Ex-Trump lawyer Cohen alleges retaliation, seeks $20 million in damages from U.S. government

Michael Cohen, the former personal attorney for President Donald Trump, filed a lawsuit for $ 20 million in damages from the federal government on Friday, claiming that top people in the Trump administration are retaliating against him by calling him after him Sent back to prison on leave of absence last year.

The allegation alleges that government officials have committed “false arrests, false detentions, abuse of procedure, unlawful detention and retaliation” against Cohen for making mostly critical statements about the former president and for writing a book about his time at Trump.

“Mr. Cohen was the President’s personal attorney, and if he could be thrown in jail for wanting to write a critical book about the President, one doesn’t have to go far to realize that such an unacceptable and unconstitutional one Behavior could be directed at any of us, “his lawyer Jeffrey Levine said in a statement. “That is not an exaggeration and it is not acceptable.”

Levin also said Cohen plans to file a lawsuit related to violations of his First Amendment rights and she will appoint former Attorney General Bill Barr and Bureau of Prisons head Michael Carvajal.

Cohen’s book, entitled “Disloyal: A Memoir,” was published in September 2020. In it, Cohen alleged that Trump worked with Russia to win the 2016 presidential election and that Trump worked to defend Russian President Vladimir Putin and “his clique of corrupt billionaire oligarchs.” Trump repeated and consistent in the 2016 election denied any collusion with Russia.

Cohen, 54, also described fearing for his life following his decision to testify against Trump, saying he believed the president wanted to kill him. At one point, Cohen said, he thought of suicide since death threats “had come in the hundreds”.

He has been described as Trump’s “fixer” in the past but turned to his ex-boss calling him a “cheater” and “cheater” during a dramatic testimony before Congress in 2019.

Cohen was released from federal prison in May 2020. He was serving a three-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to what a federal judge called a “hodgepodge” of criminal behavior, including making secret payments to women who claim they had affairs with Trump, lying to Congress about the business relationship with the Trump administration President with Russia and fail to report millions in revenue.

Cohen was originally due to be released from federal custody in Otisville, New York, in November 2021. He had served just over a year of his sentence when he was released early. However, Cohen was sent back to prison in July 2020 after refusing to sign a domestic violence signature agreement that prevented him from publishing a book or speaking to the media.

Cohen argued in his claim that his trip to a meeting with probation officers in federal court in Manhattan that day in July was a trap. Police officers previously said Cohen, who was released from prison over coronavirus concerns, refused to sign the agreement prohibiting him from interacting with the media or writing a book.

Cohen was presented with eight conditions of home placement and got mad at the media gag rule, his former attorney and advisor Lanny Davis said at the time. Davis said Cohen was reluctant to sign because he had already finished his book in prison.

However, Cohen was later released in mid-July last year after a federal judge ordered his release and Cohen’s attorneys agreed that he was mistakenly sent back to prison after making public statements against Trump.

“Accountability for these tyrannical, unconstitutional and retaliatory acts is necessary to uphold our ancestors’ intent for independence, democracy and the rule of law,” Cohen’s attorney said in a statement.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Dartunorro Clark

Dartunorro Clark covers politics, including recovery from Covid-19, for NBC News.

Adam Reiss is a reporter and producer for NBC and MSNBC.