Michael Cohen will be released to home confinement

[Stuart G]

Source: CNN

New York (CNN) -- A federal judge ordered Michael Cohen to be released into home confinement after finding the government had sent him back to prison in retaliation for a tell-book he was writing about President Donald Trump.

During a phone hearing on Thursday, Judge Alvin Hellerstein rejected prosecutors' argument that they didn't customize a release form prohibiting Cohen from engaging with the media. Hellerstein said there was no other "inference" to take than retaliation for why Cohen was brought back into federal custody after he had been released on furlough.

"The purpose of transferring Mr. Cohen from furlough and home confinement to jail is retaliatory, and it's retaliatory because of his desire to exercise his First Amendment rights to publish a book and discuss anything about the book or anything else he wants on social media," Hellerstein ruled.

"In 21 years of being a judge and sentencing people and looking at terms and conditions of supervised release, I've never seen such a clause," Hellerstein said.

Cohen sued the Department of Justice on Monday, alleging he was taken back into custody on July 9 to block the release of his book, which is slated for a September release, two months before the presidential election.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/23/politics/michael-cohen-will-be-released/index.html

[groundloop]

1. I don't care for Cohen, but would love it if he released more dirt on tRump.

And what a pile of bullshit - sending him back to prison because the administration feared he was going to publish a book.

[Stuart G]

2. I guess the judge was thinking the same thing as you....k and r ...your post..

And Trump was the person who sent him back to prison...Can't prove it, but that is what I believe.

[Miguelito Loveless]

3. Will believe it

when he’s released. Trump doesn’t obey orders, he gives them. I would not be surprised if he is moved to avoid being released.

[totodeinhere]

4. I have mixed feelings about this. Yes, I want his book released so that we can get

more dirt on Trump before the election. But on the other hand I wish that Cohen could stay in prison. He is a convicted felon who deserves it.

[onetexan]

7. if he gets thrown back in prison the goons may do him in & make it look like an accident

OR suicide, Epstein-style. I would rather he get home confinement, BUT he needs to stay the heck home and not wander outside during his probation. I'm afraid the goons might be waiting to do him in on the outside as well.

[noneof_theabove]

5. maybe I'm wrong

I thought he got hauled in because he did not follow his release rules and was caught at restaurant or some other place that violated his release.

[totodeinhere]

6. Yes that's what I thought too and if so he should be in jail IMHO. n/t

[Jetheels]

8. Wasn't he put back in prison cause he was out dining in restaurants?/nt

[yellowcanine]

9. This was a clear case of Barr trying to suppress Cohen's free speech.

So yes, I approve of the decision. You can argue that Cohen deserves to be in prison but the point is a judge decided he did not need to be and the "justice" department tried an unConstitutional move to suppress his speech.