Trump says he’d consider pardoning Michael Cohen

President Trump said on Friday that he would consider issuing a pardon for Michael Cohen, his former personal lawyer, while criticizing how the legal system handled Cohen. Trump framed his remarks as a response to what he described as unfair treatment of a longtime associate.

Cohen was the prosecution’s central witness in the 2024 New York hush-money trial, a role that drew major attention during the case. According to the account provided, Cohen later recanted the statements he had made in that proceeding.

Trump referred to Cohen as his former fixer and expressed displeasure with the way prosecutors and the courts dealt with him. In raising the possibility of a pardon, the president highlighted those concerns as part of his justification for considering executive clemency.

The comments underscore a continuing link between Trump and figures who were prominent in his legal battles, and put a spotlight on how post-trial developments — including a witness’s recantation — factor into discussions of presidential pardons.