At the end of the 15th day of the New York v. Trump trial, Judge Juan Marchan directed New York prosecutors to instruct Michael Cohen to stop commenting on the case and former President Trump, but the gag order remains in effect. I didn’t.
Marchand imposed a gag order on the former president, prohibiting him from speaking about witnesses, jurors or prosecutors other than Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Mr. Cohen, a former lawyer, is scheduled to take the stand Monday.
Cohen has made TikTok videos defaming Trump and has been seen wearing a T-shirt depicting Trump in prison. A gag order prevents Trump from responding publicly, but he has violated the order several times. In court Friday, Trump’s lawyers argued that Cohen should also be held under a gag order.
But Marchan asked prosecutors to give Cohen a warning “from the court” to stop making such comments. The state’s attorney said he would get the message across.
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Judge Juan Marchan (center) ordered New York prosecutors to send a message “from the courtroom” to Michael Cohen (right) to stop commenting about former President Trump and the criminal case. (Getty Images)
A Trump campaign spokesperson called the judge’s decision a “huge victory.”
The warning does not impose legal liability on Mr. Cohen if he fails to comply with the judge’s instructions.
Trump’s lawyers appealed the gag order to the Appellate Division.
Mr. Cohen accused Mr. Bragg of arranging a $130,000 payment in 2016 to adult actress Stormy Daniels to silence her story that she had a sexual relationship with Mr. Trump in the early 2000s. He is expected to be a powerful witness.
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Former President Trump leaves Trump Tower on his way to Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on April 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Mr. Trump later made several payments of $35,000 to Mr. Cohen, who was his personal attorney at the time. Trump denied having any contact with Daniels.
Those payments were the basis for Mr. Bragg to indict Mr. Trump for falsifying business records. Mr. Bragg seeks to demonstrate that these payments are reimbursements for payments made to Mr. Daniels.
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Michael Cohen, who would be the star witness in New York v. Trump, may have “assaulted” the case by going on a TikTok rant before taking the stand, court officials said. (Getty Images)
But Trump’s lawyers argue that the $35,000 payment was not a “repayment” but a legal payment or attorney’s fee.
President Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 charges of first-degree falsification of business records.
Legal experts told FOX News Digital that Cohen may have “assaulted” the case by making abusive statements about it before he took the stand. on TikTok Fundraising underway.
“This is a big problem for prosecutors. It doesn’t matter because Cohen has no credibility. He is a convicted perjurer and fraudster, and his current ‘defense’ to fraud charges is , he did not tell the truth when he gave the statement. He is guilty,” said former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew McCarthy.
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“This is a problem for prosecutors because they have chosen to put forward a witness who has a history of bad behavior and deep prejudice. Naturally, he has no choice but to continue to act like that person. ” McCarthy said.
Jeremy Saland, a defense attorney who worked in the Manhattan district attorney’s office, told ABC News that Trump’s legal team could use Cohen’s actions to “discredit him.” Ta.
“If I were a prosecutor, I’d be on the phone right now and say, ‘Stop what you’re doing right now,'” Saland told ABC News.
Fox News Digital’s Brian Flood and David Ruitz contributed to this report.
