President Trump said those behind the New York cases against him “should pay a big price” after his former attorney Michael Cohen claimed he was pressured to testify.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump on Friday accused New York prosecutors of orchestrating a political “SET UP from the beginning,” responding publicly after his former attorney Michael Cohen alleged he was coerced into providing testimony against Trump in state civil and criminal cases.
In a post Trump wrote on Truth Social, the president said “Radical Left people” involved in the prosecutions “should pay a big price,” adding that “New York Courts, with many fair and wonderful Judges, are embarrassed by what has happened. We cannot let this pass.” The post was shared by Newsmax and linked to a report detailing Cohen’s claims.
Trump was reacting to a report by The New York Post, which summarized assertions Cohen made in a Substack post published Friday. According to the report, Cohen said he felt “compelled and coerced” by New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to provide testimony that would “deliver what they were seeking” in both a civil fraud case and the criminal prosecution related to hush money payments.
“I felt pressured and coerced to only provide information and testimony that would satisfy the government’s desire to build the cases against and secure a judgment and convictions against President Trump,” Cohen wrote, as quoted by the New York Post.
The paper reported that Cohen alleged prosecutors in Bragg’s office asked “inappropriate leading questions” when his testimony did not align with their objectives and that James’ office made clear it wanted testimony “that would go after President Trump.”
Cohen said he decided to speak out now because he has “witnessed firsthand the damage done when prosecutors pick their target first and then seek evidence to fit a predetermined narrative,” according to the New York Post. He added, “Justice must be more than effective; it must be credible,” the paper reported.
The New York Post said Trump is seeking appellate relief in both the criminal and civil cases. The civil fraud judgment against Trump totals $454 million, according to the report, while his legal team continues to challenge the hush-money conviction.
Cohen also suggested in his Substack post that ongoing appeals have not exonerated Trump but have brought attention to what he described as a prosecutorial “rush” that can result in witnesses being “leaned on,” the New York Post reported.
Representatives for Bragg and James did not immediately respond to the New York Post’s requests for comment, the paper said.
Cohen previously served more than a year in federal prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion, bank fraud, and lying to Congress. According to the New York Post, he wrote that he hoped his cooperation in the Trump-related cases would be viewed favorably by authorities.
In his Truth Social post, Trump characterized Cohen’s latest claims as confirmation that the prosecutions were politically motivated and reiterated that those responsible “should pay a big price,” according to the statement.
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