Michael Cohen, former attorney to ex-President Donald Trump, is considering a bid for a seat in Congress.
Cohen made the admission on the witness stand Monday, marking his fourth day of testimony in the New York v. Trump case.
Cohen told the court he is considering a run for Congress because he believes he has “the best name recognition out there.” He did not specify whether he would run in New York or indicate if he would do so as a Republican or Democrat.
Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche, questioned Cohen about whether his name recognition is due to his association with Trump. Cohen responded that while his notoriety is partly due to his work for Trump, it is not solely because of Trump.
“My name recognition is because of the journey I have been on,” Cohen said.
During his testimony in Manhattan court, Cohen mentioned that he has been pitching a TV show about himself called “The Fixer,” but it has not yet been picked up by a network.
Cohen has previously hinted at a potential congressional run, including earlier this month on his TikTok account where he stated he would run as a Democrat, according to the Washington Post.
“I am interested and there’s a multitude of folks encouraging me to run,” Cohen said of a potential congressional run last year in comments to Semafor.
According to Spectrum News, Cohen previously ran as a Republican for New York City Council in the early 2000s but was defeated by a Democrat.
Cohen, a disbarred attorney, was sentenced to three years in prison in 2018 after pleading guilty to charges including campaign finance fraud and lying to Congress.
During his testimony in the NY v. Trump case last week, Cohen admitted he also lied under oath to Judge William H. Pauley, who handed down his three-year sentence.
Cohen has been labeled a “grifter” by some critics and legal experts. Last week, Robert Costello, a lawyer who previously advised Cohen, testified before Congress, calling Cohen a serial liar.
The NY v. Trump case centers on prosecutors attempting to prove that Trump falsified business records 34 times to hide a $130,000 payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election, aiming to silence her claims of an affair with Trump. Trump has pleaded not guilty and has consistently denied any affair with Daniels.
On Monday morning, Trump briefly spoke to the media, criticizing the case as being pushed by the Biden administration and the Department of Justice ahead of the 2024 election. He also lamented that the trial, which started nearly an hour earlier than usual at 8:30 a.m., has kept him off the campaign trail.
“It’s an attack on [President Biden’s] political opponent. That’s all it is. All of the things you saw over the last four weeks, most of it should have never even been brought up. And then on top of that, there’s no crime. And we go on day after day. And I have to tell Iowa, ‘I’m sorry, I won’t be able to make it.’ I tell New Hampshire, ‘Sorry, I won’t be able to make it. I’m sitting in an ice box all day,’” Trump said.
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