Michael Cohen Warns Donald Trump He’ll ‘Continue to Speak Truth to Power’ Before Testifying
Michael Cohen issued a warning to Donald Trump Donald Trump ahead of his upcoming testimony in Trump's New York fraud trial. Cohen, Trump's longtime attorney and "fixer," is scheduled to testify against the former president in the civil trial against him for alleged business fraud. Cohen, a former Trump ally who turned on him after serving a sentence for allegedly assisting Trump in making hush payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election, posted a message to Trump on X, per Newsweek.
In a series of posts on October 23, he warned Trump that he will "continue" to speak out against him, even if it is "exhausting." He wrote, "I will continue to speak truth to power...no matter Donald's continued smear and harassment campaign against me," adding that standing up to Trump is "exhausting to do so and Donald knows it."
Cohen roared, "It's all about accountability! No one is above the law. #TeamCohen," Cohen wrote in a separate post on X.
I will continue to speak truth to power…no matter Donald’s continued smear and harassment campaign against me. #TeamCohen pic.twitter.com/ojbaMA7d3S
— Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) October 23, 2023
The former Trump aide, who previously testified in the investigation into Trump-Stormy Daniels, was sentenced to three years in jail after pleading guilty to charges including lying to Congress, tax evasion, and campaign finance offenses. Following his imprisonment, his relationship with Trump deteriorated, and he has become a vocal opponent of the former president.
New York Attorney General Letitia James has sued Trump for $250 million, accusing him of misrepresenting his net worth by billions of dollars between 2011 and 2021 to receive perks such as better bank loans and lower tax costs. In the case, Trump maintains his innocence, accusing authorities of persecuting him for political reasons.
Michael Cohen, testifying in the civil fraud trial, was asked to recount the crimes to which he has pleaded guilty.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 24, 2023
Cohen noted one of the charges was lying to Congress about Trump's efforts to land a property in Russia.
"I did that at the direction and benefit of Mr. Trump."
Judge Engoron, who found last month that Trump, his adult sons, their businesses, and executives committed fraud, will now rule on six additional counts during the trial, including altering company records, insurance fraud, and conspiracy claims. Cohen, a crucial witness in the New York Fraud Trial, called Judge Engoron's decision in favor of James a "death blow" to Trump's ability to do business in New York. "It is a financial catastrophe. It is the death blow to Donald," he said during an October 1 interview on MSNBC's Inside With Jen Psaki.
The former Trump aide ended up testifying on October 24, confirming that Trump did inflate his net worth knowingly. "I was asked to increase the total assets based upon a number that he arbitrarily elected," Cohen testified about Trump's 2011 financial statement, per NBC News. "My responsibility along with Allen Weisselberg predominantly was to reverse engineer the various asset classes and increase those assets to achieve a number that Mr. Trump asked us" for, he said. "Whatever number he told us."
