Trump Open to Pardoning Former Fixer Michael Cohen
President Donald Trump said he would consider pardoning his former personal attorney Michael Cohen, marking a striking development in the relationship between the two men after years of public conflict and legal battles. Trump made the comments on September 9, saying he would consider clemency if the facts supported it.
Cohen, once one of Trump’s closest advisers and described as his former “fixer,” became a key witness in the criminal case that ultimately resulted in Trump’s 2024 conviction in New York. Trump was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 payment made to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. Trump has denied having a sexual encounter with Daniels and is appealing his conviction.
Cohen himself was sentenced in 2018 to three years in prison after pleading guilty to several federal crimes. His convictions included charges connected to the Daniels payment, tax offenses and lying to Congress. He served more than a year in federal prison before being released.
The relationship between Trump and Cohen subsequently deteriorated dramatically. Cohen became a vocal critic of Trump and cooperated with prosecutors investigating the former president. His testimony was particularly significant in the Manhattan case involving the Daniels payment.
More recently, however, Cohen has changed his public position regarding aspects of his previous testimony. According to Reuters, Cohen has said that he felt pressured and coerced, a development Trump has seized upon as evidence that Cohen’s earlier statements should be viewed differently. Trump said he appreciated that Cohen had eventually come forward to “rectify the situation.”
Cohen is now seeking a presidential pardon. Trump stopped short of promising clemency but said he would consider it if “everything is checking out.” That leaves open the possibility that the former president’s onetime adversary could receive relief from the president whose criminal conviction Cohen helped prosecutors establish.
The potential pardon also carries significant legal and political implications. A presidential pardon can cover federal offenses, meaning Trump’s authority would apply to Cohen’s federal convictions but would not erase a state conviction. Cohen’s federal sentence stemmed from his 2018 case, while his role in Trump’s New York prosecution was connected to a separate state proceeding.
The development is particularly notable because Trump’s own New York conviction remains under appeal. Any presidential pardon for Cohen would not automatically overturn Trump’s conviction or eliminate the state case against him. Instead, it would potentially provide clemency to a former federal offender who played an important role in the prosecution of the president.
Trump’s willingness to consider the pardon illustrates the dramatic reversal in the relationship between the two men. Cohen once helped prosecutors build their case against Trump; now Trump is publicly signaling that he may be willing to use presidential clemency to help Cohen.
⚖️ Key Legal Outcome
- Trump said he would consider a presidential pardon for Michael Cohen if the circumstances support it.
- Cohen was sentenced in 2018 to three years in prison for federal crimes including offenses related to the Daniels payment, tax violations and lying to Congress.
- Cohen later became a key prosecution witness in Trump’s New York criminal case.
- Trump was convicted in 2024 on 34 counts of falsifying business records connected to the Daniels payment and is appealing the conviction.
- A presidential pardon could address Cohen’s federal convictions, but would not itself erase Trump’s separate New York state conviction.
📌 Why It Matters
- Trump’s statement represents a dramatic reversal in his relationship with a former longtime ally and legal adversary.
- Cohen’s potential pardon could reignite debate over presidential clemency and political influence.
- Cohen’s changed account of his treatment could become politically significant as Trump continues challenging his own conviction.
- The situation highlights the complicated relationship between federal presidential pardon power and state criminal convictions.
- Any pardon could attract intense scrutiny because Cohen was a central witness in a case involving the sitting president himself.
