Michael Cohen Makes Roundabout Plea to Trump for a Pardon: Call it ‘The Trump Emancipation Proclamation Order!’

 

President Donald Trump’s former lawyer turned fierce critic, Michael Cohen, joined Dan Abrams on his SiriusXM show on Tuesday to discuss a range of topics – everything from how he was treated in prison to left-leaning outlet MeidasTouch recently cutting ties with him.

During the discussion, Cohen told Abrams — who is also the founder of Mediaite — about letters he had written to both Presidents Joe Biden and Trump asking for sweeping pardons for Americans so they can rejoin society without limitations, himself included.

Cohen read part of the letter he sent to Trump, “It is urged clearly, unequivocally, and without delay that the president issue an executive order granting a full and unconditional pardon to all non-violent felons who have completed their sentences. This act would be more than a gesture of compassion.”

“It would be a defining stroke of moral leadership. Over 70 million Americans carry the lifelong burden of a criminal record, despite having fulfilled their legal debt to society. They are our neighbors, coworkers, parents, veterans, and citizens who live under silent exile, denied employment, housing, education, and the right to fully participate in the country they call home. With a single act, the burden can be lifted,” Cohen added.

He also came up with a name for the move, calling it “TEPO, the Trump Emancipation Proclamation Order.”

“I believe that this Trump Emancipation Proclamation will be the single most important act of kindness that any president can bestow on 70 million Americans and their families,” Cohen went on to argue.

Cohen was sentenced to three years in jail in federal prison in December 2018 for tax evasion, bank fraud, and lying to Congress. He served most of his sentence while under house arrest during the pandemic, but also told Abrams that then Attorney General Bill Barr had him sent back to prison under draconian conditions.

“Bill Barr had me unconstitutionally remanded back to prison. They threw me into a freezer for three hours. I was so cold my jaws were shivering and clunking. I thought my teeth were going to fall out of my mouth. Flies inside, a hundred plus degrees, no ventilation. They made it as unpleasant as possible,” he said.

Cohen also addressed being dropped by progressive media company the MeidasTouch Network after he wrote on Substack that he felt coerced by prosecutors to testify against Trump.

“It is true, not personal. I still speak to the brothers. We are, and we will always remain, friends. But what happened is people read, unfortunately, headlines as opposed to the article itself. I specifically state that I am not here to defend Donald Trump. That is not the intention of this statement which I wrote or my Substack article,” Cohen explained of parting ways with the Meiselas brothers who run the company. Cohen defended his article, arguing that he found the way the prosecutors approached the Trump hush money case was wrong, as getting Trump was the ultimate goal, as opposed to enforcing the letter of the law.

Watch the full interview above on YouTube.

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Alex Griffing is a Senior Editor at Mediaite. Send tips via email: alexanderg@mediaite.com. Follow him on Twitter: @alexgriffing