Cohen Bashes Trump’s ‘Comical’ Claim as He Cribs About Not Being Able To Attend Barron’s Graduation

Judge Juan Merchan, the Manhattan court overseeing the former president's criminal hush money case, has been the target of attacks from former President Donald Trump. In recent days, Trump has focused on one particular line of attack: the judge denied the president's request for time off to attend his fifth child Barron's high school graduation.

Trump has deceptively twisted Judge Juan Merchan's remark about waiting to see how the trial proceeds before deciding if the court may postpone the event until May 17, into the falsehood that he's undoubtedly barred from attending, infuriating many of his conservative fans, HuffPost reported. 

During a contentious discussion about the former president on April 16, Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer, addressed the former president's complaint on the Political Beatdown podcast. Barron, his son with current wife Melania, along with Donald Jr., Eric, Ivanka, and Tiffany, make up Trump's five children. Cohen shared that he finds it hilarious that Trump seems invested in wanting to attend one of his children's graduations.

"I wasn't aware that he went to any of the kids' graduations," said Cohen, bashing Trump. Cohen, Trump's former right-hand man, was given a three-year jail term for crimes including lying to Congress, violating campaign finance laws, and other offenses connected to the payments. Now, he is an outspoken opponent of his former employer, per Raw Story.

Cohen stated that, before Trump considered a presidential bid, Cohen was the one who frequently assisted Melania in locating Barron's education. "It was Melania and I that put Barron into school here, a private school in Manhattan," Cohen said. "When ultimately it was agreed that Melania and Barron were going to move to D.C. and so on, it was Melania and I that went and got him into school in Potomac, in D.C."

Then, taking note of the life events that he had missed while incarcerated in federal jail, Cohen made fun of Trump for the accusations Trump was bringing against Merchan. "I find it not just comical, right, but I find it — I find it insulting that that's the big issue," added Cohen. "You know, I missed ... my 25th anniversary, and my wife's 50th birthday, because I was in Otisville, in part because of things that I had done at the direction and for the benefit of Donald Trump."

Cohen is anticipated to be a prominent witness in the trial, in which Trump has entered a not-guilty plea to 34 charges alleging that, as argued by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, he manipulated business documents to conceal payments of hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels. "So before I start shedding a tear for him, for Barron, and, I'm sure Melania is extremely excited he's not going to be there," Cohen said. "Rest assured I'm not losing any sleep and I won't shed a tear that Trump can't go to Barron's graduation."