By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-20 22:07:18 | Updated at 2024-11-23 21:16:10
2 days ago
Donald Trump’s one-time fixer turned fierce critic Michael Cohen is calling for the hush money case against the president-elect to be thrown out following the November election.
Cohen served as a star witness for the prosecution in the trial against Trump earlier this year in the Manhattan criminal court.
In May, he took the stand to testify in the case before the former president was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records by a New York jury.
But now, Cohen is calling for the entire case to be dismissed, according to an email he sent to Vanity Fair.
‘The American people have spoken and re-elected Donald Trump,’ Cohen wrote.
‘Accordingly, I believe we must all acknowledge and respect the office of the Presidency and dismiss the case forthwith.’
Him weighing in on the case comes as Trump’s lawyers are calling for Judge Juan Merchan to dismiss it outright as well.
They argued in a filing that an 'immediate dismissal' is mandated by the 'federal Constitution, the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, and the interest of justice.’
They also claimed it is necessary to ensure an ‘orderly transition of power.’
Donald Trump's former fixer who testified against him in the New York hush money trial called for the case against the president-elect to be dismissed after the 2024 election
The 78-year-old president-elect is set to reenter the White House in January 2025 after winning the election against Vice President Kamala Harris earlier this month.
He is the first convicted felon elected President of the United States.
Trump was found guilty of falsifying business records to cover up the payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels to stay quiet about an alleged affair with the ex-president before the 2016 election.
On Tuesday, the sentencing in the case was called off as the court decides how to proceed after his presidential election victory. The sentencing had been scheduled for November 26.
The president-elect was facing up to four years in jail, but legal experts said it was unlikely he would serve time behind bars as a first-time offender convicted of a nonviolent crime.
A court sketch of Michael Cohen testifying against Donald Trump in the Manhattan criminal court on May 20, 2024
Donald Trump 's sentencing in his New York hush money case has been called off as the court decides how to move forward. He was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records in May 2024
Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg had a November 19 deadline to argue how the case against the president-elect should proceed
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg argued the case should proceed, but he also acknowledged prosecutors may need to pause it until after Trump leaves the White House which would be in 2029.
'We would not oppose [Trump's] request for a stay of further proceedings,' prosecutors wrote.
Bragg wrote prosecutors 'deeply respect the office of the president, are mindful of the demands and obligations of the presidency, and acknowledge that defendant’s inauguration will raise unprecedented legal questions.'
Last week, Trump announced he was nominating his defense attorneys from the the New York trial for positions in the Justice Department in his second term.
The president-elect said Todd Blanche was his pick to serve as Deputy Attorney General and Emil Bove to serve as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General.
