President Donald Trump said Friday that his former attorney Michael Cohen had recanted his testimony in the New York hush money case, which saw the president convicted of 34 felonies. Cohen was one of the star witnesses for the prosecution, having previously represented Trump and aided in the $130,000 payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election. His testimony helped to secure Trump's conviction.
On Friday, Trump said that Cohen had been pressured and coerced into saying the things he said in court, and had now recanted his testimony. "His Act of Bravery is a Great Credit to the Justice System in New York City and State," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "I am sure it was not easy for him!
Now we are asking that any remnant of those Politically Weaponized Cases against me be immediately terminated and dismissed." Newsweek reached out to Cohen via phone and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office via email for comment Friday afternoon. Cohen was once among Trump's most trusted advisers, serving as his longtime personal attorney and self-described "fixer" before the relationship collapsed in 2018. After pleading guilty to federal crimes, Cohen became a frequent Trump critic and later emerged as the star witness in the hush money prosecution.
In recent months, the two men have publicly reconciled following years of acrimony. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Trump with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors alleged that a $130,000 payment made by Trump's former lawyer and fixer, Cohen, to Daniels shortly before the 2016 election was later reimbursed by Trump through a series of business transactions that were falsely recorded as legal expenses.
The prosecution argued that the records were falsified to conceal the payment's true purpose and to prevent potentially damaging allegations from becoming public during the final weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign. Cohen was the central witness for prosecutors. He testified that he arranged the payment to Daniels and was later reimbursed by Trump.
Prosecutors relied heavily on his testimony, along with documentary evidence and testimony from other witnesses, including former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker. Trump's defense argued that Cohen was not credible because he had previously pleaded guilty to federal crimes and had become a vocal critic of Trump. The defense maintained that Trump did not commit the crimes alleged and that Cohen could not be trusted.
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