Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Michael Cohen, who is supposed to be a star witness in NY v. Trump, might have “torpedoed” the case before taking the stand by ranting about it on TikTok while fundraising, according to legal observers.
“It is a major problem for prosecutors. It is not a problem for Cohen’s credibility because he has none — he is a convicted perjurer and fraudster whose current ‘defense’ of his fraud convictions is that he wasn’t telling the truth when he pled guilty,” former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew McCarthy told Fox News Digital.
ABC News published an article Sunday declaring Cohen’s actions “could be a problem,” pointing out that Cohen has chimed in on former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker’s testimony, has regularly “railed against Trump,” has insisted the jury isn’t “bored” and can profit when followers shower him with gifts.
TikTok allows viewers to donate “gifts” as they watch users’ livestreams, which can then be converted into money or virtual items, ABC News reported, citing the social media platform’s website.
MICHAEL AVENATTI DEFENDS TRUMP AS ‘VICTIM OF THE SYSTEM’ IN HUSH MONEY CASE, SAYS HE’S BEING TARGETED
Michael Cohen, inset, who is supposed to be a star witness in NY v. Trump, might have “torpedoed” the case before taking the stand by ranting about it on TikTok, according to legal observers. (Getty Images | Michael Cohen TikTok)
“It’s a problem for prosecutors because they chose to build a case on a witness with a track record of bad conduct and deep bias and, not surprisingly, he can’t help himself but continue to act in character,” McCarthy said.
Michael Avenatti, the one-time “most dangerous enemy” of Trump who liberals hoped would bring down his presidency, believes Cohen might botch the whole case.
“Michael Cohen through his narcissism and his ego may have just torpedoed the case against Trump,” Avenatti told Fox News Digital from federal prison.
“Never underestimate this guy’s ability to screw something up due to his ignorance and arrogance. He’s dumber than a box of rocks. The state can’t win the case without him and because of his conduct in reviewing trial testimony in violation of the court’s order, which just admitted to when speaking with ABC, the court must strike him as a witness, declare a mistrial, or both,” Avenatti continued. “He had no business commenting on other witnesses’ testimony.”
Avenatti said Cohen is “not even supposed to be hearing or learning of that testimony before he testifies” himself.
“Alvin Bragg and his team have a lot of explaining to do, in my view,” Avenatti said.
Michael Avenatti spoke with Fox News Digital from his prison in California. (Screenshot/FNC)
Cornell Law School professor William A. Jacobson said Cohen’s TikTok antics add to a laundry list of pre-existing conflicts.
“Michael Cohen has many pre-existing conflicts of interest when it comes to Donald Trump, calling into question his objectivity and veracity. Profiting off the trial adds another conflict to that pile. Whether it’s the straw that breaks the camel’s back when it comes to the jury remains to be seen, but it certainly is fodder for cross-examination,” Jacobson told Fox News Digital.
Former Georgia prosecutor Chris Timmons said he would be “furious” with Cohen.
“As a prosecutor, the last thing you want your witness to do is to be talking about the case in a forum other than the courtroom,” Timmons told ABC News.
Defense attorney Jeremy Saland, who used to work in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, told ABC News that Trump’s legal team can use Cohen’s actions to “tear down his credibility.”
“If I’m the prosecution, I’m on the phone right now saying, ‘Stop what you are doing — right now,’” Saland told ABC News.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for contact.
Cohen told the Disney-owned outlet he would knock it off.
“I am not the defendant in this criminal matter and am not the subject of Judge Merchan’s gag order. Donald is. Nevertheless, I elected, out of respect to the court and the prosecutors, to cease commenting on Trump and this matter; which I have done,” Cohen told ABC News.
ABC News noted that Cohen “fired up his TikTok account, went live with thousands of viewers, and briefly talked about Trump and the trial” shortly after saying he wouldn’t discuss it.
Cohen slammed ABC News on X, labeling the report a “non-story” and calling for executives to step in. “BoycottABC,” he wrote.
TRUMP CALLS HUSH MONEY TRIAL ‘ASSAULT ON AMERICA’ AS CASE OFFICIALLY KICKS OFF
Meanwhile, Judge Juan Merchan fined Trump $9,000 on Tuesday morning for violating a gag order that bans him from speaking publicly about witnesses and family members of court officials.
Fox News contributor and constitutional law expert Jonathan Turley said the judge preventing Trump from responding to Cohen’s comments through the gag order is “absurd,” and he doesn’t believe Cohen is a trustworthy witness.
“You have someone who is making money, campaigning against Trump and attacking him on this trial, and the judge is letting him speak but not for the president to respond,” Turley said Tuesday on “America’s Newsroom.”
“This is an individual that was just recently hit by a judge saying that he is a serial perjurer, that he is gaming the system. This has been the long story of Michael Cohen, which is a story of a legal trainwreck,” Turley continued. “I was a critic of his when he was still representing Trump. And his practice has always been thuggish, and he has often had a serious problem with telling the truth … how could you put that individual on the stand and take the oath is going to be really something to watch. If lightning doesn’t strike the courthouse, I will be very surprised.”
Cohen’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this report.
Read the full article from Here
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
GOT A SCOOP ON CAMPUS? SEND US A TIP HERE
A Harvard University dean has been removed after a student-run news outlet exposed social media posts slamming Whiteness, police and advocating for looting and rioting.
Gregory Davis, the former Dunster House Allston Burr resident dean, found himself in the hot seat after a Harvard student-run news outlet called Yard Report resurfaced the problematic posts. Davis was on leave last semester for reasons unrelated to the controversy.
While Harvard did not confirm that Davis was removed for the inflammatory posts, Fox News Digital obtained the text from an email sent by the faculty deans of Dunster House confirming Davis’ removal.
“We are writing to confirm that Gregory Davis is no longer serving as the Allston Burr Resident Dean of Dunster House, effective today,” the email said. “We thank Gregory for serving in this role and wish him and his family the best in their future endeavors.”
Dunster House along the Charles River on the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Sophie Park/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
40-YEAR HARVARD PROFESSOR PENS SCATHING PIECE ON SCHOOL’S ‘EXCLUSION OF WHITE MALES,’ ANTI-WESTERN TRENDS
The email message also announced that Emilie Raymer, who served as interim dean during Davis’ absence, would take over the role full time.
“We look forward to seeing everyone again in the coming weeks,” the email said. “As always, we welcome hearing from you on any issues affecting the Dunster community.”
The posts in question were made between 2019 and 2024, mostly on X but also on Instagram. Davis became the dean of the dormitory in 2024.
HARVARD ALUM BLASTS DEI POLICIES AFTER ‘WOKE’ VALUES DRIVE LONGTIME PROFESSOR’S EXIT
“It’s almost like Whiteness is a self-destructive ideology that annihilates everyone around it. By design,” he said on X in 2019.
During 2020, when tensions between police and left-wing rioters reached a fever pitch after George Floyd was killed, Davis slammed police.
An AutoZone store burns as protesters gather outside of the Third Precinct in Minneapolis on Thursday, May 28, 2020, in the days after George Floyd’s death. (Mark Vancleave/Star Tribune via AP)
“You should ask your cop friends to resign since they’re racist and evil,” he said on X at the time.
As rioters and looters wreaked havoc in major metropolitan areas nationwide, Davis defended the chaos.
“Something to keep in mind: rioting and looting are parts of democracy just like voting and marching,” he said on X. “The people WILL be heard.”
In the same year, around the time President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19, Davis said on X that he didn’t blame people who wished Trump ill. He followed that post with a second, captioned “But also, f— that guy,” attaching a meme that said “If he dies, he dies.”
STATE DEPARTMENT PROPOSING CUTTING RESEARCH TIES WITH DOZENS OF UNIVERSITIES OVER DEI HIRING PRACTICES: REPORT
Just before Davis accepted his role as dean of the Dunster House in 2024, he made a post about Pride Month on Instagram.
“Wishing everyone a great Pride. Remember to love each other and hate the police,” the post said.
When confronted with the posts, Davis wrote to Dunster House residents in an email about the scandal, which was obtained by Fox News Digital.
Demonstrators gather on Cambridge Common to protest Harvard’s stance on the war in Gaza and show support for the Palestinian people, outside Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, April 25, 2025. (JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“Recently, some media organizations have inquired regarding comments that I made on my personal social media accounts prior to my start in the Resident Dean role,” he wrote. “These posts do not reflect my current thinking or beliefs. I deeply appreciate the responsibility inherent in the Resident Dean role and I value the trust that individuals have placed in me. I regret if my statements have any negative impact on the Dunster community.”
“Since becoming the Allston Burr Resident Dean, I have worked hard to ensure that Dunster House is a welcoming, warm and supportive space for all of its members,” the message continued. “That continues to be the guiding force of my work today. As events outside of Harvard have affected our House and me personally, my commitment to each of you, our students, has not wavered. In my role, I have enjoyed the opportunity to work collaboratively with members of HUPD and other colleagues across campus. I respect the work they do to support our community.”
Davis did not return a request for comment.
Read the full article from Here
new video loaded: Hochul and Mamdani Announce Plan for Universal Child Care
transcript
transcript
“Today, we’re working together with the mayor at this incredible place to announce the first major steps to make child care universal — truly universal — here in New York City, transforming the lives of children and parents all across the state.” “We will build on the city’s existing three-K program, and say, no longer will a family in Flatbush be offered a seat, but have to find out that seat is in Astoria. We will add seats in the neighborhoods where demand has not been met. This will be felt by expanded subsidies for tens of thousands of additional families. It will be felt when parents look at their bank accounts at the end of the year, and see that they have saved more than $20,000 per child.” “And today, I’m proud to announce that New York State is paying the full cost to launch 2-care. For the first time — universal daycare for 2-year-olds, as proposed by Mayor Mamdani. We’re not just paying for one year of the program. We don’t usually go one year out in our budget, but just to let you know how serious we are, we’re taking the unprecedented step to not just commit for the 2027 budget, which I’m working on right now, but also the following year as well to show you we’re in this for the long haul.”
By Meg Felling
January 8, 2026
Local News
A Boston nightclub where a woman collapsed on the dance floor and died last month will have its entertainment license reinstated after the Boston Licensing Board found no violations Thursday.
Anastaiya Colon, 27, was at ICON, a nightclub in Boston’s Theater District, in the early hours of Dec. 21 when she suffered a fatal medical episode. Following the incident, her loved ones insisted that the club’s staff did not respond professionally and failed to control crowds.
City regulators suspended ICON’s entertainment license pending an assessment of any potential violations. During a hearing Tuesday, they heard from attorneys representing the club and people who were with Colon the night she died.
As EMTs attempted to respond, crowds inside the club failed to comply with demands to give them space, prompting police to shut down the club, according to a police report of the incident. However, the club and its representatives were adamant that staff handled their response and crowd control efforts properly.
Kevin Montgomery, the club’s head of security, testified that the crowd did not impede police or EMTs and that he waited to evacuate the club because doing so would have created a bottleneck at the entrance. Additionally, a bouncer and a bartender both testified that they interacted with Colon, who ordered one drink before collapsing, and did not see any signs of intoxication.
Angelica Morales, Colon’s sister, submitted a video taken on her phone to the board for them to review. Morales testified Tuesday that the video disproves some of the board’s claims and shows that ICON did not immediately respond to the emergency.
“I ran to the DJ booth, literally bombarded everybody that was in my way to get to the DJ booth, told them to cut the music off,” Morales said. “On my way back, the music was cut off for a minute or two, maybe less, and they cut the music back on.”
Shanice Monteiro, a friend who was with Colon and Morales, said she went outside to flag down police officers. She testified that their response, along with the crowd’s, was inadequate.
“I struggled to get outside,” Monteiro said. “Once I got outside, everybody was still partying, there was no type of urgency. Nobody stopped.”
These factors, along with video evidence provided by ICON, did not substantiate any violations on the club’s part, prompting the licensing board to reinstate their entertainment license at a subsequent hearing Thursday.
“Based on the evidence presented at the hearing from the licensed premise and the spoken testimony and video evidence shared with us from Ms. Colon’s family, I’m not able to find a violation in this case,” Kathleen Joyce, the board’s chairwoman, said at the hearing.
However, Joyce further stated that she “was not able to resolve certain questions” about exactly when or why the club turned off the music or turned on the lights. As a result, the board will require ICON to submit an emergency management plan to prevent future incidents and put organized safety measures in place.
“This plan should outline detailed operational procedures in the event of a medical or any other emergency, including protocols for police and ambulance notification, crowd control and dispersal, and procedures regarding lighting and music during an emergency response,” Joyce said.
Though the club will reopen without facing any violations, Joyce noted that there were “lessons left to be learned” from the incident.
“This tragedy has shaken the public confidence in nightlife in this area, and restoring that confidence is a shared obligation,” she said. “People should feel safe going out at night. They should feel safe going to a club in this area, and they should feel safe getting home.”
Keeana Saxon, one of three commissioners on the licensing board, further emphasized the distinction Joyce made between entertainment-related matters and those that pertained to licensing. Essentially, the deciding factor in the board’s decision was the separation of the club’s response from any accountability they may have had by serving Colon liquor.
“I hope that the family does understand that there are separate procedures for both the entertainment and the licensing, just to make sure that on the licensing side, that we understand that she was only served one drink and that it was absolutely unforeseeable for that one drink to then lead to some kind of emergency such as this one,” Saxon said.
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
2 hospitalized after shooting on Lodge Freeway in Detroit
Power bank feature creep is out of control
Defensive coordinator candidates who could improve Cowboys’ brutal secondary in 2026
Viral New Year reset routine is helping people adopt healthier habits
Oregon State LB transfer Dexter Foster commits to Nebraska
Pat McAfee praises Audi Crooks, plays hype song for Iowa State star
Nebraska-based pizza chain Godfather’s Pizza is set to open a new location in Queen Creek
Spotify digs in on podcasts with new Hollywood studios