Former Trump Attorney Michael Cohen revealed his plans to challenge Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) in the Democratic primary.
In a long-form interview with New York Magazine, Cohen detailed his journey from being former President Donald Trump’s fixer to one of his biggest rivals. Completing his turn, he announced his plans to run against the incumbent Nadler to become the Democratic representative of New York‘s 12th Congressional District seat.
“We thank him for his service, but it’s enough already,” Cohen said of Nadler.
The New York Democrat has held the position for over three decades.
Cohen plans to announce his campaign on Nov. 6, the day after the general election, meaning he would start his campaign two years before the next election.
He added that he would have run for office this year but suffered a mental breakdown as a result of his role in Trump’s hush money trial.
Nadler was dismissive of Cohen in a statement to Politico.
“What a great country America is,” he said. “Anyone can run for Congress — even con men.”
Cohen gave an intricate account of his sudden personal and political turn, tacking it onto a feeling of deep, personal betrayal after Trump failed to give him a job in his administration, and then failed to issue him a pardon for his legal troubles.
As for his erratic behavior during the Trump hush money trial, which included doing TikTok livestreams railing against Trump while donning filters making him look like cartoonish characters, Cohen said it resulted from his insomnia and the feeling of community he got from the app.
The former Trump attorney told New York Magazine that he believed Trump was asleep, or half asleep, for most of his testimony. The two only made eye contact once.
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“It’s crazy,” Cohen said. “I would say for my very first day, I’m not joking now, 90% of the time that I was on the stand, he was sleeping. Well, I shouldn’t say sleeping. He was with his eyes closed and slumped over. Here’s the crazy s***: The jury can see him! They are watching him! Now, if I was a juror and the defendant is so disinterested in his own case? I’d be p****d!”
Cohen also detailed how he believes there was a conspiracy against him as soon as Trump took office, which had the Trump administration turn him into a political prisoner.