JD Vance criticizes Michael Cohen outside Trump courtroom

Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) took aim at Michael Cohen outside a New York courtroom Monday as the onetime fixer for former President Trump took the stand in his hush money trial.

Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, Vance attempted to diminish Cohen’s credibility as he kicked off his testimony. Cohen, who made the $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels in 2016 that’s at the center of the case, has been anticipated as the prosecution’s star witness at the trial.

“This guy is a convicted felon who admitted in his testimony that he secretly recorded his former employer, that he only did it once, allegedly, and that this was supposed to help Donald Trump. Does any reasonable, sensible person believe anything that Michael Cohen says? I don’t think that they should,” Vance said.

“And I actually think that his testimony is going to hurt with any reasonable juror, and hopefully we have a few of those,” he added.

Vance — a contender to be Trump’s running mate — was joined by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) in New York City to show support for the former president. Vance also slammed the gag order issued against Trump and criticized numerous other key players in the hush money case.

“No. 1, the thing that the president is prevented from saying, which is a disgrace, is that every single person involved in this prosecution is practically a democratic political operative,” Vance said.

Trump is under a gag order that bars him from insulting witnesses, jurors, prosecutors, court staff or the judge’s family. It does not bar him from talking about the judge overseeing the case or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D).

“Now look, whether you love Donald Trump, whether you like Donald Trump or whether you’re a Democrat or don’t care about politics, what’s going on inside that courtroom is a threat to American democracy,” Vance said.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we cannot have a country where you get to prosecute your political opponents instead of persuading voters.”

Vance also took to social platform X after attending the trial, posting that he is “convinced the main goal of this trial is psychological torture.”

Tuberville, who joined Vance and Malliotakis outside the courthouse, also described the courtroom as “depressing” in comments to reporters.

Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection to Cohen’s payment to Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to stay quiet about an alleged affair with Trump. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all counts and has denied the affair.