Northeast

Michael Cohen says NY prosecutors ‘pressured and coerced’ him into anti-Trump testimony

Published

3 weeks ago

January 21, 2026

Michael Cohen says NY prosecutors ‘pressured and coerced’ him into anti-Trump testimony

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President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, said Friday that prosecutors in both the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the New York Attorney General’s Office “pressured and coerced” him into delivering testimony tailored to securing convictions against Trump.

Cohen, who was a key prosecution witness in two New York cases against Trump, accused New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of pursuing evidence aimed at Trump, saying prosecutors were uninterested in testimony that didn’t fit their narrative.

“I felt pressured and coerced to only provide information and testimony that would satisfy the government’s desire to build the cases against and secure a judgment and convictions against President Trump,” Cohen wrote in a post on Substack.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Office of the New York State Attorney General and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for comment.

APPEALS COURT HANDS TRUMP LEGAL WIN, ORDERS REVIEW OF HUSH MONEY CASE OVER PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY

Michael Cohen, former personal attorney to President Donald Trump, claims New York prosecutors pressured him to deliver testimony aimed at securing convictions against Trump. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)

Cohen, who was Trump’s personal lawyer for many years, said he was writing as a federal appeals court considers the president’s request to move his hush money case to federal court for further review.

The former Trump fixer testified in a civil case brought by James’ office in 2023, where Trump was found liable for fraudulently inflating his assets to obtain favorable loan terms. He also took the stand in Bragg’s case in 2024, where Trump was ultimately found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records.

Cohen accused both James and Bragg of using their high-profile cases to elevate their careers, claiming they sought credit as officials who “took down Trump.”

TRUMP FILES ‘POWERHOUSE’ APPEAL IN ‘POLITICALLY CHARGED’ MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY CASE

Michael Cohen, former personal attorney to President Donald Trump, alleges New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office pressured him while he testified in cases against Trump. (Getty Images)

“They blurred the line between justice and politics; and in that blur, the credibility of both suffered,” he wrote.

Cohen said that both before and during the trials, prosecutors made it clear they were only interested in testimony from him that would convict Trump.

“When my testimony was insufficient for a point the prosecution sought to make, prosecutors frequently asked inappropriate leading questions to elicit answers that supported their narrative,” he said.

NEW YORK, NY – MAY 30: District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., and his legal team, hold a press conference following the Trump verdict on May 30, 2024 in New York, N.Y. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to several crimes, including tax evasion, campaign finance violations and lying to Congress. He described cooperating with authorities while incarcerated, saying he sought sentence relief and felt compelled to provide testimony fitting prosecutors’ narratives with the hope that his sentence would be reduced.

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“You may reasonably ask why I am speaking out now. The answer is simple. I have witnessed firsthand the damage done when prosecutors pick their target first and then seek evidence to fit a predetermined narrative,” Cohen said, while noting that he was not writing in defense of Trump.

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Boston, MA

Verizon, Boston 25 owner settle dispute that left station off Fios TV for nearly two months – The Boston Globe

Published

12 minutes ago

February 9, 2026

Press Room

Verizon, Boston 25 owner settle dispute that left station off Fios TV for nearly two months – The Boston Globe

Verizon Fios announced Saturday that Cox Media Group stations including WFXT-TV (Channel 25) would return to Fios TV after a nearly two-month dispute that left local viewers without access to Fox broadcasts including some Patriots games.

The dispute, which began Dec. 15, left Boston and Providence Fios customer without the channel Boston 25 (WXFT), a Fox affiliate. Subscribers in Pittsburgh lost access to WPXI-TV, an NBC affiliate. Verizon had accused Cox Media of demanding high fees to carry the channel, while Cox Media alleged Verizon had rejected what it viewed as fair offers.

The now-settled conflict is just the latest in a fragmented media landscape that frequently leaves viewers without certain channels, events, and shows, often leading audiences to scramble for access through other streaming services.

“We’re thrilled that Verizon Fios customers in Boston and Providence can once again enjoy Boston 25,” said Todd Brown, vice president and general manager of Boston 25, in a statement. “This agreement reflects the value of Boston 25 and our important local news, weather, traffic, investigative journalism, and sports our viewers count on, along with the shows they love.”

Boston 25 had previously urged customers to call Verizon and demand an end to the dispute, a campaign that included posting Verizon’s corporate phone number on social media and on the news outlet’s homepage.

A month into the dispute, Verizon offered $10.99 in credits to Fios customers who were affected the blackout to cover the costs of other platforms. A Verizon spokesperson said that customers could not longer request the credits now that the provider and Cox Media have settled their dispute.

“We sincerely appreciate our customers’ patience during these negotiations,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Our goal as always, is to provide great content at a fair value, and we look forward to continuing to serve our communities with the local news and entertainment they rely on.”

Aidan Ryan can be reached at aidan.ryan@globe.com. Follow him @aidanfitzryan.

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Pittsburg, PA

7 churches within the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh to close in March

Published

1 hour ago

February 9, 2026

Press Room

7 churches within the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh to close in March

Seven churches in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh will close next month.

These closures will impact Catholics in places like Swissvale, Turtle Creek, and Braddock, with churches in the Saint Joseph the Worker Parish, leaving St. Maurice Church in Forest Hills as the only one of those churches remaining.

The announcement came just minutes into Sunday’s mass at St. Maurice as it was streamed online.

Good Shepherd Church, Madonna del Castello Church, Sacred Heart Church, St. Anselm Church, St. Colman Church, St. John Fisher Church, and St. Jude the Apostle Church are all slated to close on March 12.

KDKA-TV’s Shelley Bortz first reported on the potential for closures last October. The parish said financial struggles and declining attendance were part of the problem.

“We’ve been expecting this, unfortunately, due to many things: population decrease, coming to church, and not enough priests. So, we have those issues that we’ve been dealing with,” Sandi Hartman, a parishioner, said to KDKA-TV at the time.

Those sentiments were echoed on the altar on Sunday.

The letter read to the congregation came from Bishop Mark Eckman. He said in it that he recognizes the news brings a time of big changes, along with a sense of loss, too.

Eckman wrote that the parish’s mission remains unchanged and that the move will better resource the parish.

In the meantime, the church plans to take time to honor the churches that will be closing, as said on its livestream on Sunday.

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Connecticut

Connecticut School Board Beats Parents’ Suit Over LGBTQ+ Policy

Published

2 hours ago

February 9, 2026

Press Room

Connecticut School Board Beats Parents’ Suit Over LGBTQ+ Policy

A Connecticut public school system is free of a lawsuit by parents who sued alleging its LGBTQ+ positive practices, messaging, and administrative actions violated the students’ First Amendment rights.

Danielle Scarpellino and other parents, who sued the Guilford Board of Education and individual school administrators on behalf of themselves and their children, failed to present evidence showing the administrators disciplined the students in response to their speech or religious beliefs, the US District Court for the District of Connecticut said Feb. 7. Judge Victor A. Bolden awarded summary judgment to the defendants, saying the parents also failed to show they …

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