On Thursday, a federal judge ordered that Michael Cohen, former lawyer for Donald Trump, be released from prison into home confinement. Prior, Cohen was on medical furlough from prison due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Alvin K. Hellerstein of Federal District Court found that Cohen was returned to prison in “retaliation” for his desire to publish a book about his former employer.
Hellerstein stated “I make the finding that the purpose of transferring Mr. Cohen from furlough and home confinement to jail is retaliatory. And it’s retaliation because of his desire to exercise his First Amendment rights to publish a book and to discuss anything about the book or anything else he wants on social media and with others.”
Thus, rather than spend the rest of his sentence in prison, Michael Cohen will serve out the rest of his time in his Manhattan apartment. There, he plans to pen a book about his time spent working for Donald Trump. Cohen wants to have the book published before the November 3 election.
Cohen has expressed that the book will detail the president’s behavior behind closed doors. The former fixer alleges that Donald Trump is racist, and plans to explore those claims in his book.
Moreover, Cohen has sued the federal government for placing him back in prison after his medical furlough. In those papers, he alleges much the same as Judge Hellerstein found: the government imprisoned him to prevent him from completing his book.
Supporters of the president accuse Cohen of acting in an opportunistic manner. At one point in time, Cohen bragged that he would take a bullet for Donald Trump. However, in 2018, he plead guilty on charges of campaign finance fraud as well as other crimes. He’s been in prison ever since.
Trump’s supporters allege that Cohen’s book is simply a cash-grab. Rather than find the best mutual fund to invest in, Cohen is writing what amounts to a “hit piece” on the president. Cohen, however, contends that he has simply had a change of heart since he worked for Trump. As such, he wants to put the truth out.
According to a suit filed by Cohen, the book will contain rather explosive accusations. In one section, court filings note “The narrative describes pointedly certain anti-Semitic remarks against prominent Jewish people and virulently racist remarks against such Black leaders as President Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela.”
