Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg fired back at Donald Trump's call to have former attorney Michael Cohen barred from his upcoming hush money trial.
In a 44-page filing on Tuesday, Bragg blasted Trump's motion to exclude Cohen's testimony that was filed Monday.
"In an argument that reads more like a press release than a legal filing, defendant makes the obviously unsupportable request that the Court preclude one of the People's witnesses from testifying at trial on the ground that defendant anticipates that he will disbelieve the witness's expected testimony," Bragg's filing explained, calling for the court to reject the "unprecedented" argument.
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Bragg also responded to allegations that called Cohen's credibility into question.
"The suggestion that the People may suborn perjury by calling Cohen to testify, Def. 's Mem. 8, is intentionally inflammatory and totally meritless," Tuesday's motion charged. "The People expect Cohen's testimony at trial to be both true and corroborated, including by extensive documentary evidence, the testimony of other witnesses, and defendant's own statements."
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The document further explained why the judge should not exclude Cohen.
"[A] witness's prior false statements are not a basis for precluding that witness from testifying in a new proceeding, and defendant does not cite a single case that so holds. 1 Indeed, such a categorical preclusion would be inconsistent with New York's standard jury instructions," the filing added.
Bragg's charges against Trump marked the first time a former U.S. president faced criminal charges. The case centers around alleged hush money payments. These payments were reportedly made to silence discussions about personal affairs that could potentially harm Trump's presidential campaign in 2016.
District Attorney Bragg, leading the charge, has brought forward charges related to financial misconduct in how these payments were handled and reported, suggesting they were not legal. This move has sparked a heated debate across the nation, with many people closely watching how the case unfolds. Supporters of Trump see this as a political maneuver, while others believe it's a necessary step for accountability.
Trump has asked to exclude the testimony of Cohen and adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
