Former lawyer Michael Cohen, who recently resolved a lawsuit with ex-boss Donald Trump, is contemplating a run for a Democratic seat in the US Congress. Cohen, a one-time attorney and fixer for Trump, expressed his interest in a Semafor news outlet interview. He resides on Manhattan’s East Side and is considering challenging the current representative, Jerry Nadler, in New York’s 12th congressional district. Nadler, a long-serving Democrat, has been a member of the House of Representatives since 1992 and held the role of ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee since 2019.
Cohen’s potential candidacy could lead to a primary contest, recalling that in the lead-up to the 2022 midterm election, Nadler faced a challenge from fellow long-time representative Carolyn Maloney due to redistricting changes.
Cohen’s legal history includes pleading guilty in 2018 to various charges, which encompassed lying to Congress, breaching campaign finance laws through excessive political donations, providing false information to multiple banks to secure loans, and evading income taxes by concealing over $4 million in earnings. His prison sentence of three years was significantly reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly two-thirds of it being served at home during the outbreak in prisons.
Among Cohen’s significant legal entanglements was his involvement in arranging payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and model Karen McDougal during the 2016 presidential campaign to keep their alleged affairs with Trump from becoming public. Trump, who denies these affairs, was subsequently indicted on charges of manipulating Trump Organization records to shield his 2016 candidacy by suppressing allegations of extramarital encounters. Trump has pleaded not guilty, portraying the case as an effort by a Democratic district attorney to hinder his quest to reenter the White House.
Trump has faced three indictments since his electoral defeat in 2020. Cohen and Trump recently reached a settlement in July following Trump’s lawsuit against his former lawyer. Trump accused Cohen of breaching a confidentiality agreement and deliberately spreading falsehoods. Cohen’s spokesperson, attorney Lanny Davis, argued that Trump was abusing the legal system to target Cohen.
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