Michael Cohen Changes His Trial Strategy

Michael Cohen will no longer post about former President Donald Trump on social media until after the trial wraps up, he said on Wednesday.

Cohen, Trump's ex-lawyer, is set to be a witness in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's case against the former president. Bragg charged Trump with 34 counts including falsifying business documents related to a hush money payment allegedly made to adult film actor Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign. Bragg said the alleged payment was meant to prevent Daniels from discussing her claims of having an affair with Trump publicly.

Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels and pleaded not guilty to all charges. He maintains his innocence in the case, accusing Bragg of targeting him for political purposes.

Cohen, who turned on Trump after serving a prison sentence, in part related to the alleged payment, frequently posts to social media to attack the former president. But his posts have faced new scrutiny amid the trial.

Cohen wrote Wednesday evening on X, formerly Twitter, that he is pausing his social media posts.

"Despite not being the gagged defendant, out of respect for Judge Merchan and the prosecutors, I will cease posting anything about Donald on my X (formerly Twitter) account or on the Mea Culpa Podcast until after my trial testimony. See you all in a month (or more)," Cohen wrote.

Newsweek reached out to Cohen via Instagram message for comment.

The change in his strategy comes after he faced criticism over one of his posts about Trump.

"Hey Von S***zInPantz...your attacks of me stink of desperation. We are all hoping that you take the stand in your defense," Cohen wrote on X.

Legal analysts raised concerns about the post. Joyce Vance, a former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama, wrote on X, "As a prosecutor, this isn't something you want to see one of your witnesses doing."

Dave Aronberg, the state attorney for Florida's Palm Beach County, previously told Newsweek that while the post is "not ideal," it may not matter much because Cohen "has already said plenty of negative stuff about his former boss."

Cohen is expected to testify that he made the $130,000 payment to Daniels, a key prosecution witness. In August 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to charges of tax evasion, making false statements to a federally insured bank, and campaign finance violations.

In his plea deal, Cohen said "in coordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office," he withheld information about hush money payments to two women from going public that would have hurt the candidate and his campaign.

While Cohen has posted about the former president online, Trump's ability to post about the trial has been limited by a gag order imposed by Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the case. Under the order, Trump may not post about witnesses or the family of the judge or prosecutors. He may, however, post about Merchan and Bragg directly.