Michael Cohen and his family have become the latest targets of doxxing online after Donald Trump was convicted in his hush money trial, as the presumptive GOP nominee's supporters escalate threats against those involved in the case for what they regard as his unfair prosecution.
Citing research from Advance Democracy, a group that monitors right-wing social media activity, NBC News reported that the personal information of Cohen, his wife and his adult children were shared online by someone who accused him of betraying Trump.
"The individual who shared the information online, on a site known for doxxing, likely had an intent to harm Cohen — providing these personal details on the Cohen family in the context of calling Cohen a ‘lying bastard’ and identifying him as someone who ‘betrayed Trump,’ presumably for testifying for the prosecution in former President Trump’s NY criminal trial,” Advance Democracy President Daniel J. Jones told NBC News.
Cohen, Trump's former lawyer, told MSNBC's Joy Reid on Monday night that his family has been "receiving unwanted phone calls and emails and text messages" as a result of the doxxing.
Cohen's testimony was instrumental in Manhattan prosecutors' case against Trump. As the defense sought to discredit Cohen as a witness in court, allies for the former president — who was bound by a gag order intended to prevent him from criticizing witnesses and others — attacked his former lawyer relentlessly out of court.
The doxxing of Cohen and his family speaks to the dangerous climate that Trump has cultivated against those he perceives as his political enemies. After he was found guilty on 34 counts, he and the GOP stepped up attacks on Judge Juan Merchan, prosecutors and witnesses in the case. Trump's supporters have followed suit, flooding the internet with threats and attempts to dox the anonymous jurors.