Donald Trump responded after his former attorney, Michael Cohen, said he felt “pressured and coerced” by New York prosecutors to provide testimony that reflected negatively on Trump.
“I felt pressured and coerced to only provide information and testimony that would satisfy the government’s desire to build the cases against and secure a judgment and convictions against President Trump,” Cohen wrote Friday in a Substack post.
Trump reacted on Truth Social, writing: “These horrible Radical Left people, doing everything possible to destroy our Country, should pay a big price for this!”
He also characterized the investigations led by New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg as “a SET UP from the beginning,” and said New York courts were “embarrassed by what has happened.”
Why It Matters
Cohen played a central role in several matters involving Trump because of his past work for him and his later cooperation with prosecutors. Cohen’s testimony was especially significant in the hush-money case and, according to the article, contributed to Trump’s 2024 conviction on 34 felony counts.
Trump has repeatedly argued that the investigations into him—some of which resulted in major financial penalties for his businesses—were politically motivated, often describing them as a “witch hunt.” Cohen’s new claims may add fuel to that broader dispute and could intensify scrutiny of the prosecutors’ conduct.
What To Know
Cohen said he decided to speak publicly as Trump continues seeking to move the hush-money case from state court to federal court. The article notes that an appeals court in November urged U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein to revisit the issue after he previously ruled the case should remain in state court.
Cohen wrote that he was not trying to defend Trump, but said he wanted to explain “how these cases are actually built, who they rely on, and what happens behind closed doors long before a jury ever hears a word.”
The article describes two major proceedings in which Cohen testified:
- New York Attorney General case: A civil action alleging Trump misrepresented asset values between 2011 and 2021 to obtain favorable loan terms.
- Manhattan DA case: A criminal matter involving allegations that Trump falsified business records to conceal a $130,000 payment Cohen made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to prevent her from speaking publicly about an alleged affair with Trump.
Cohen said he “immediately felt ‘coerced’” by lawyers from both offices to give negative testimony. He also wrote that, when he first met with Manhattan prosecutors in 2019, he hoped his cooperation might help reduce his own sentence and lead to earlier release from federal prison.
“During my time with prosecutors, both in preparation for and during the trials, it was clear they were interested only in testimony from me that would enable them to convict President Trump,” Cohen wrote. He also alleged that prosecutors “frequently asked inappropriate leading questions” when his testimony did not support the point they were trying to make.
What People Are Saying
Trump, on Truth Social: “These horrible Radical Left people, doing everything possible to destroy our Country, should pay a big price for this! It was a SET UP from the beginning. New York Courts, with many fair and wonderful Judges, are embarrassed by what has happened! We cannot let this pass.”
What Happens Next
Trump’s request to shift the hush-money case to federal court is still awaiting a decision from Judge Hellerstein. The article says Cohen believes Trump sees federal court “as more favorable,” including because it could allow Trump to argue that presidential immunity protects him from criminal liability.
