Michael Cohen to cease Trump commentary on X, podcast until after testimony

Michael Cohen, the fixer who turned former President Donald Trump’s enemy, said Wednesday he would stop making any comments about the president until he testifies in the former president’s criminal trial in New York.

“Despite not being a gagged defendant, with all due respect to Judge Marchand and the prosecutor, until the conclusion of my trial testimony, I will not be posting anything about Donald on my “I will stop posting,” he said in the paper. Social Platform X. “See you in a month (or more).”

In recent weeks, Mr. Cohen has posted sporadic attacks online against Mr. Trump, including derogatory insults and taunts over the gag order imposed on him by the judge in the case, Juan Marchan.

Trump is prohibited from attacking witnesses, prosecutors, court staff or judges’ families, but the order prevents him from mocking Marchand and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D). isn’t it.

Cohen, who once served as Trump’s personal lawyer, is a key figure in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office’s case against Trump over allegations of falsifying business records to cover up hush-money deals with porn actors ahead of the 2016 election. He is expected to be a witness. .

The hush money payment in question was made to Stormy Daniels, who Cohen claims had an affair with Trump. The former president denies any extramarital affair and has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

During Tuesday’s hearing on whether President Trump violated the gag order, the former president’s lawyer insisted there was “no intentional violation” of the 10 posts cited by prosecutors. But they said Trump should be allowed to defend himself against political attacks, even if they come from witnesses.

President Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche said in a statement, referring to Cohen and Daniels, that “President Trump has faced a barrage of political attacks from all sides, including the two witnesses mentioned in the initial post. There is no dispute that it is.”

Prosecutors from the district attorney’s office argued that the former president’s attack went too far, saying, “Throwing MAGA into the post cannot be called political.”

President Trump slammed the order outside court on Tuesday, calling it “disgraceful” and “completely unconstitutional.”

“It’s not to this extent, but I don’t think it’s ever happened before,” he said of the gag order. “I’m not allowed to speak, but people can say whatever they want about me. It’s so unfair.”

Cohen is expected to take the stand later in the trial to detail his role in what prosecutors say was a “catch-and-kill” plot aimed at paving the way for Trump’s White House.