The ACLU is intervening on behalf of Donald Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen. Last week Cohen was returned to jail for violating terms of his release, but a lawsuit “argues that the federal government’s incarceration of Michael Cohen is in retaliation for his plans to publish a book critical of the president prior to the November election violates the First Amendment.”
In a statement, the civil rights organization writes:
On July 2, 2020, while on furlough, Cohen tweeted that he was putting finishing touches on what would be a tell-all book about his decade-long experience with Donald Trump.
Within days of the tweet, federal officers demanded that, as a condition of transitioning to home confinement, he sign an unusual agreement relinquishing his First Amendment right to speak to or through any media, including books and social media.
It goes on to say that Cohen asked for clarification on what would be prohibited, but “rather than clarify the terms, within two hours, federal officers cuffed Cohen and remanded him to prison, where he remains today in solitary confinement.”
The lawsuit, filed against Attorney General William Barr and two prison officials, asks for Cohen to be immediately released to home confinement.
Meanwhile, if the idea was to keep Cohen’s allegations under wraps, this lawsuit is doing the opposite. Part of the court filing lays out details from Cohen’s book, including a section that alleges racist and anti-Semitic remarks made by Trump.
Following Mr. Cohen’s conviction, he began work on a manuscript about how he had lost his moral compass over his years working for Mr. Trump. Because Mr. Trump is now President Trump, and because 2020 is an election year, Mr. Cohen’s book naturally addresses a subject matter of great national concern and intense public interest.
Mr. Cohen’s book describes Mr. Cohen’s first-hand experiences with Mr. Trump, and it provides graphic details about the President’s behavior behind closed doors. For example, the narrative describes pointedly certain anti-Semitic remarks against prominent Jewish people and virulently racist remarks against such Black leaders as President Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela. The book will rely upon and publish numerous previously unknown anecdotes, supported by documentary evidence.
