U.S.

Politics World Opinion Media Entertainment Sports Lifestyle Video AI More Login Watch TV

Donald Trump

Trump hush-money case: Judge permits Michael Cohen,

Stormy Daniels to testify
Judge Juan M Merchan rejected defense motions to exclude testimony from Cohen and Daniels in former President
Trump's hush-money trial
By Chris Pandolfo Fox News

Published March 19, 2024 10:29am EDT

More from Politics

9 mins ago
Arkansas Gov.
Sanders deploys
National Guard to
aid Texas with
migrant crisis:
'Ready to assist'

58 mins ago
House Democrats
invite ex-Giuliani
associate Lev
Parnas as Biden
impeachment
inquiry hearing
witness

1 hour ago
Trump voters don't
think he's very
religious, but say he
fights for religious
communities: poll

1 hour ago
Conservative groups
unleash massive
investment for
battleground state's
Judge Jeanine blasts Bragg over 'massive discovery violation' in Trump criminal trial 'largest ever' vote-
'The Five' co-hosts react to the latest in former President Trump's legal issues. by-mail program

Join Fox News for access to this content

Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your
account - free of charge.

By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News' Terms of Use and
Privacy Policy which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive . To access the content, check your
,

email and follow the instructions provided.

Having trouble? Click here.

A New York judge will allow Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels to testify at former
President Trump's hush-money trial, overruling Trump's objections.

Intwo separate decisions Monday, Judge Juan M. Merchan ruled on a series of motions
from prosecutors and the defense on whether to exclude certain testimony and evidence
from Trump's upcoming trial. The trial was scheduled to begin next Monday but has been
delayed until mid-April after new evidence came to light.

Merchan's decision will allow Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Brag to call Daniels, an
adult film actress, and former Playboy model Karen McDougal to the stand to testify about
their claims that Cohen and Trump arranged payments to keep them quiet about their
alleged extramarital sexual encounters with Trump. However, McDougal cannot testify
about the underlying details of her reported affair unless prosecutors can show how it is
relevant.

The judge will also allow Cohen to testify, rejecting the defense's claims that Cohen is a
known liar who is likely to commit perjury on the stand.

TRUMP TRIALS; HERE'S WHERE EACH CASE AGAINST FORMER PRESIDENT AND
PRESUMPTIVE GOP NOMINEE STANDS

Michael Cohen arranged payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal allegedly to keep
them quiet about their affairs with former President Trump. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah, File)

"This Court has been unable to locate any treatise, statute, or holding from courts in this
jurisdiction, or others, that support Defenant's rationale that a prosecution witness should
be kept off the witness stand because his credibility has been previously called into
question," the judge wrote.

The trial stems from Bragg's investigation into Trump's alleged hush-money payments
during the 2016 election.

Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 and arranged for the publisher of the National Enquirer
supermarket tabloid to pay McDougal $150,000 to suppress their claims that they had
affairs with Trump years earlier. Trump's company then reimbursed Cohen and logged the
payments to him as legal expenses, prosecutors said.

Trump, now the presumptive Republican presidential nominee in his quest to retake the
White House, pleaded not guilty last year to 34 felony counts of falsifying business
records. His lawyers argue the payments to Cohen were legitimate legal expenses and not
part of any cover-up. Trump says he did not have any of the alleged sexual encounters.

SUPREME COURT TO HEAR ARGUMENTS IN TRUMP PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY CASE

ON APRIL 25

Stormy Daniels received a $130,000 payment from Michael Cohen. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg alleges former
President Trump falsified business records to reimburse Cohen for that payment and another $150,000 payment to Karen
McDougal. (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images)

Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal campaign finance violations related to the alleged
hush-money payments and other unrelated crimes. He was imprisoned for about one year
before being released to home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In2019, federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York opted out of charging
Trump related to the payments made to Daniels and McDougal.

The Federal Election Commission also tossed its investigation into the matter in 2021.

JUDGE RULES FANI WILLIS MUST STEP ASIDE FROM TRUMP CASE OR FIRE SPECIAL
PROSECUTOR NATHAN WADE

Former President Trump speaks to a crowd during a campaign rally on Sept. 25, 2023, in Summerville, South Carolina.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to falsifying his business records and denied ever having affairs with Stormy Daniels or Karen
McDougal. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

Merchan also ruled Monday that the infamous " Access Hollywood " tape — in which Trump
bragged about grabbing a woman's private parts without consent — will not be shown at
trial.

The judge said prosecutors may question witnesses about the 2005 video, which was
unearthed during the final weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign. However, he added "it
is not necessary that the tape itself be introduced into evidence or that it be played for the
jury."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Prosecutors say the "Access Hollywood" footage and various sexual assault claims made
against Trump prompted him to pay off Daniels to keep negative stories out of the press.
Trump's lawyers argued the video "contains inflammatory and unduly prejudicial evidence
that has no place at this trial about documents and accounting practices."

In other rulings, Merhcan rejected a defense request that prosecutors be precluded from
arguing that Trump sought to improperly influence the 2016 election or that the National
Enquirer suppressed negative news coverage of him with a "catch and kill" strategy.

Fox News' Grace Taggart and Fox News Digital's Brooke Singman, as well as The
Associated Press contributed to this report.

Chris Pandolfo is a writer for Fox News Digital. Send tips to chris.pandolfo@fox.com and follow him on
Twitter @ChrisCPandolfo.

U.S. Politics World Opinion Media Entertainment

Crime Executive U.N. FOX Nation Coverage Celebrity News
Military Senate Conflicts Movies
Education House Terrorism TV News
Terror Judiciary Disasters Music News
Immigration Foreign Policy Global Economy Style News
Economy Polls Environment Entertainment Video
Personal Freedoms Elections Religion
Fox News Investigates Scandals
Digital Originals

Sports Lifestyle FOX Business Science & Tech Watch Live About
NFL Health Personal Finance Air & Space FOX News Shows Contact Us
College Football Food & Drink Economy Security Programming Schedule Careers
MLB Auto Markets Innovation On Air Personalities Fox Around the World
NBA Travel & Outdoors Watchlist Video Games Full Episodes Advertise With Us
NHL Real Estate Lifestyle Military Tech Show Clips Media Relations
Golf House & Home Real Estate Planet Earth News Clips Corporate Information
Tennis Fitness + Well-being Tech Wild Nature Compliance
Soccer Style & Beauty
UFC Family
WWE Faith

Apps & Products

FOX News Go
FOX Weather
FOX Nation
FOX News Shop
FOX News Radio
Outkick
Newsletters
Podcasts

New Terms of Use New Privacy Policy Your Privacy Choices Closed Caption Policy Help Contact Us Accessibility Statement

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or
delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset . Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions . Legal Statement . Mutual Fund and ETF
data provided by Refinitiv Lipper .