Michael Cohen Issues Warning to Trump Before Testifying Against Him

Michael Cohen issued a warning to Donald Trump on Monday ahead of his anticipated testimony against the former president.

Cohen, who served as Trump's longtime attorney and "fixer," is expected to testify on Tuesday in the former president's civil trial into alleged business fraud.

New York Attorney General Letitia James has sued Trump for $250 million, accusing him of inflating his net worth by billions of dollars to obtain benefits such as better bank loans and reduced tax bills between 2011 and 2021. Trump maintains his innocence in the case, accusing prosecutors of targeting him for political purposes. The lawsuit is civil, not criminal, meaning that Trump will not face jail time in this case.

New York Judge Arthur Engoron ruled last month that Trump, his adult sons, their businesses and executives committed fraud and will now decide on six other accusations, including falsifying business records, insurance fraud, and conspiracy claims during the trial. Trump's attorneys did not request a jury, so Engoron will rule on the other accusations.

Cohen, a onetime Trump ally who turned on him after serving a sentence for allegedly helping Trump make hush payments to adult film actor Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election, posted a message to Trump ahead of his testimony on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

He warned Trump that he will "continue" to speak out against him, even if doing so is "exhausting" in a series of posts made on Monday.

"I will continue to speak truth to power...no matter Donald's continued smear and harassment campaign against me," he wrote, later adding that standing up to Trump is "exhausting to do so and Donald knows it."

"It's all about accountability! No one is above the law. #TeamCohen," Cohen wrote in a separate post.

Cohen was initially scheduled to provide his testimony in the case last week, but it was delayed due to a health concern.

Newsweek reached out to Trump's campaign for comment via email.

Cohen has previously provided testimony in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's probe into falsifying business records with relation to the Daniels payment. Daniels has claimed to have had an affair with Trump in 2006, an allegation that Trump denies. He maintains his innocence in that case, as well.

Cohen served a three-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to charges including lying to Congress, tax crimes and campaign finance violations. His relationship with Trump deteriorated following his sentence, and he has turned to a staunch critic of the former president.

He previously described Engoron siding with James as a "death blow" to Trump's ability to conduct business in New York.

"Once he loses the license within which to operate the good standing of the certificates of incorporation that make up what's called the Trump Corporation, not only is the main company now going into the receivership, but there are hundreds of other subsidiary companies that additionally will ultimately go as part of the receivership. It is a financial catastrophe. It is the death blow to Donald," he said during an October 1 interview on MSNBC's Inside With Jen Psaki.