Trump loses bid to block Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels testimony at hush money trial

By Luc CohenNEW YORK (Reuters) -Donald Trump on Monday lost a bid to block testimony from Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels at his upcoming trial on charges stemming from hush money that Cohen, his former lawyer and fixer, paid Daniels, a porn star, before the 2016 election. In rejecting Trump's request to block Cohen's testimony, Merchan wrote he was unaware of any basis for Trump's "rationale that a prosecution witness should be kept off the witness stand because his credibility has been called into question." Cohen pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance laws in 2018. Merchan on Monday also denied Trump's request to exclude testimony from or any evidence about the three people who received hush money payments. In a modest victory for Trump, Merchan said prosecutors could ask witnesses about the tape, but agreed with Trump that playing the clip itself for the jury could cause him "undue prejudice."