Michael Cohen, the former lawyer of ex-President Trump, suggested that Trump attacks those involved in his legal cases to energize his supporters to do the same.
“His aim is to energize his supporters… to persuade them to act in the same foolish manner as they did on Jan. 6,” Cohen stated on MSNBC’s “The ReidOut.”
“His aim is to goad them into attacking these individuals, these critics of him, as frequently and as aggressively as possible, whether it’s on social media, through phone calls, or in person,” he told host Joy Reid. “I mean, that’s his aim. It’s intimidation and harassment.”
His comments come shortly after Trump criticized Judge Juan Merchan — who is overseeing his case related to a payment made to a porn actress in 2016 — and his daughter. The former president also attacked the actress and Cohen, who made the payment in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair.
Trump, who is the expected GOP nominee for the White House, also criticized Merchan for issuing a gag order Tuesday in the case, barring him from making statements about witnesses, other prosecutors, court staff, and their family members “if those statements are made with the intent to materially interfere with” the case.
The order, however, doesn’t apply to the judge and his family. Prosecutors in the case argued Friday that the gag order should include the judge’s daughter. covers the judge’s daughter. The gag order was issued weeks before Trump’s trial, the first for a former president in U.S. history, is scheduled to begin on April 15.
Cohen indicated that Trump is worried about losing the case, or any of his upcoming trials. He also mentioned two recent cases that ended against the former president. hefty fines on the former president.
“Is Donald afraid of this upcoming Manhattan DA case, the Alvin Bragg case, absolutely,” Cohen said. “It’s not even scared, it’s petrified. He has seen losses in every single case he has been involved in over the last two, three years, whether it’s the E. Jean Carroll case or the New York Attorney General case.”
To that end, Trump’s former fixer said he believes the only strategy the former president’s team thinks they have to avoid a criminal conviction is to attack him and others.
“The only strategy they think they have to keep him out of a criminal conviction in this case is to try to disparage, denigrate, harass, intimidate me, either so I don’t show up…,” Cohen stated, clarifying that he “didn’t ask to be a witness in this case.”
“I’m subpoenaed,” he continued. “Things are getting out of control, the amount of death threats that I’ve gotten after the post that he put out there, the hate on social media that I am receiving from his supporters has intensified after that post.”
He added that it’s crucial that something is done to protect all the witnesses involved in the case.
“I think it’s imperative for the Manhattan DA, along with whatever Judge Merchan is capable of doing, to protect not just staff, not just his own child, but all the witnesses that are being asked to testify,” Cohen said.
Last year, Bragg accused Trump of committing 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection to reimbursements made to Cohen for the hush money payment.
