Legal experts have revealed that the Democrats’ “hush money” case against President Donald Trump may have been “torpedoed” by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s star witness Michael Cohen cashing in off the back of the trial on social media.
Cohen, a disgraced former attorney who served as Trump’s legal counsel in the run-up to the 2016 election, is set to testify against his former boss for the prosecution.
However, Slay News reported earlier this week that Cohen has been fundraising off the case by posting videos of anti-Trump rants on his TikTok account.
Cohen’s followers have been fueling the rants about Trump and the “hush money” case by giving the convicted perjurer cash “gifts” on the platform.
According to legal experts, Cohen’s TikTok fundraising recordings may have “torpedoed” Bragg’s case against Trump in New York.
ABC News published an article regarding the potential issue of Cohen capitalizing on the Trump trial through TikTok livestreams.
Via ABC News’s report:
“As he awaits his turn to take the witness stand, Cohen has discussed Trump, the ongoing trial, and the testimony already underway during nightly livestreams on TikTok which appear to be earning him financial benefit through viewers’ donations, according to hours of his streams viewed by ABC News.
“And while the undertaking doesn’t appear to run afoul of any court order, experts say it hurts the already-blemished credibility of an essential witness in the case.”
“I’d be furious,” said ABC News contributor and former Georgia prosecutor Chris Timmons.
“As a prosecutor, the last thing you want your witness to do is to be talking about the case in a forum other than the courtroom.”
As Breitbart News reported, TikTok enables users to make monetary contributions in the form of “gifts” while they watch continuous livestreams.
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew McCarthy described Cohen’s antics to Fox News as a “major problem for prosecutors.”
”It is not a problem for Cohen’s credibility because he has none — he is a convicted perjurer and fraudster whose current ‘defense’ of his fraud convictions is that he wasn’t telling the truth when he pled guilty,” said McCarthy.
Even disgraced lawyer Michael Avenatti, Stormey Daniels’ former attorney, expressed regret over Cohen possibly ruining the prosecution’s case.
“Michael Cohen through his narcissism and his ego may have just torpedoed the case against Trump,” Avenatti told Fox News from federal prison.
“Never underestimate this guy’s ability to screw something up due to his ignorance and arrogance.
“He’s dumber than a box of rocks.
“The state can’t win the case without him and because of his conduct in reviewing trial testimony in violation of the court’s order, which [he] just admitted to when speaking with ABC, the court must strike him as a witness, declare a mistrial, or both,” Avenatti continued.
“He had no business commenting on other witnesses’ testimony.”
Professor William A. Jacobson of Cornell Law School agreed that Cohen’s conduct could likely have severe repercussions.
“Profiting off the trial adds another conflict to that pile,” Jacobson told Fox News.
“Whether it’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back when it comes to the jury remains to be seen, but it certainly is fodder for cross-examination.”
Cohen promised to stop doing livestreams, according to ABC News.
“I am not the defendant in this criminal matter and am not the subject of Judge Merchan’s gag order. Donald is,” Cohen said.
“Nevertheless, I elected, out of respect to the court and the prosecutors, to cease commenting on Trump and this matter; which I have done.”
Cohen did tell his TikTok audience that he would stop speaking about Trump until after the trial.
However, the viewer numbers plummeted and it wasn’t long before he started ranting about Trump again and the “gifts” continued flowing.
