Overview
- President Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday that Michael Cohen has “fully RECANTED” the testimony used against him and asked courts to terminate remaining New York cases.
- Cohen made unsworn, public remarks in August and reportedly resubmitted a pardon application but has not filed a formal, sworn retraction or affidavit.
- Prosecutors and courts have questioned the evidentiary value of Cohen’s public comments and say a conviction or ongoing civil case would require formal legal filings and judicial rulings to be altered.
- Trump accused New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg of unlawful conduct in a bid to frame the recantation as grounds for dismissal and threatened a major new court fight.
- Cohen was a central witness in the 2024 Manhattan hush‑money trial that produced convictions, and any real legal effect from his turnaround will hinge on sworn statements, motions from lawyers, and judges’ decisions.