Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen is alleging in his upcoming tell-all book that Donald Trump made racist remarks about former President Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela, the late South African leader.
The Washington Post reports that the revelations are contained in a Monday night filing by Cohen’s attorneys, seeking his immediate release from jail. The petition, also filed by the ACLU argues that Cohen was sent back to prison earlier this month in retaliation for his plans to publish a book about his time working for Donald Trump before the November election.
According to the filing, the book, “describes Mr. Cohen’s first-hand experiences with Mr. Trump, and it provides graphic details about the President’s behavior behind closed doors. 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 petition also argues that Cohen’s imprisonment violates his first amendment rights. “He is being held in retaliation for his protected speech, including drafting a book manuscript that is critical of the President — and recently making public his intention to publish that book soon, shortly before the upcoming election.”
Cohen was arrested earlier this month after he was released to home confinement due to the coronavirus pandemic. His rearrest was because he failed to reach an agreement with the court about the terms of his home confinement. Cohen said he was asked to sign a gag order which prohibits him from speaking about him from publishing his book while he was serving his sentence.
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