'Of course, he did': Internet slams Michael Cohen as judge says key Trump witness may have committed perjury

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: A federal judge cast doubt on the credibility of Michael Cohen's testimony on Wednesday, March 20, suggesting that he may have committed perjury under oath.

This recent development provides renewed support to former President Donald Trump's claims that Cohen, his former personal lawyer and a key prosecution witness in his New York criminal trial, is a liar. 

The judge, Jesse M Furman, made these comments in a written order as he denied Cohen's request for early release from court supervision after his three-year prison sentence, according to Politico.

Earlier, Cohen was found guilty of several crimes, including tax evasion, lying to banks and Congress, and violating campaign finance laws. Judge Furman specifically cited his testimony at Trump's civil fraud trial in a Manhattan state court in October 2023.

During the trial, Cohen claimed that he was not guilty of tax evasion, despite having pleaded guilty to this charge in 2018. When asked whether he had lied to the federal judge who accepted his guilty plea, he replied in the affirmative.

Judge Furman says Michael Cohen committed perjury either in 2018 while pleading guilty or during his October 2023 testimony

Judge Furman wrote, "Cohen repeatedly and unambiguously testified at the state court trial that he was not guilty of tax evasion and that he had lied under oath" to the late Judge William H Pauley III.

He explained that his testimony "gives rise to two possibilities: one, Cohen committed perjury when he pleaded guilty before Judge Pauley or, two, Cohen committed perjury in his October 2023 testimony." 

In his justification for keeping the court supervision in place, which is set to expire later this year, Judge Furman mentioned, "At a minimum, Cohen's ongoing and escalating efforts to walk away from his prior acceptance of responsibility for his crimes are manifest evidence of the ongoing need for specific deterrence."

Trump has frequently assailed Cohen's credibility, claiming that he "committed massive perjury" in the civil fraud case "at a level seldom seen on the stand before."

Cohen initially testified that Trump had given him instructions to inflate the value of assets to "whatever number Trump told us to."

He then backtracked on his testimony, angering the former President, who was accused of lying about his wealth on financial statements used to obtain loans and close deals.

After being pressed on cross-examination, Cohen admitted that Trump had never instructed him to inflate the numbers, but he later claimed that the ex-POTUS had given him an oblique signal and that "we understood what he wanted."

After losing the civil fraud case, Trump was ordered to pay a $454 million penalty and is currently having trouble posting the massive bond.  

In reply to Judge Furman's latest findings, Cohen issued a statement through his lawyer, E Danya Perry, calling it "factually inaccurate and legally incorrect."

In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to federal charges, alleging that Trump had instructed him to pay hush money to two women in order to prevent damage to his 2016 presidential bid.

Although federal prosecutors did not press charges against the 45th president, before Cohen's sentencing they impugned his credibility.

In 2023, Trump pleaded not guilty in New York state court in Manhattan to 34 felony charges, claiming that he altered internal business records at his private company to conceal his involvement in the payments.

Cohen is a crucial prosecution witness in Trump's hush money trial, which has been postponed until at least mid-April after the defense objected to a last-minute material dump from a 2018 FBI probe into the former Trump lawyer and the hush money allegations.

Trump's lawyers accused the Manhattan District Attorney's Office of turning "a blind eye" to Cohen's alleged dishonesty after ex-Trump Organization finance chief Allen Weisselberg pled guilty to lying during his fraud case testimony this month.

Internet reacts to Judge Jesse M Furman casting doubt on the credibility of Michael Cohen's testimony

One wrote, "You can find him live on Tik tok, nightly, spewing lies," and another expressed disappointment, noting, "And this is Alvin Bragg's star witness against Trump..."

"Of course he did,and the democrats told him they would save him?" remarked a person, while someone else added, "Of COURSE he committed perjury, he was the Trump Organization consi(g)liere. It's all the TRUTHS that his lies lead to that is important."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.