President Donald Trump has indicated he is open to pardoning Michael Cohen, his former personal attorney who played a central role in his criminal conviction.
Trump made the comments to reporters, suggesting he would consider granting a pardon if circumstances met his approval, describing Cohen’s recent public statements as a factor.
“If everything is checking out, it’s something I would consider,” Trump said, adding that he appreciated Cohen’s decision to speak out, however belatedly.
“I appreciate that at least he came out, although late, he came out and rectified the situation,” Trump continued, framing Cohen’s reversal as a meaningful, if overdue, gesture.
Cohen’s testimony was a key element in Trump’s 2024 conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
The payment was made ahead of the 2016 presidential election, with prosecutors arguing it was intended to prevent damaging information from reaching voters at a critical moment.
Cohen now claims he “felt pressured and coerced” to testify against Trump, a reversal that appears to have softened the president’s previously hostile stance toward his former fixer.
Cohen was himself sentenced to three years in prison, serving more than a year, for his role in arranging the Daniels payment and committing additional crimes including tax evasion and lying to Congress.
Following his criminal case, Cohen was disbarred, ending his legal career after years of controversy stemming from his time working closely alongside Trump.
Trump, who continues to appeal the conviction, has consistently denied ever having had an encounter with Daniels, maintaining that position throughout the lengthy legal proceedings.
The potential pardon would mark a significant shift in the relationship between the two men, who have been publicly at odds since Cohen began cooperating with prosecutors years ago.
Any formal pardon consideration would likely draw intense scrutiny from legal observers, given Cohen’s testimony was directly instrumental in securing the historic criminal conviction against a sitting president.