Witness Whose Testimony Helped Convict Trump in NY Recants His Testimony: Report

President Donald Trump claimed on Friday that disbarred lawyer Michael Cohen recanted his testimony regarding Trump’s New York State hush money trial, which is still being challenged in the courts.

The case resulted in Trump being convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Given his status as president-elect at the time of sentencing, however, no penalty was imposed, yet the convictions remain on his record.

“I am pleased to report that Michael Cohen, the Prosecution’s Star Witness and, in actuality, only Witness in the New York State Attorney General and Manhattan DA Witch Hunt Cases brought against me, has just fully RECANTED his testimony,” the president wrote on . “He was ‘pressured’ and ‘coerced’ to say things that were not true.”

“I would like to thank Michael for having the Wisdom and Courage to step forward and do the right thing!” Trump continued. “His Act of Bravery is a Great Credit to the Justice System in New York City and State. I am sure it was not easy for him! Now we are asking that any remnant of those Politically Weaponized Cases against me be immediately terminated and dismissed.”

“Their Star Witness said everything they did was WRONG and UNLAWFUL! Letitia James and Alvin Bragg broke the Law in order to do this in order to prevent me from becoming the President of the United States,” he added. “Such a thing can never be allowed to happen again!”

Judge Juan Merchan issued an unconditional discharge back in 2025 before Trump reassumed office, but the president’s legal team has been working to get the convictions thrown out entirely.

They are currently pursuing an appeals process that could bring them before the Supreme Court.

Last week, Axios reported on a federal judge who declined to overturn the convictions, saying that the president’s argument regarding immunity from official acts was “neither new nor legally sufficient.”

Judge Alvin Hellerstein, a Bill Clinton appointee, wrote that “there is no way that discussions regarding hush money payments to cover up the President’s relations with Stormy Daniels could be an official act.”

A spokesman for Trump’s legal team ed a statement to Axios expressing their intent to appeal.

“The Supreme Court’s historic decision on Immunity, the Federal and New York State Constitutions, and other established legal precedent mandate that the Witch Hunt perpetrated by the Manhattan DA be removed to federal court, and immediately overturned and dismissed,” the statement read.

“President Trump has already prevailed in this case at the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and today’s baseless and lawless decision contradicts that correct ruling,” it continued.

“President Trump will be filing a powerful appeal, and will continue defeating Democrat weaponization at every turn,” the message concluded.

Cohen’s testimony was crucial to convicting Trump after he testified about helping to make a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 presidential election.

This is the third time Judge Hellerstein has denied Trump’s attempt to clear his record, according to Newsweek.

The subsequent fallout between Cohen and Trump was highly public. Cohen frequently appeared on television shows to disparage the president, while Trump hit back on social media, often mocking him.

Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison “for tax evasion, making false statements to a federally insured bank, and campaign finance violations.”

“In a separate prosecution brought by the Special Counsel’s Office… Cohen pled guilty on November 29, 2018 to one count of making false statements to the U.S. Congress and was also sentenced on that case… receiving a two-month concurrent sentence,” a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s office read.

“Between 2012 and 2016, Cohen concealed more than $4 million in personal income from the Internal Revenue Service, avoiding more than $1.3 million in income tax,” the release added.

“Cohen also made false statements to a federally insured financial institution to obtain a $500,000 home equity loan. Finally, in 2016, Cohen made or caused two separate payments to women to ensure that they did not publicly disclose their alleged affairs with a presidential candidate in advance of the election.”

Cohen was in and out of jail during the COVID outbreak, with the Associated Press reporting that he spent most of his sentence under home confinement. Cohen was disbarred in 2019 following his convictions.

The president appeared on Cohen’s radio show last month, around the same time Politico published a piece saying that Cohen wishes to “get back into Trump’s good graces.”

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