Michael Cohen, formerly a lawyer and fixer for Donald Trump, became a key witness in a state prosecution involving falsified business records tied to an alleged affair with Stormy Daniels. Cohen pleaded guilty to tax evasion and campaign finance violations related to hush money payments before the 2016 election and was sentenced to three years in federal prison, later spending time on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic. NBC News reported that Cohen intends to file a claim to a fund and is drafting a letter to the Justice Department. The draft excerpt frames the fund as support for people harmed by politically motivated law-enforcement tactics, selective prosecution, government leaks, abuses of power, and intentional reputation destruction. George Santos, expelled from the House in 2023 and later sentenced to over seven years, is also considering applying.
"Cohen has worn a variety of hats, serving as Trump's former fixer and lawyer and later acting as a key witness in the state prosecution of the president for falsifying business records in connection to his alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels. He was sentenced to three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion and campaign finance violations, the latter in connection to alleged hush money payments intended to silence affair rumors about Trump prior to the 2016 presidential election. Cohen spent a significant amount of that time on home confinement after being released from prison amid the COVID-19 pandemic."
"NBC News reported Thursday that Cohen intends to file a claim to the fund and is drafting a letter to send to the Justice Department. The Wall Street Journal reports that Cohen had been workshopping his application for the fund over the past few days and shared an excerpt of the draft with the outlet. It currently reads in part, “If the Weaponization Fund truly exists to support individuals destroyed by politically motivated law-enforcement tactics, selective prosecution, government leaks, abuses of power, and intentional destruction of reputation, then there is perhaps no clearer example than what happened to me.”"
"In 2023, Santos made history, becoming only the sixth congressman in history to be expelled from the House of Representatives after mounting scandals about his biography and a federal indictment accusing him of wire fraud and money laundering among other charges. While Santos remained defiant and consistently denied the allegations against him while in office, he ultimately pled guilty and was sentenced to just over seven years in prison in 2025. His sentence was later commuted by Trump."
Read at Intelligencer
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