Donald Trump and Michael Cohen traded barbs on Tuesday as the ex-president again attended the civil fraud trial that threatens his business empire – and claimed his former personal attorney didn’t “have the guts” to face him in court.
Cohen’s testimony in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ $250 million lawsuit against Trump, 77, had originally been due to coincide with the 45th president’s return to Manhattan Supreme Court for the third week of trial – until Cohen said Friday he was forced to delay his testimony due to a medical condition.
Asked by reporters during a break about the absence of his one-time “fixer,” Trump responded Cohen “doesn’t have the guts.”
In an email to The Post later Tuesday, Cohen shot back that he wasn’t scared of his former boss.
“If I was afraid of Donald, I wouldn’t have written 2 NYT bestsellers, testified before the Mueller team, seven congressional committees, 23 appearances before the Manhattan DA, and provided information to the NYAG that is the basis of this trial,” Cohen said.
“Looking forward to seeing you in court very soon!” he added.
Donald Trump and Michael Cohen exchanged barbs Tuesday about Cohen’s delayed testimony in the fraud case against Trump. Getty ImagesCohen is not expected to show until Monday at the earliest.
Trump told reporters he planned to return to the 60 Centre Street courthouse again on Wednesday.
The ex-president, who had previously attended the first three days of trial two weeks ago, made a theatrical return to the lower Manhattan courthouse Tuesday – only to be met with relatively dry testimony, replete with spreadsheets and appraisal lingo.
The first witness to take the stand was Trump Organization accountant Donna Kidder, whose testimony was followed by Doug Larson, an executive vice president at real estate company Newmark.
Trump claimed the reason for Cohen’s delayed testimony was because he didn’t “have the guts” to face the former president from the witness stand. REUTERSLarson – who testified for the majority of the day – said in 2015 he appraised Trump’s 71-story commercial skyscraper at 40 Wall St. in the Financial District.
The AG’s office has alleged that the Trump Org overstated the value of the soaring, landmarked property at $735.4 million in 2015 — despite a lender-ordered appraisal tagging its value at $540 million.
During breaks, Trump took several opportunities to speak in front of the press cameras as he entered and exited the courtroom, again blasting the case as a “rigged trial” and touching on a variety of topics, including Israel’s war against Hamas and the race for House speaker.
He called President Biden’s planned visit to Israel “political” and said the conflict with Hamas was “a terrible thing.”
Trump’s one-time “fixer” fired back that he had a medical condition and still planned to testify. APThe 2024 GOP presidential frontrunner also endorsed Rep. Jim Jordan’s since-failed bid for the Speaker of the House position, saying: “I think he’ll be a great speaker.”
Trump – who is not required to be present for the trial – spent about five hours in court. He left about an hour or so before the proceedings wrapped for the day, with his attorneys set to conclude their cross-examination of Larson Wednesday morning.
The former president had been scheduled to be deposed in the Big Apple Tuesday in a separate lawsuit by two former FBI workers filed against the Justice Department over backlash they received for exchanging anti-Trump texts with each other.
Cohen is a key witness in the $250 million civil fraud trial against Trump. New York State Attorney GeneralEx-FBI agent Peter Strzok claims he was wrongfully fired for sending the messages to FBI lawyer Lisa Page who quit in 2018 a few months before Strzok’s firing.
James, the attorney general, didn’t miss the opportunity to see Trump in court, and upon arriving in the morning, he frowned at her as he strolled past, flanked by lawyers, while she sat in the first row of the gallery.
The real estate tycoon has repeatedly attacked James for carrying out what he claims is a politically motivated witch hunt against him.
Trump said he’d return to court again Wednesday. Steven HirschAs James left court Tuesday afternoon, she ripped Trump for allegedly distracting from her case but was unwavering in her conviction that “victory will be mine.”
“I’m sure he will be back again, and again — he will attempt to distract each and every one of you, attempt to raise his voice and scream,” James said. “But at the end of the day, justice will be served — and I’m confident victory will be mine.”
The trial is expected to last through December.
