Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former lawyer and fixer, is expected to take the stand on Tuesday as a key witness against the former president in a civil fraud case that threatens to break up Mr Trump's business empire.
Mr Trump is expected to be in the courtroom Tuesday, according to a person familiar with his plans. That could set up a tense face-to-face encounter with Mr Cohen, who has become one of Mr Trump's fiercest critics since cutting ties with him five years ago.
Mr Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is arriving fresh off a Monday campaign stop in New Hampshire and just days after being fined $5,000 by the judge overseeing the case for violating a gag order.
The lawsuit by Democratic New York attorney general Letitia James alleges Mr Trump inflated the value of his properties by billions of dollars in statements to banks to secure better loan terms.
Mr Cohen served as Mr Trump’s personal lawyer and fixer for years before cutting ties amid his own legal troubles. His testimony during a 2019 Congressional probe of Mr Trump’s finances was the impetus for Ms James’ lawsuit.
Mr Trump has denied wrongdoing and defended the valuations of his properties, saying the case is a “fraud" and a political witch hunt.
He has occasionally appeared in court over the past month, complaining in inflammatory remarks to reporters that it is a distraction from his campaign.
During opening statements, Mr Trump’s lawyers called Mr Cohen a “serial liar,” citing his two guilty pleas in 2018 on felony charges including tax evasion and lying to Congress during a probe of Mr Trump's Russia ties.
Mr Cohen began a three-year prison sentence in 2019 but was released to home confinement the following year.
Mr Cohen told Reuters on Monday that Mr Trump calling him a liar was the "perfect example of the pot calling the kettle black".
"Interesting that they would question my veracity when my lying to Congress was done at the direction of, in connection with and for the benefit of Donald," he said.
In September, before the trial began, Justice Arthur Engoron found that Mr Trump fraudulently inflated his net worth and ordered the dissolution of companies that control crown jewels of his real estate portfolio, including Trump Tower in Manhattan. That ruling is on hold while Mr Trump appeals.
The trial largely concerns damages. Ms James is seeking at least $250 million (€236 million) in fines, a permanent ban against Mr Trump and his sons Donald Jr and Eric from running businesses in New York and a five-year commercial real estate ban against Mr Trump and the Trump Organisation.
Early in the trial, Judge Engoron barred the parties from speaking publicly about court staff after Mr Trump shared a social media post attacking Judge Engoron’s clerk and identifying her by name.
Mr Trump deleted the post, but last week Judge Engoron revealed that a screenshot had remained live on his campaign site for weeks.
Judge Engoron, who said the lapse appeared to be "inadvertent," fined Mr Trump $5,000 and warned that future violations would bring "far more severe" sanctions, including imprisonment.
