Trump's ex-lawyer Cohen leaves prison for home confinement

By Karen Freifeld

 

FILE PHOTO: Michael Cohen, the former personal lawyer for U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at his Manhattan apartment after being released from federal prison to serve the remainder of his sentence under home confinement in New York City, New York, U.S., May 21, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

 

(Reuters) - President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen left prison on Friday to finish his criminal sentence at home, an attorney for Cohen said, a day after a judge found he was sent back behind bars two weeks ago as retaliation for plans to publish a book about Trump.

 

Cohen was picked up at a prison in Otisville, New York, about 70 miles (110 km) northwest of New York City, about 1 p.m. by his son and his brother, the attorney, Jeffrey K. Levine, said. Cohen was expected to be fitted for an ankle monitor and then be driven to his Manhattan apartment.

 

He had been returned to prison on July 9 after being furloughed in May because of concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus.

 

U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein on Thursday ordered Cohen released by 2 p.m. EDT Friday.

 

“He looked exhausted, as one might think, when you come out of quarantine/solitary confinement," said Levine, who saw Cohen over FaceTime from the car. "He hasn't slept in two weeks."

 

On July 9, Cohen and Levine met with probation officials to convert his furlough to a home confinement for the final two years of his three-year sentence. After Cohen questioned a provision that barred him from publishing the book, engaging with news organizations and posting on social media, officials shackled him and returned him to prison.

 

Hellerstein said in Thursday's court hearing that he had never seen such a gag provision in his 21 years on the bench.

 

"It's retaliatory because of his desire to exercise his First Amendment rights to publish a book," Hellerstein said.

 

Cohen may file a lawsuit seeking compensation for his unlawful imprisonment and violation of his First Amendment rights, Levine said.

 

"The lawsuit will get deeper into how this happened and who ultimately was responsible," Levine said.

 

The Federal Bureau of Prisons, in a statement after the judge's ruling, said that the book played no role in the decision to return Cohen to prison. The bureau did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Cohen's departure from prison.

 

Cohen, who once said he would “take a bullet” for Trump, was sentenced in 2018 for crimes that included campaign finance violations for directing hush payments to pornographic film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who said they had affairs with Trump before he became president.

 

Trump has denied having the encounters and has called Cohen a "rat."

 

In court papers, Cohen said the book will contain his experiences and observations from the decade he worked for Trump, including both before and after he became president. Cohen said it would provide "unflattering details" of Trump's behavior.

 

While he turned on Cohen, Trump has voiced support for people who remained loyal https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-justice/justice-department-appears-to-be-rewarding-trump-allies-punishing-enemies-legal-experts-say-idUSKCN24M2NT to him. A day after Cohen was sent back to prison, Trump commuted longtime friend and adviser Roger Stone's prison sentence for lying under oath to lawmakers investigating Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.

 

(Reporting by Karen Freifeld in New York; writing by Karen Freifeld and Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware; Editing by Noeleen Walder, Grant McCool and Leslie Adler)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-07-25

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

14 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

The Federal Bureau of Prisons, in a statement after the judge's ruling, said that the book played no role in the decision to return Cohen to prison.

Yeah, right, sure...

A sleazebag writing a book about another sleazebag. Can't wait!

15 minutes ago, Phoenix Rising said:

A sleazebag writing a book about another sleazebag. Can't wait!

The big question is obviously how many of the people who still support that sleazebag will not vote for him anymore if more and more of his sleazy behavior is exposed. After all that was exposed already I don't have much hope that those supporters will ever change their mind.

Whatever he writes someone will always say it's fake news. And some people will still believe that. Amazing USA.

"It's retaliatory because of his desire to exercise his First Amendment rights to publish a book," Hellerstein said.

C'mon Trump enablers and blind eye types. I know you are here. Why so silent? "Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no good"?

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

The big question is obviously how many of the people who still support that sleazebag will not vote for him anymore if more and more of his sleazy behavior is exposed. After all that was exposed already I don't have much hope that those supporters will ever change their mind.

Agreed!

Can't hardly wait to hear the top five misdeeds! I see the rats living this sinking ship. Florida is proof this in a one term President. Seniors have turned on trump.

Labor Day we will see a total abandonment.

44 minutes ago, earlinclaifornia said:

Can't hardly wait to hear the top five misdeeds! I see the rats living this sinking ship. Florida is proof this in a one term President. Seniors have turned on trump.

Labor Day we will see a total abandonment.

Republicans, Facing Political Headwinds, Begin Diverging From Trump. https://news.yahoo.com/republicans-facing-political-headwinds-begin-120715699.html

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

he was sent back behind bars two weeks ago as retaliation for plans to publish a book about Trump.

 

Hmmmm

 

4 hours ago, rooster59 said:

hush payments to pornographic film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who said they had affairs with Trump before he became president.

 

When he married already. 

Freind with Epstein.

Bankruptx3

Grab woman on the.....

 

Wonderful guy.

USA people vote for him?

We not vote for our idiot.

4 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Yeah, right, sure...

I think its safe to say that Freedom of Speech played no role in returning Cohen back to prison and isolation. 

Hopefully, Cohen will sue and get full use of discovery to prove his complaint, now immediately backed by a court decision regarding his detention.

Obviously he was on the right side of just-us! 

I agree mr Cohen was a sleazy lawyer after all we know donald only hires the (best) people that beeing said I do belive in redemption and imo mike is doing just that he’s payed no mike get busy get it written and published it’s time for donald to pay for his willfull attempt to destroy our democracy 

48 minutes ago, Tug said:

I agree mr Cohen was a sleazy lawyer after all we know donald only hires the (best) people that beeing said I do belive in redemption and imo mike is doing just that he’s payed no mike get busy get it written and published it’s time for donald to pay for his willfull attempt to destroy our democracy 

Tug, I usually agree with the sentiment of what you write on this forum but could you please do us all a favour and please learn some punctuation.  

2 hours ago, cycolista said:

Tug, I usually agree with the sentiment of what you write on this forum but could you please do us all a favour and please learn some punctuation.  

My apologies unfortunately for me at a very young age I had to participate in the school of life and work I kinda missed out on a lot of the fine tuning most of us from the developed country’s get again my apologies 

Truly astounding how in ANY previous presidential administration it would take only one of these scandals (or suspicion of) to cause political tremors.  Now we get several per week, even the sad apologists are at their wit's ends for rationalizations. For the month of July alone here are just a few:

Russia offering bounties on killing US operatives in Afghanistan, DT uncharacteristically silent on this.  How any American doing the vehemently patriotic posturing his supporters are prone to can accept this is beyond rational.

Funneling campaign contributions into his own pocket.

Unmarked Federal police vs US citizens.

Raging epidemic with 148,000+ dead, "I'm doing a great job, it could have been double that!"

The British Open scandal.

And of course, the attempts to quash the publications by his niece, Bolton, and the man of the moment, his former lawyer Cohen.