Michael Cohen says he's going to gag himself and stop criticizing Trump online until after he's done testifying in the hush-money trial
Michael Cohen is going to quit Trump cold turkey until his testimony in the hush-money trial is complete.
REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz; Joe Raedle/Getty Images
- Michael Cohen said he would briefly stop talking about Donald Trump during Trump's Manhattan criminal trial.
- Cohen is a key witness to what prosecutors allege was a scheme to falsify business records to cover up hush money.
- But until now, Cohen has continued to talk about Trump and the case.
Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's ex-personal attorney, has now pledged to stop talking about the former president until after his testimony in the former president's ongoing hush-money trial over.
"Despite not being the gagged defendant, out of respect for Judge Merchan and the prosecutors, I will cease posting anything about Donald on my X (formerly Twitter) account or on the Mea Culpa Podcast until after my trial testimony," Cohen wrote on X.
Cohen's loquaciousness about his time as a fixer for Trump should be legendary. He has a book and a podcast and is a frequent guest on cable TV — all will the goal of furthering his quest for redemption after his time working for Trump.
As Trump's personal attorney, Cohen is at the core of what New York prosecutors allege was an effort to falsify business records to cover for hush money paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Cohen was also a major witness in Trump's fraud trial.
Unlike Trump, Cohen is not under a gag order. But legal experts have been dismayed at how Cohen continued to talk about the case, potentially providing Trump's lawyers with additional ammunition for their cross-examination during Cohen's expected testimony.
The former president has also attacked Cohen, one of a series of actions that prosecutors argued violated Judge Juan Merchan's gag order on Trump. Merchan upbraided Trump's attorney on Tuesday when considering the former president's statements but has yet to release a ruling on where the gag order stands.
Cohen is already likely to have a rough time on the stand during the trial.
He was sentenced to prison for lying to Congress and other offenses.
Trump has repeatedly attacked Cohen's credibility — including noting that Cohen is now a convicted liar.
The former president doesn't mention, though, that Cohen was convicted of lying to Congress about something that was supposed to help Trump.