Former President Donald Trump recently scored a legal victory before Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s trial against him following a federal judge’s decision to deny former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s attempts to end his supervised release early, arguing that the former attorney possibly committed perjury.
Cohen previously asked the court to lift his supervised release shortly after he testified in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ civil fraud case against the former president, which led to a $454 million judgment against Trump.
The former Trump lawyer is scheduled to appear as a star witness in Bragg’s criminal case against the former president, which alleges Trump’s involvement in “hush money” payments to adult actress Stormy Daniels.
While speaking to the judge, Cohen, who has been tried three times to lift the supervision set to expire in November 2024, said there was a “substantial change in circumstances” since he testified against the former president in October 2023.
“In short, there was ‘a substantial change in circumstances’ between Cohen’s third failed application and this, his fourth,” U.S. District Court Judge Jesse M. Furman wrote.
“But that change — his October 2023 testimony, which was either perjurious or confirms that he committed perjury before this Court — makes plain that Cohen should be required to serve out the remainder of his supervised release term,” the judge added.
In the fall of 2023, Cohen testified that he falsely pleaded guilty to tax evasion in 2018 before Judge William Pauley.
“It gives rise to two possibilities: one, Cohen committed perjury when he pleaded guilty before Judge Pauley, or, two, Cohen committed perjury in his October 2023 testimony,” Furman wrote.
“At a minimum, Cohen’s ongoing and escalating efforts to walk away from his prior acceptance of responsibility for his crimes are manifest evidence of the ongoing need for specific deterrence,” the judge continued.
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A judge rejects early termination of Michael Cohen's supervised release, which is set to expire in November.
On the plus side for Cohen, the judge also declines to sanction him or his lawyer for an AI gaffe that had them citing three cases that didn't exist. pic.twitter.com/d1O5gAEmXR
— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) March 20, 2024
Furman’s decision supports the former president’s claims that Cohen is untrustworthy, despite that days before issuing his ruling, New York State Judge Juan Merchan dismissed a challenge from Trump’s attorneys to bar Cohen from testifying at Bragg’s criminal trial against Trump, set to begin in April 2024.
