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Manhattan DA doubles down on Michael Cohen as star witness in ‘hush money’ trial, as Trump lawyers rip gag order bid
NY Post ^ | 03/05/2024 | Ben Kochman

Posted on 03/05/2024 12:05:48 PM PST by ChicagoConservative27

Manhattan prosecutors on Tuesday pushed back on Donald Trump’s bid to keep Michael Cohen from testifying at the upcoming “hush money” criminal trial, arguing the ex-president’s attorneys will be welcome to grill his former fixer — when he takes the stand.

The argument from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg came a day after Trump’s camp ripped a proposed gag order that would bar the GOP presidential frontrunner from attacking the case’s witnesses, the court’s staff and families as an “unconstitutional” bid to “assail” him.

“American voters have the First Amendment right to hear President Trump’s uncensored voice on all issues that relate to this case,” Trump’s lawyers Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles wrote about the proposed gag order, which would still let the former president slam Bragg.

Attorneys for Trump, 77, also argued in a recently filed motion that Cohen, who they’ve blasted as a serial liar, should be barred from testifying at the trial — expected to start March 25 — “in order to protect the integrity of this court and the process of justice.”

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: cohen; manhattan; trump; witness
Cohen is a complete loser
1 posted on 03/05/2024 12:05:48 PM PST by ChicagoConservative27
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Hey, hey HEY!

It's Fat Alvin!!

2 posted on 03/05/2024 12:13:57 PM PST by kiryandil
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To: ChicagoConservative27

“Hush money” is not illegal when it’s purpose is not to supress evidence of a crime. When there is no underlying crime, the “hush money” is no more than a compensation to someone to not publicly discuss something involving the person making that compensation. That’s it.

What Bragg is doing is trying to subvert the law and the meaning of th law, claiming that it is not the “hush money” itself, but that the intent of it was an election campaign law violation because it was trying to hide a negative issue from the public. Yet, there was no hiding of it and the reporting of the “hush money” itself made the issue exposed, before the election. Bragg is an idiot.


3 posted on 03/05/2024 12:15:53 PM PST by Wuli (ena)
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Conviction for perjury in congressional testimony

On November 29, 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to the Senate Intelligence Committee and House Intelligence Committee in 2017 regarding the proposed Trump Tower Moscow deal that he spearheaded in 2015 and 2016.

You can take the Senate perjury conviction with a grain of salt, considering that the Feds like to charge-lard to get you to plead.

BUT - he also lied to the IRS, which takes some brass ones.

Kind of means that he'll lie about anything, to anyone.

4 posted on 03/05/2024 12:18:29 PM PST by kiryandil
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To: Wuli

There’s a lamp post missing its Fat Boy.


5 posted on 03/05/2024 12:19:05 PM PST by kiryandil
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To: Wuli
What Bragg is doing is trying to subvert the law and the meaning of th law, claiming that it is not the “hush money” itself, but that the intent of it was an election campaign law violation because it was trying to hide a negative issue from the public. Yet, there was no hiding of it and the reporting of the “hush money” itself made the issue exposed, before the election. Bragg is an idiot.

Yep

6 posted on 03/05/2024 12:19:24 PM PST by 1Old Pro
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To: Wuli

Pretty sure he’s being charged with falsifying business records as attorney fees , not for the payments themselves. Something he’s already been convicted of in another case.


7 posted on 03/05/2024 12:24:13 PM PST by Fuzz
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To: kiryandil

He’s Po’ed that Fanni is in the spotlight not him


8 posted on 03/05/2024 12:25:48 PM PST by patriotspride (Third generation Vet. Never forget the true cost of freedom)
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To: Fuzz

Semantics and Bragg knows it, but he is a political operative, more than a DA. He merely has a DA’s hat, with which to perform his politics.


9 posted on 03/05/2024 12:31:10 PM PST by Wuli (ena)
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To: patriotspride

Two POC tubs of privileged lard.


10 posted on 03/05/2024 12:34:44 PM PST by kiryandil
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To: ChicagoConservative27

Gag orders are unconstitutional, illegal and give the state an unfair advantage as they go out and trash a defendant while making sure no response can be given. Such orders are used by prosecutors and their witnesses to influence potential jurors and give fodder to the MSM’s attacks and build a “trial by public opinion”, not facts.

Cohen routinely goes on TV to call PDJT names, make wildly weird claims about being a russian agent, accuse him of raping puppies, etc. His interviews are then used by the state and democrat media to influence potential jurors and give fodder to the MSM’s attacks. Americans are fundamentally fair people. The thinking ones cannot stomach seeing these kinds of attacks while gagging the target to prevent any defense or response.

There should never be a “gag order”. Witness tampering is already illegal and a crime. And like all crimes in the once great American jurisprudence, it also requires proof beyond a reasonable doubt it occurred. IF there’s a gag order because of the peculiarities of a case, it must apply to all lawyers, witnesses, court staff, anyone involved in the case. Otherwise it is a punishment imposed on an unconvicted, presumed innocent person before any trial is held, and one that gives an unfair advantage to the already massively advantaged and unlimited funded state prosecutors.

Political prosecutions, with no identifiable ‘victim’ of a statute that has never before been used in a criminal setting and publicly declared to be intended to prevent a candidate from obtaining office, is the hallmark of a banana republic.


11 posted on 03/05/2024 12:36:44 PM PST by TonyinLA (I don't have sufficient information to formulate a reasoned opinion said no lefty ever.)
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To: Wuli

It was a NDA, a legal document, used quite often.

If that is hush money, then there are many, many corporations and people in legal jeopardy.


12 posted on 03/05/2024 1:01:12 PM PST by odawg
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To: kiryandil

He’s a NYC Lieyah, like Bragg.

It goes with the territory.


13 posted on 03/05/2024 1:08:10 PM PST by Paladin2
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