Trump Seeks to Prevent Key Witnesses From Testifying in Hush Money Trial

Former President Donald Trump’s legal team is taking steps to prevent three key witnesses from testifying in his upcoming hush money trial in New York next month.

Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche is seeking to block testimony from Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen as well as two women, adult entertainer Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who were allegedly paid to keep silent about affairs with Trump.

The motion filed by the Trump legal team questions the credibility of the witnesses, pointing out Cohen’s history of perjury and claiming that Daniels may provide false and sensational testimony about President Trump.

The motion also aims to exclude phrases like “catch and kill,” which refers to buying and suppressing negative stories in the tabloids, as well as the “Access Hollywood” recording, deeming them as inflammatory and irrelevant to a trial focusing on documents and accounting practices.

The hush money case alleges that Trump directed Cohen to make payments to Daniels and McDougal to keep them from disclosing affairs, which Trump denies. The case also accuses Trump of falsifying business records to conceal the payments.

Recently, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg requested a gag order citing Trump’s history of making public and inflammatory comments about participants in legal proceedings. Jury selection is set to begin on March 25.