Donald Trump Moves to Block Testimonies of Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen in NY Hush Money Trial

To weaken Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against the former president, Donald Trump’s legal team has attempted to exclude evidence from porn actress Stormy Daniels and his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. As reported by The Hill , Todd Blanche, Trump’s attorney, initiated a motion to suppress evidence from Cohen and two women he bought off to keep quiet about alleged relationships : Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model, and Daniels.

Regarding a 2016 payment Cohen made to Daniels, Bragg accused Trump in March of last year, claiming that he had engaged in a conspiracy and had fabricated documents . Trump insists the probe is part of a political witch hunt that is still going on and denies any wrongdoing. It is scheduled for trial on March 25. Trump has pled not guilty to the 34 counts of falsifying business documents and has denied having affairs. The document, which spans 47 pages , extensively challenges the credibility of the witnesses by labeling Cohen as a “liar” and implying that Daniels will provide “false” and “salacious” evidence. The prosecutors’ description of the hush money payments as a “catch-and-kill” plan to suppress unfavorable material about Trump before the 2016 presidential election was another point of contention for Trump’s legal team.

The request filed on Monday coincided with prosecutors’ move to prevent Trump from presenting specific testimony during the trial. The motion included allegations that Trump is the target of a biased prosecution as well as Justice Department documents that might potentially undermine Cohen’s credibility. Additionally, the prosecution requested that the court prevent Trump from learning the jurors’ addresses. As reported by CNN , the prosecutors wrote, “Defendant’s conduct in this and other matters – including his extensive history of attacking jurors in other proceedings – presents a significant risk of juror harassment and intimidation that warrants reasonable protective measures to ensure the integrity of these proceedings, minimize obstacles to jury selection, and protect juror safety. This Court should also put defendant on notice that he will forfeit any statutory right he may have to access juror names if he engages in any conduct that threatens the safety and integrity of the jury or the jury-selection process.”

Prosecutors requested limitations in their petition from Justice Juan Merchan, which are the same as those that the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed in December in the federal criminal case against Trump related to his efforts to void the results of the 2020 election. The first limitation included stopping Trump from speaking publicly about “reasonably foreseeable witnesses” or ordering others to do so. The second would prohibit him from making public remarks against attorneys, court employees, district attorney employees, or relatives of any attorneys or staff members if doing so would impede the case. A third suggested limitation would prohibit Trump from publicly disparaging any jury or potential juror or directing others to do so.