case. Trump faces accusations of tampering with his family real estate company’s records to conceal Cohen’s $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence regarding an alleged sexual encounter in 2006, prior to the 2016 election.
Trump, aged 77, maintains his innocence against 34 counts of falsifying business records and denies any involvement in sexual relations with Daniels.
Two witnesses on Monday
Before adjourning for the weekend, Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass indicated that prosecutors planned to call two witnesses on Monday and anticipated concluding their case by the end of the following week. Cohen himself mentioned on a podcast on Thursday that he expected to testify during the upcoming week.
Trump has denounced the case as a politically motivated attempt to disrupt his campaign to reclaim the White House in the November 5 U.S. election, where he faces off against Democratic incumbent President Joe Biden.
Merchan previously fined Trump $10,000 for violating a gag order that restricted his public statements regarding witnesses, jurors, and other case-related individuals. Merchan also cautioned Trump that future breaches could result in jail time. Trump contends that the gag order infringes upon his constitutional right to free speech and laments his inability to counter public criticism from witnesses like Cohen and Daniels.
Following the trial proceedings, Trump expressed his willingness to face imprisonment for upholding the principles of the Constitution.
Prosecutors allege that the payments to Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal, who also claims to have had an affair with Trump, formed part of a broader scheme to influence the 2016 election by purchasing the silence of individuals possessing potentially damaging information, thereby violating campaign finance laws. Despite defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton in the presidential race that year, Trump refutes allegations of an affair with McDougal, who is not slated to testify.
