Donald Trump's former "fixer" Michael Cohen officially ended his prison sentence Monday but vowed to keep cooperating with investigations of his former boss and his associates.
“I will not cease my commitment to law enforcement. I will continue to provide information, testimony, documents and my full cooperation on all ongoing investigations to ensure that others are held responsible for their dirty deeds,” Cohen told reporters outside the New York City federal courthouse after his sentence was officially concluded.
Cohen, who was Trump's longtime personal attorney, pleaded guilty in 2018 to a host of charges tied to tax evasion, as well as lying to Congress in its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and his role in funneling payments to silence two women who alleged that they had had affairs with Trump.
At the time of his sentencing, federal prosecutors in New York said Cohen did not fully cooperate with their office after he pleaded guilty, saying he fell “well short” of providing the necessary background on his own possible criminal history and cooperation in other investigations.
He was sentenced to three years in prison and three years of post-release supervision.
Once known for his fierce loyalty to Trump, he turned on his former boss in dramatic testimony before Congress, where he declared, “I am not protecting Mr. Trump anymore.” He labeled him a "con man" and a "cheat."
Cohen, who has cooperated with multiple investigations into Trump since his guilty plea, was released from prison last year because of Covid concerns.
In July 2020, Cohen was taken back into custody and sent to jail. But days later a federal judge ordered him released to home confinement after the judge agreed with Cohen’s lawyers that he had wrongly been sent back to prison after he made public statements critical of Trump.
He was briefly sent back behind bars because, federal authorities said, he had refused to agree to certain terms of his release. A judge ordered him released, finding the action "retaliatory" because he was planning to write a book about Trump.
Once Cohen was re-released, he continued to enjoy his limited freedom by dining out in Manhattan, including having coffee with Kanye West, and hosting a podcast.
