Michael Cohen sues Barr for forcing him back to jail over book detailing Trump's 'racist' remarks against Obama
President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer has claimed in a lawsuit that he's being forcefully held in prison so he is unable to finish a book that criticizes his former employer. Michael Cohen sued Attorney General William Barr and the Bureau of Prisons director on Monday, alleging his First Amendment rights were violated when he was sent back to the Federal Correctional Institution in Otisville, New York, on July 9, the Associated Press reported.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Manhattan federal court, gives a glimpse for the first time into what Cohen plans to divulge in his upcoming book, which he started writing behind bars. "Mr. Cohen's book describes Mr. Cohen's first-hand experiences with Mr. Trump, and it provides graphic details about the President's behavior behind closed doors," the suit reads. "For example, the narrative describes pointedly certain anti-Semitic remarks against prominent Jewish people and virulently racist remarks against such Black leaders as President Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela."
The lawsuit notes that the book "will rely upon and publish numerous previously unknown anecdotes, supported by documentary evidence." The claims come a week after Mary Trump, the president's estranged niece, alleged that she had heard him use the n-word. That said, the lawsuit also alleges that the president used his personal attorney Charles Harder to silence Cohen in April this year. Harder reportedly sent a 'cease and desist' letter to one of Cohen's attorneys on April 30, saying the lawyer had signed a non-disclosure agreement while working for Trump.
"Mr. Cohen believes that he never signed such an NDA," Cohen's suit continues. "Though Mr. Harder purported to attach the NDA to the letter, no NDA was in fact attached. Even after Mr. Cohen's attorney followed up to request that Mr. Harder send the purported NDA, he failed to do so."
In May, the 53-year-old was furloughed as part of a state plan to curb the spread of COVID-19 in prisons. By then, he had served only a year of his three-year sentence. Cohen had recently confirmed that he planned to release a tell-all book prior to the presidential elections come November, according to the lawsuit brought on his behalf by the American Civil Liberties Union and attorneys Danya Perry and Samidh Guha.
"In the run-up to the 2020 presidential election, he intends to tell the American people about Mr. Trump's personality and proclivities, his private and professional affairs, and his personal and business ethics," the suit reveals, according to which Cohen's crimes included "lying to Congress on behalf of Mr. Trump and committing campaign finance violations on behalf of Mr. Trump."
Federal authorities rushed to throw Cohen back in prison after he tweeted on June 26 '#WillSpeakSoon' and later revealed he was finishing his Trump book, the lawsuit alleges. Furthermore, it says U.S. Probation officers demanded Cohen, on behalf of the Bureau of Prisons and its director, Michael Carvajal, that "that he agree not to speak to or through any media, including by publishing a book," per AP.
Cohen and his lawyers subsequently sought clarification and limitation on the prohibition on speaking, only to remain locked up as officers promised they would take his requests up the Bureau of Prisons executives chain of command. The lawsuit notes that Cohen has remained in solitary confinement ever since he moved to Otisville. Meanwhile, his health has reportedly deteriorated considerably with his high blood pressure leading "to severe headaches, shortness of breath, and anxiety." The lawsuit also highlights that Cohen has not been able to make any progress on his book and seeks a court order to return him to home confinement.