Donald Trump is trying to block porn star Stormy Daniels and her former lawyer Michael Cohen from testifying in the former US president's upcoming criminal trial over allegations stemming from Daniels' hush payments before the 2016 election.
It is the first of four charges against Trump as part of his campaign to regain the presidency to go to trial. New York prosecutors in Manhattan said Trump falsified business records to cover up Cohen's $130,000 payment to Daniels for her silence about a sexual relationship she allegedly had with Trump in 2006.
Trump denies sexual relations with Daniels and has pleaded not guilty.
In a document filed with the court on February 22 and released to the public this week, Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche said Cohen had lied in the past and would not tell the truth again at the hearing scheduled for March 25.
Blanche claimed that Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, would attempt to use the lawsuit to promote and monetize her story.
“Similar to Cohen, she wants to tell fictional stories with salacious details of events that she claims took place nearly 20 years ago,” Blanche wrote.
Cohen's lawyer declined to comment. An attorney for Daniels did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to violating federal campaign finance laws by paying Daniels in excess of contribution limits and lying to Congress. In testimony at a separate civil trial last year, he claimed he lied in his 2018 confession when he admitted to tax evasion.
Cohen is expected to be a key witness against Trump. Prosecutors say the payment to Daniels was part of a broader scheme to prevent allegations of Trump's extramarital affairs before the 2016 election from coming to light.
They said the plan also included a $150,000 payment made by a tabloid publisher on Trump's behalf to Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who claims to have had sexual relations with Trump. He also denies this case.
Prosecutors are also asking Judge Juan Merchan to impose a gag order that would prevent Trump from disparaging witnesses and others involved in the case.
Trump is the subject of 34 counts of falsifying business records for reimbursements to Cohen for payments to Daniels in 2017. Prosecutors say his family's New Yorkbased real estate company falsely recorded the reimbursement as legal fees.
Blanche said prosecutors were prohibited from arguing that the payments to Daniels and McDougal were part of an attempt by Trump to influence the 2016 election.
“Reports of the alleged interactions risk significant harm to the reputation of President Trump, his family and his business interests, regardless of his candidacy,” Blanche wrote.
Judge Juan Merchan will rule on the motions before the trial, which is expected to last up to six weeks.
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