Michael Cohen has drawn scrutiny because of concerns that he is not a credible witness in former President Donald Trump’s hush money case, but a report that Cohen has profited from criticizing his former client during the trial has further complicated his role in the case.
Cohen, a star witness for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, mentioned Trump in livestreams as recently as last week on TikTok, a popular Chinese-owned app on which Cohen has roughly 290,000 followers.
Cohen’s livestreams last hours and attract thousands of listeners, and users who engage with the livestreams sometimes send him donations while he is talking about Trump in the form of TikTok “gifts,” which have financial value, according to an investigative report by ABC News.
“Trump 2024? … More like Trump 20-24 years,” Cohen reportedly said Tuesday night on a livestream.
Cohen, who has been outspoken about his grievances with the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, is expected to testify in the trial as the witness with the most direct involvement in and knowledge about Trump’s alleged criminal hush money activity. Cohen has, however, raised eyebrows even for Democratic-aligned legal analysts for speaking so antagonistically about Trump.
Last Wednesday, Cohen announced he would curtail his public remarks about the former president until after Cohen testified. That night, he participated in another livestream, this time with Trump critic and television personality Rosie O’Donnell, and they briefly discussed the trial, according to ABC News.
“I’m washing my hands of him until I end up seeing him face-to-face and I am a witness on the stand to provide truthful testimony,” Cohen said during the livestream in response to a comment from O’Donnell.
It is unclear how much money Cohen has made from his livestreams, but any profit would bolster the argument Trump’s attorneys plan to make that Cohen stands to profit by salaciously ranting about the former president. The defense attorneys have noted how Cohen’s books about Trump, including one called Revenge, could see a boost in sales because of Cohen’s elevated profile during the trial.
Cohen responded to the ABC News report in a statement on X, calling it “more s***, tabloid reporting.”
Once Cohen vowed to stop discussing Trump’s case, his livestream count dropped to the triple digits. “By the weekend, he was back discussing the trial,” ABC News noted.
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Prosecutors are expected to call Cohen to the stand to testify about payments he arranged to help Trump’s 2016 campaign. Critics of Bragg’s case have observed that it is severely weakened by relying on Cohen, who has admitted in the past to lying.
Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to lying to a bank, evading taxes, violating campaign finance laws, and lying to Congress. He was sentenced to three years in prison and eventually blamed Trump for encouraging his criminal activity.