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Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s one-time fixer turned fierce critic, is calling for the hush-money case against the newly elected president to be dismissed after the November election. Cohen was a key witness for the prosecution in the trial against Trump earlier this year in Manhattan criminal court.
In May, he took the stand to testify in the case before the former president was convicted by a New York jury of 34 counts of falsifying company records. But now Cohen is calling for the entire case to be dismissed, according to an email he sent to Vanity Fair. “The American people have spoken and re-elected Donald Trump,” Cohen wrote. “Accordingly, I believe we should all recognize and respect the office of the presidency and dismiss the case immediately.”
His consideration of the case comes at a time when Trump’s lawyers are calling on Judge Juan Merchan to also dismiss the case outright. They argued in a filing that an “immediate dismissal” is mandated by the “federal constitution, the Presidential Transition Act of 1963 and the interest of justice.” They also claimed that it is necessary to ensure an “orderly transfer of power.”
The 78-year-old president-elect will reenter the White House in January 2025 after winning the election against Vice President Kamala Harris earlier this month. He is the first convicted felon to be elected president of the United States.
Trump was found guilty of falsifying company records to cover up the payment made to adult star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an alleged affair with the ex-president before the 2016 election. On Tuesday, the sentencing in the case was thrown out because the court decides how to proceed after his presidential election victory. The verdict was scheduled for November 26.
The newly elected president faced a prison sentence of up to four years, but legal experts said he is unlikely to serve time behind bars as the first offender convicted of a non-violent crime.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (pictured) argued that the case should continue, but he also acknowledged that prosecutors may have to put the case on hold until after Trump leaves the White House, which would be in 2029. further proceedings,” prosecutors wrote. Bragg wrote that prosecutors “deeply respect the office of the President, are aware of the demands and obligations of the presidency, and recognize that the inauguration of the defendant will raise unprecedented legal questions.”
Last week, Trump announced he would nominate his lawyers from the New York trial to positions at the Justice Department for his second term. The president-elect said his picks were Todd Blanche (pictured right) for deputy attorney general and Emil Bove for principal deputy attorney general.
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