Trump Open To Pardoning Cohen After Former Attorney Says He Was Pressured
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he would consider giving his former personal attorney Michael Cohen a pardon after Cohen said he felt he was "pressured and coerced" while testifying against Trump in a criminal trial.
"If everything is checking out, it's something I would consider," Trump told reporters when asked if he would pardon Cohen.
"I appreciate that at least he came out, although late, he came out and rectified the situation."
A presidential pardon forgives a federal offense but does not declare the recipient innocent or erase the conviction from the criminal record, according to the Office of the Pardon Attorney. It can remove certain civil restrictions resulting from the conviction, potentially restore federal firearms rights, and improve the recipient's ability to obtain employment, professional licenses or bonding.
Cohen was a prominent critic and a prosecution witness in Trump's 2024 New York criminal trial. Cohen testified that Trump was involved in arranging a payment to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to campaign-finance violations, tax evasion, bank fraud, and lying to Congress. He received a three-year federal sentence and completed his prison term and supervision requirements in November 2024. Asked whether he might seek a presidential pardon, Cohen said he did not know but might consider it later.
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/trump-open-pardoning-cohen-after-former-attorney-says-he-was-pressured