Ex-Trump “fixer” Michael Cohen has announced that he is bringing a lawsuit against defendants including ex-President Donald Trump and ex-Attorney General Bill Barr for the infringement of his First Amendment rights. Specifically, the case concerns an incident when Cohen was sent back to prison after his side questioned the terms of an agreement regarding his home confinement that would have restricted him from freely speaking about his relationship with Trump, including through a tell-all book. At the time, Cohen was serving out a sentence on charges stemming from offenses including his involvement in paying hush money to women with whom Trump had affairs.
Donald Trump:
▪️Failed casino operator
▪️Failed meat salesman
▪️Failed insurrectionist— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) December 16, 2021
Now, Cohen shared on Twitter as follows this Thursday:
‘Wanted to give you all a heads up that tomorrow morning, December 16, 2021, I will be filing a lawsuit against the US Govt, #Trump, #Barr , etc for the unconstitutional remand of me back to #Otisville based upon my refusal to waive my First Amendment constitutional right.’
Wanted to give you all a heads up that tomorrow morning, December 16, 2021, I will be filing a lawsuit against the US Govt, #Trump, #Barr , etc for the unconstitutional remand of me back to #Otisville based upon my refusal to waive my First Amendment constitutional right. pic.twitter.com/1qdsQpw5Y6
— Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) December 16, 2021
During that earlier stand-off between Cohen and federal authorities, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ruled that Cohen should be released back into home confinement, finding the government’s treatment of him to be strikingly out of line. As the judge explained things:
‘I make the finding that the purpose of transferring Mr. Cohen from furlough and home confinement to jail is retaliatory, and it’s retaliatory 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.’
Today’s reminder that the GOP members of Congress who advised or encouraged Trump, Meadows and others to reject electoral votes were themselves elected in the same election on the same ballots under the same state and federal election laws.
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) December 15, 2021
Federal authorities claimed that Cohen was taken back into custody because his actions surrounding discussions about rules for what he could and couldn’t say were “combative.” But, discussing the issue, Hellerstein pointedly asked:
‘Why couldn’t something like that be a subject of negotiation with an attorney?.. What’s an attorney for if he is not going to negotiate an agreement with his client?’
Cohen’s previous testimony to Congress about inner workings of the Trump company has already provided problems for Trump. As Cohen explained things to House members, the Trump Organization repeatedly adjusted its valuations of its assets in order to obtain financial benefits, and now, these exact issues are under investigation by authorities in New York, where state Attorney General Letitia James is angling to take a deposition from Trump in January.
Well @Jim_Jordan…I warned you during my House Oversight Committee Hearing that I know what you are doing and it’s not going to work. Look what happened to me. Welcome to the #MeadowsMoronClub #KarmaBoomerang #January6thCommitteeWitness pic.twitter.com/StUDNvdMtY
— Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) December 16, 2021
