A judge ordered that Michael Cohen must be released from custody, CNBC reported. Federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein ruled President Donald Trump’s former lawyer was the victim of “retaliation” from the Department of Justice due to the forthcoming publication of a tell-all book, Disloyal: The True Story of Michael Cohen, Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump .
The Hill reported that Cohen’s book would reveal racist comments that Trump made about President Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela. Cohen’s lawyers argued in a filing that he was sent back to prison because he refused to agree to not publish the work, and Judge Hellerstein appeared to agree.
“I’ve never seen such a clause, in 21 years in being a judge,” Hellerstein said. “How can I take any other inference, but that it was retaliatory?”
Part of the prisoner’s furlough agreement included that he would not work on the book, which he’d previously posted about on social media. However, he did not agree to the terms, and the judge found that he wasn’t even given a chance to sign an agreement, which was presented to him on July 9 before officials returned him to prison on July 10. Although the former Trump ally will face several restrictions while serving the rest of his term at home, they likely will not include those that the DOJ tried to put into effect — that he cannot speak to reporters, post on social media, or publish a book.
“Mr. Cohen’s book describes Mr. Cohen’s first-hand experiences with Mr. Trump, and it provides graphic details about the President’s behavior behind closed doors. For example, 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,” read the court documents.
Among those listed in the petition that Cohen’s attorneys filed on Monday were Attorney General William Barr and Bureau of Prisons Director Michael Carvajal along with James Petrucci. He is the warden of the federal facility in Otisville, N.Y., where Trump’s former legal counsel served his time.
In 2019, Cohen began a three-year prison sentence for multiple crimes, including lying to Congress about a defunct bid to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. He also pleaded guilty to financial crimes in connection to paying off adult film star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal to keep quiet about their interactions with Trump shortly before the 2016 presidential election. Trump’s former fixer had been furloughed from serving his sentence in a facility due to the coronavirus pandemic. Cohen must be released by 2 p.m. Friday.
