Trump's ex-lawyer bows out of fraud trial testimony at last minute: report

Long expected to be a "star witness" in the New York civil fraud trial against former President Donald Trump and his adult sons, former Trump attorney and fixer Michael Cohen has suddenly asked to withdraw from his scheduled testimony due to a medical issue, reported The Daily Beast on Friday.

"Cohen, once Trump’s trusted legal adviser, took the fall for the former president’s hush money payoff to porn stars Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, among other things, and spent a combined three years in federal prison and under house arrest," reported Jose Pagliery. "The disbarred lawyer has since flipped against Trump, spending recent years publishing books, hosting a podcast, and helping prosecutors — all in the service of exposing his former boss."

In a statement provided to Raw Story, Cohen said he still plans to give his testimony as soon as he can. "Unfortunately I need to attend to a pre-existing medical condition that impedes my ability to testify this upcoming week," he said. "Rest assured, I will testify at the earliest opportunity."

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According to the report, Cohen faces some legal hurdles in pulling out of his scheduled testimony, as he is under subpoena.

"He’ll have to provide a doctor’s note, according to both sources who spoke to The Daily Beast," noted the report. "The last-minute switcheroo has forced both Attorney General Letitia James and Trump’s defense team to scramble to figure out how to keep this marquee trial moving forward on pace ... It’s also unclear if Trump, whose presence is not required at this civil trial, will still move forward with any potential plans to show up in court. The Messenger this week first reported that Trump planned to head back to Justice Arthur F. Engoron’s courtroom next week to stare down his former lawyer while he gets cross-examined by a woman who’s essentially Cohen’s replacement: defense lawyer Alina Habba."

Trump and his family are accused in James' suit of systematically lying about the value and even the square footage of his properties in order to get more favorable loan deals. Trump has claimed that his valuations are immaterial because he paid all of the loans back anyway, and thus no injury has occurred.

However, Engoron has already ruled in summary judgment that James prevails on the merits, so the current trial Cohen was set to testify at is primarily about assessing damages and answering outstanding questions. James is seeking $250 million in fines and a ban on Trump from doing business in the State of New York.