Donald Trump scored a huge victory in the Florida case last week, but there have been a lot of ups and downs for the former president and his legal team in New York since the start of the hush-money case. On Monday, the main witness in the case, Michael Cohen, the former Trump’s lawyer and fixer, appeared on the stand for the first time, which was a guarantee for an even more intense atmosphere in the courtroom. Previous witnesses didn’t seem to really uncover what had happened in the magical triangle, which consisted of Donald Trump, Michael Cohen, and the adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
About the case
Trump, 77, has been charged with 34 counts of fraud related to hush money that was paid to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. He has pleaded not guilty, arguing the allegations he faces are not criminal. The New York hush-money trial is Trump’s first criminal trial. Daniels alleges that she had s** with Trump in 2006, a claim he denies, and that he paid her money to keep quiet about it in the run-up to the 2016 election, which Trump won. The trial centers on a reimbursement Trump made to his former personal lawyer and “fixer,” Michael Cohen. Cohen, 57, asserts that he received instructions to provide Daniels with $130,000 in return for her silence regarding her purported affair with Trump. Prosecutors have described this as an attempt to “unlawfully influence” the 2016 election.
Trump and his legal team are facing challenges
Trump has been required to attend every court hearing since the first day of the trial. A gag order also prevented him from publicly commenting or attacking the judge, prosecutors, and their families. This caused two problems for Trump. First, he expressed his disapproval of the judge’s order to be present at every court hearing because it kept him off the presidential campaign trail. Regarding the gag order, Trump contended that it violated his constitutional right to free speech, preventing him from publicly defending himself, while allowing others to speak and comment on the case.
Simply put, Trump’s dissatisfaction stems from his inability to exert pressure on all parties involved in the process. Judge Juan Merchan threatened Trump with jail several times, ultimately resulting in a $10,000 fine and some silence.
Read also: Calls mount for Merchan to investigate Trump for “feeding” Senators with New York trial information
Trump is already thinking of total freedom
On Thursday, former President Donald Trump predicted that Alvin Bragg, the New York District Attorney, might soon abandon the hush money lawsuit against him to conserve funds and maintain dignity. During the third week of his trial in New York, Trump expressed this sentiment in a post on Truth Social on Thursday evening:
“People are thinking that Soros backed D.A., Alvin Bragg, who never wanted to bring the Witch Hunt against me in the first place, is going to drop this ridiculous and very unpatriotic “CASE” in order to save lots of money, and also the self respect of his once revered Office. He would then be able to focus on Violent Crime, which is running rampant and totally out of control in New York. The dilemma is, and always has been, the Trump Hating (APPOINTED IN 2009 & STILL ACTING!) Judge, Juan Merchan, who would be confronted with the problem of how he would explain this TRUMP loss, to the Radical Left Democrats, to whom he owes so much? Bring back “Justice in America.” ELECTION INTERFERENCE!!!”
Trump says this case is all about Bragg’s personal ambition
Earlier that day, Trump spoke to journalists outside the courtroom, stating that major employers responsible for millions of jobs were moving out of New York in response to his ongoing trial. He criticized Bragg for prioritizing his own personal ambition above the “rule of law,” Trump said, “New York has got to do something about what’s happening because you look at Judge Engoron, you look at Judge Kaplan, what they’ve done, it’s disgraceful.”
Trump further remarked that the situation in New York was becoming a joke.
“Everyone’s laughing at the New York system, and companies are leaving, people are leaving, but major companies with tremendous taxpayer dollars and employers of millions of people, literally. People are leaving, they’re taking their companies and they’re all watching this case,” Trump added.
