Former Trump lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen has alleged that New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg coerced him into testifying against President Donald Trump in their civil fraud and “hush money” cases, claiming prosecutors pressured him to deliver testimony that fit a predetermined narrative.
In a Substack post on Friday, Cohen wrote, “I felt compelled and coerced to deliver what they were seeking,” adding, “Letitia James and Alvin Bragg may not share the same office or political calendar, but they share the same playbook,” as Trump seeks to have his appeal of Bragg’s conviction heard by a federal appeals court and to overturn a $454 million civil fraud judgment.
Cohen said that from his earliest meetings with prosecutors, “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,” alleging that when his testimony fell short, prosecutors used “inappropriate leading questions” to elicit answers supporting their case, while James’ team, he claimed, “made clear that the testimony they wanted from me was testimony” that “would go after President Trump.”
Cohen said he initially cooperated hoping it would be viewed favorably after serving more than a year in prison for tax evasion, bank fraud and lying to Congress, but argued that the appeals process had exposed how a prosecutorial “rush” to secure guilt results in witnesses being “leaned on,” concluding, “Justice must be more than effective; it must be credible.” Trump responded on Truth Social by calling the cases a “SET UP from the beginning,” writing, “These horrible Radical Left people, doing everything possible to destroy our Country, should pay a big price for this!” while representatives for Bragg and James did not immediately respond to requests for comment; Cohen had previously testified that Trump was involved in inflating asset values and arranging hush money payments, though Trump dismissed him at trial as a “proven liar” and “totally discredited.”