{"id":2223902,"date":"2024-04-18T06:34:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-18T10:34:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michael-cohen-witness-in-trumps-trial-goes-on-media-blitz-amid-credibility-questions\/"},"modified":"2024-04-18T06:35:59","modified_gmt":"2024-04-18T10:35:59","slug":"michael-cohen-witness-in-trumps-trial-goes-on-media-blitz-amid-credibility-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michael-cohen-witness-in-trumps-trial-goes-on-media-blitz-amid-credibility-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Cohen, a key witness in the trial involving Trump, embarks on a media spree amidst doubts about his credibility"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">40<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmichael-cohen-witness-in-trumps-trial-goes-on-media-blitz-amid-credibility-questions%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2223902&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Michael Cohen, a crucial witness in\u200b Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg&#8217;s case\u200c against Donald Trump\u2064 for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bad-news-for-dems-new-numbers-show-trump-indictment-routine-is-losing-its-impact\/\" title=\"Dems dismayed as Trump indictment loses impact.\">hush money violations<\/a>, \u200bhas\u2062 been vocal before his trial testimony.\u2064 Cohen faces attacks \u2064on\u2064 his credibility by Trump&#8217;s defense, referencing his felony convictions and motives to lie. Cohen criticizes Trump&#8217;s \u2064defense strategy\u2064 while Trump is\u200c under a gag order regarding Cohen. Michael Cohen, a key\u2062 figure in the Manhattan DA&#8217;s case against Donald Trump for hush money violations, has been outspoken ahead of his trial testimony. Despite facing credibility attacks from Trump&#8217;s defense, citing his past convictions and\u200d potential motives to deceive, Cohen challenges Trump&#8217;s\u200c defense tactics. Trump is \u200dcurrently restricted by a gag order regarding \u200bCohen.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Michael Cohen, a key witness in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/manhattan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Manhattan<\/a> District Attorney Alvin Bragg\u2019s hush money case against former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Donald Trump\">Donald Trump<\/a>, has become increasingly vocal ahead of his anticipated testimony in the trial.<\/p>\n<p>Cohen has participated in a string of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breyer-blames-white-men-who-ratified-constitution-for-supreme-court-abortion-decision-book\/\" title=\"Breyer attributes Supreme Court abortion decision to 'white men' behind Constitution ratification: Book\">recent media interviews<\/a> in which he acknowledges that Trump\u2019s defense team will attempt to undermine his credibility during the trial, including by showcasing Cohen\u2019s felony convictions and incentives Cohen may have to lie about Trump.<\/p>\n<p>His media blitz comes as Trump\u2019s defense attorneys signal they plan to paint Cohen as an unreliable witness during the trial.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the things that Donald and his legal team are trying to do is every day it\u2019s to discredit me, and they think that that\u2019s a winning strategy for getting an overturn of whatever conviction that the jury may or may not determine,\u201d Cohen said in a television <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=a5rc1aWZJ0Y\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>interview<\/a> over the weekend. \u201cThat\u2019s not the way that you run a trial. Have your own defense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cohen added that the media\u2019s portrayal of him as a \u201ckey witness\u201d was not accurate and claimed that he was merely \u201cthe narrator of the story.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While Cohen has been outspokenly criticizing Trump, the former president is restricted by a gag order from speaking about Cohen and other known witnesses in the case.<\/p>\n<p>In yet another media interview, Cohen attacked Trump for complaining that he may miss his son Barron\u2019s high school graduation because he is required to be present at the trial.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore I start shedding a tear for him, for Barron \u2014 and I\u2019m sure Melania is extremely excited he\u2019s not going to be there,\u201d Cohen said on a podcast this week. \u201cRest assured I\u2019m not losing any sleep, nor am I going to shed a tear that Trump can\u2019t go to Barron\u2019s graduation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cohen, who once worked as Trump\u2019s attorney and fixer, pleaded guilty in 2018 to lying to a bank, evading taxes, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fec-drops-its-inquiry-into-trumps-payments-to-stormy-daniels\/\" title=\"FEC Drops Its Inquiry Into Trump\u2019s Payments To Stormy Daniels\">violating campaign finance laws<\/a>. Later that year, he also pleaded guilty to lying to Congress. He was sentenced to three years in prison and eventually blamed Trump for encouraging his criminal activity.<\/p>\n<p>Part of Cohen\u2019s crimes involved arranging payments for two women, porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, to silence them in the lead-up to the 2016 election to help Trump\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Federal prosecutors declined to charge Trump at the time, in part because, according to the Department of Justice, it was against policy to charge a sitting president. Now out of office, Trump is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/father-charged-with-helping-suspect-in-july-4-shooting-obtain-gun-license-to-ask-judge-to-toss-case\/\" title=\"Father aiding suspect in July 4 shooting to seek dismissal of case\">facing charges brought<\/a> by Bragg that he falsified business records to conceal the payments to the two women.<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s defense attorneys indicated in pretrial court papers that they had received at the eleventh hour a wealth of exculpatory discovery from the U.S. attorney\u2019s office that prosecuted Cohen, and they alleged Bragg had attempted to suppress it.<\/p>\n<p>The attorneys also said in the documents that Cohen\u2019s past criminal conduct was admissible as evidence at trial, signaling they planned to chip away at his credibility.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis prior crimes provided him with a motive to curry favor with the People by fabricating claims regarding President Trump and a corresponding bias against President Trump,\u201d they wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Cohen also published books that were critical of Trump, and the attorneys said Cohen stood to profit from book sales by making salacious claims about his former client. Cohen\u2019s 2022 book about Trump was titled <em>Revenge<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCohen\u2019s writings regarding President Trump and agreements with publishers \u2026 provide financial\u00a0motivations for Cohen to make things up regarding President Trump to sell more ads on his\u00a0podcasts and more books,\u201d the attorneys wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Despite Cohen saying in the television interview that he was not a \u201ckey witness\u201d but a \u201cnarrator,\u201d in an interview published by <em>Politico<\/em> magazine on Friday, Cohen lamented how critical his role is in the case.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a heavy weight. It\u2019s a weight that is difficult, on a daily basis, to carry around,\u201d Cohen told the magazine. \u201cI wish I wasn\u2019t involved in this at all. Not that I don\u2019t want to see accountability; it is incredibly taxing on your heart, on your mind and on your soul.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div>\n<blockquote data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Michael Cohen says he\u2019s unaware of Trump attending any of his children\u2019s graduations: When it related to school here in Manhattan, this was prior to Trump deciding to run, it was Melania and I who put Barron into school here <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/q8gyqDkq9x\">pic.twitter.com\/q8gyqDkq9x<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Acyn (@Acyn) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Acyn\/status\/1780345128437108795?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 16, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Trump, meanwhile, is facing calls from Bragg, an elected Democrat, for Judge Juan Merchan to fine the former president after Trump called Cohen a \u201csleaze bag\u201d and \u201cdisgraced,\u201d noting in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/final-straw-hollywood-reporter-sources-say-disney-wanted-to-fire-carano-in-november\/\" title=\"\u2018Final Straw\u2019: Hollywood Reporter Sources Say Disney Wanted To Fire Carano In November\">recent social media posts<\/a> that Cohen is someone who was \u201cprosecuted for LYING.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bragg has alleged those remarks were gag order violations, and Merchan has scheduled a hearing for next week to assess whether they were.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michael Cohen, pivotal in Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg\u2019s case on Trump&#8217;s hush money, amplifies his voice before the trial. Ahead of his upcoming testimony, Cohen engages in multiple media appearances, recognizing efforts by Trump&#8217;s defense to challenge his credibility<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":2223903,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24103679371327-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2223902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24103679371327-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2223902","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2223902"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2223902\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2223903"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2223902"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2223902"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2223902"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}