Despite the gag order, Trump attacks former attorney Cohen in front of the hush money trial

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 14th April. Donald Trump, the former US President and front-runner for the Republican nomination, attacked Michael Cohen, his former attorney, once more on Saturday, April 13, despite the case’s gag order preventing him from speaking publicly about witnesses.

On April 15, a trial is scheduled over allegations pertaining to the payment of hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels.

“Disgraced lawyer”
Trump referred to Cohen, who is expected to testify in the impending trial, as a “disgraced attorney and felon” in a series of postings on his social media platform Truth Social. He also questioned why Cohen hasn’t been “prosecuted for LYING.”
He said, “Only TRUMP people get prosecuted by this Judge and these thugs!” Notably, the jury selection for the upcoming trial will take place on Monday, and Cohen is anticipated to be a crucial witness for the prosecution.

Judge rejects to postpone the historic trial in the Trump hush money case due to concerns about publicity

The 77-year-old Trump will be tried for the first time ever as a former US president. The posts on Truth Social were also made the day after the Republican front-runner was unsuccessful in several court cases, delaying the start of the trial.

Trump is under a gag order
The former president is prohibited from speaking publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court employees, and their families, but not about Judge Juan Merchan or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The recent posts test the boundaries of this order.

The trial’s supervisor, Merchan, put a gag order on Trump in March in response to the prosecution’s plea to prevent him from discussing the witnesses. The judge expanded the order to include the Manhattan DA’s family as well as his own a month later.

During a campaign rally on Saturday in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, Trump restated his assertions that he was persecuted for his political beliefs and referred to the trial as a “communist show”.

“I will have to sit fully gagged,” he continued. I’m not permitted to speak. My right to free speech under the constitution is being threatened.”

In response to the 34-count indictment filed by Democrat Bragg, Trump has entered a not guilty plea. The indictment contains allegations of accounting fraud and fabricating business documents to conceal the $130,000 payment made to Daniels prior to the 2016 presidential election.

In 2018, Cohen entered a guilty plea to federal charges alleging that his payment to Daniels broke campaign finance laws. According to Trump’s former attorney, the former president gave him the order to pay and then made arrangements for him to get paid back.

In the interim, Trump entered a not guilty plea and refuted any sexual relations with Daniels, whose true name is Stephanie Clifford. Both Cohen and Daniels are expected to testify for the prosecution in the next trial; just this week, the former president referred to them as “sleaze bags.”

“When does enough become enough and the petulant man child gets a timeout in lockup for his bad behavior?” was Cohen’s statement on X on Saturday. In addition, he suggested that Trump ought to face consequences for calling her a “sleaze bag”.