In an unprecedented move, the judge presiding over Donald Trump‘s criminal trial intervened on Friday, urging prosecutors to instruct the former president’s estranged lawyer, Michael Cohen, to refrain from making public statements about the case before his anticipated testimony next week.
Todd Blanche, Trump’s defense attorney in the trial linked to hush money paid to a porn star, expressed concern over Cohen’s recent social media activity, particularly a post where he wore a T-shirt depicting Trump behind bars.
Justice Juan Merchan emphasized the need for Cohen to abstain from public commentary, stating that the directive emanated from the bench.
Merchan’s remarks came at the conclusion of the 15th day of the historic trial, the first of its kind involving a sitting or former U.S. president.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office assured the court that they would relay the judge’s message to Cohen. Cohen’s legal representative did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the judge’s statement or his upcoming testimony.
Cohen’s testimony, eagerly anticipated as a pivotal moment in the trial, is deemed critical to the prosecution’s case.
The allegations against Trump involve alleged tampering with his family real estate firm’s records to conceal Cohen’s payment of $130,000 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, purportedly to silence her about an extramarital liaison with Trump in 2006.
Trump, who denies the accusations, faces 34 counts of falsifying business records. He has consistently refuted Daniels’s claims of an affair and dismissed the charges as politically motivated attempts to disrupt his bid to reclaim the presidency in the upcoming U.S. election.
As the trial adjourned for the weekend, Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass disclosed plans to present two witnesses on Monday, anticipating the prosecution’s case could conclude by the following week. Cohen, appearing on a podcast, indicated his readiness to testify in the coming days.
Amid mounting tensions, Trump has been fined for violating a gag order barring public statements about the trial’s participants. The former president has vociferously objected to the order, arguing it encroaches on his constitutional rights.
Prosecutors contend that the payments to Daniels and another woman, Playboy model Karen McDougal, were part of a broader scheme to influence the 2016 election.
