Republican lawmakers seek clarification on Trump’s ‘anti-weaponization fund’ 04:31
Michael Cohen, a Trump lawyer turned critic who was imprisoned for his work for the president, told CBS News on Thursday that he is planning to apply for money from the Justice Department’s new “anti-weaponization fund.”
“I am working through the entire process on my own and will submit this letter directly to the Department of Justice when completed,” Cohen told CBS News in a text message.
The controversial $1.776 billion fund, announced earlier this week, will provide financial compensation to those who say the legal system has “weaponized” them. It’s part of President Trump’s settlement with the Justice Department to resolve the president’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over leaks of Trump’s tax returns.
He said he filed because he believed the issues that prompted Trump to sue the government were “the exact same thing that happened to me.”
“Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit is based on the same causes of action that affect me, causing me to lose my law license, business, finances, family well-being, business relationships and opportunities,” Cohen said.
Cohen said he is still drafting a letter seeking relief. In a partial draft obtained by CBS News, Cohen wrote: “If weaponized funds truly exist to support individuals who have been destroyed by politically motivated law enforcement tactics, selective prosecutions, government leaks, abuse of power and intentional reputational damage, then perhaps there is no clearer example than what happened to me.”
NBC News first reported Cohen’s plans to apply for the fund.
Cohen was one of Trump’s most trusted legal advisers before he became president in 2016. He is often referred to as Trump’s personal “fixer” and once described himself as “someone who would take a bullet for the president.” He is now a fierce critic of Trump.
Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison in 2018 after pleading guilty to campaign finance violations involving payments to women who accused him of having affairs with Trump. He was also sentenced to two months in prison for lying to Congress about the proposed Trump Tower project in Moscow, a charge brought by special counsel Robert Mueller. Cohen claimed at his sentencing that his loyalty to Mr Trump had led him “down a path of darkness rather than a path of light”.
“My weakness can be described as blind loyalty to Donald Trump, and my weakness is my inability to question and reject his demands,” Cohen said at the sentencing.
In 2024, Cohen testified in the New York state criminal case against Trump, who was later convicted of falsifying business records related to payments to women that were at the heart of Cohen’s criminal charges. Trump has long denied having affairs with the women and has denied any criminal wrongdoing.
Cohen testified at trial that the president received regular updates about the cover-up of salacious stories about him while he was running for president in 2016 and personally signed off on a plan to falsify records related to those stories.
This is not the first time Cohen has sought relief for what he believes to be mistreatment by the government. He sued the federal government and Trump five years ago, claiming he was abruptly removed from a COVID-19 home confinement program in 2020 and forced back into prison in retaliation for his criticism of the president. The judge dismissed his lawsuit, citing previous court precedent.
Cohen was one of the first known Trump critics to apply for the Anti-Weaponization Fund program.
The Justice Department said in a statement Monday that there are “no partisan requirements for filing the claims” and that the decision on who will receive relief will be made by a five-person panel appointed by the attorney general.
Many of the other figures interested in applying are Trump allies, including former Trump adviser Michael Caputo, who became the first known applicant on Tuesday when he requested $2.7 million from the Justice Department. Some January 6 riot defendants also suggested they could apply.
The fund has drawn criticism from members of both parties and ethics watchdogs. The progressive group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington called it “the most shameless act of self-dealing in presidential history.”
The Justice Department defended the fund, with acting Attorney General Todd Branch comparing it to other settlement funds established by the government and arguing it would correct “years of weaponization.”
