Michael Cohen spotted entering the D.A.'s office as Stormy Daniels hush money trial nears
Former Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen was spotted walking into the offices of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg late last week, a source present there — who requested their name be withheld to speak freely about the scene — told Raw Story.
Cohen's presence at Bragg's office comes amid a swirl of legal action among Donald Trump's four separate criminal trials. And it further fuels speculation that the 34-count Stormy Daniels hush money case, in which Bragg alleges Trump falsified business records, will leapfrog the other cases and go first.
At its core, the hush money case — with its salacious accusations that Trump paid off adult film star Daniels to keep their sexual affair quiet — is about election interference during the 2016 campaign. Cohen has now spoken to New York Attorney General Letitia James and D.A. Bragg several times.
ALSO READ: Alina Habba is persona non grata at her Pennsylvania law school
On Friday, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan pulled the March 4 trial date for Trump's 2020 election interference case off her court's calendar. A federal appeals court is considering Trump's assertion that he is immune from charges, brought by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, that he worked to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. It's a ruling that, when it comes, is expected to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Legal analyst Norm Eisen told CNN on Sunday that he expects that while this federal-level election interference case will likely unfold sometime before the 2024 election, the Supreme Court could add further delays. It would be yet another pause that would benefit Trump's ongoing requests to hold off all trials until after the 2024 election, in which he is all but certain to be the Republican presidential nominee running against President Joe Biden in a rematch of their 2020 race.
ALSO READ: 0-for-1,668: Senators extend their streak of never punishing other senators
Meanwhile in Florida, Trump's Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, over which U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon is presiding, is delayed with slews of protracted hearings. It's something that former FBI general counsel Andrew Weissmann called "unjustifiable."
That case isn't likely to see a courtroom for some time. Whatever the decision there, it is also expected to be appealed.
And in Georgia, allies of Trump dug up information on District Attorney Fani Willis that has allowed for delays in that case as well. While Willis isn't likely to step down from the case, added hearings contribute to a timeline that could mean delays for the ultimate trial date.
It all likely leaves the Bragg case at the front of the line for the time being.
Trump, who faces 91 felony counts across all four cases, says he is innocent.