Michael Cohen to testify in Trump trial in New York.

Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen is set to testify in the criminal trial of former President Trump on Monday. Cohen is anticipated to be the key witness for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg as they seek to prove that Trump manipulated business records related to a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has brought forth 34 charges of falsifying business records in the first degree against Trump, who has asserted his innocence and pleaded not guilty to all allegations. Cohen, who once famously declared his willingness to “take a bullet” for Trump, will now testify against him regarding his involvement in arranging the hush money payment to Daniels before the 2016 presidential election to prevent her allegations of a previous encounter with Trump from being made public.

Trump has consistently denied any encounter with Daniels ever took place. However, he made subsequent payments of $35,000 to Cohen, who was acting as his personal attorney at the time. These payments amounted to a total of $420,000. The payments from Trump to Cohen form the foundation for Bragg’s charges against Trump, as they attempt to demonstrate that the reimbursements were for the hush money paid to Daniels.

Despite the indictment, Trump’s defense team maintains that the $35,000 payments were legitimate and not a form of payback to Cohen. The legal battle has escalated further, with Judge Juan Merchan imposing a gag order on the former president, restraining him from discussing any witnesses or details related to the case. Trump’s legal team has contested this order as a violation of his First Amendment rights and has filed an appeal.

As a result of violating the gag order, Trump has already incurred a fine of $10,000, with subsequent penalties and the threat of jail time looming should he transgress the order again. Although Cohen is not under any gag order, the judge has directed prosecutors to caution him against making any statements regarding Trump or the ongoing case.

Cohen, who previously pleaded guilty in 2018 to campaign finance violations, making false statements to Congress, and tax evasion, was sentenced to three years in prison. House Republicans, including high-profile figures such as House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner, and House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, have called for further investigation into Cohen by the Justice Department for allegedly lying to Congress.

Republicans assert that Cohen admitted to lying during his testimony in the Letitia James case against Trump. When questioned about his honesty during a session with the House Intelligence Committee in February 2019, Cohen confessed that he had indeed lied under oath.

The upcoming testimony from Michael Cohen holds significant implications for the high-profile trial involving former President Trump. Stay tuned for further updates as the trial continues to unfold.