The Scoop
Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s ex-attorney-turned-critic who has characterized his former boss as a “conman” and “racist,” is considering a run for Congress.
Cohen said he would run as a Democrat, potentially mounting a primary challenge against U.S Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., the party’s top member on the House Judiciary Committee.
“I am interested and there’s a multitude of folks encouraging me to run,” Cohen told Semafor in a brief phone interview.
Cohen said he currently lives on the East Side of Manhattan, which would neatly position him to run in New York’s 12th congressional district. The district was redrawn in 2022, pitting Nadler in a contentious midterm race against his colleague, former congresswoman, Carolyn Maloney.
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Nadler was first elected to Congress in 1992 and has served as the Judiciary Committee’s lead Democrat since 2019, during which time he served in a significant role in Trump’s first impeachment inquiry.
Cohen served about 13 months in prison after pleading guilty to a multitude of charges stemming from his time as Trump’s fixer, including for his role making hush money payments to adult actress Stormy Daniels. Since then, he’s emerged as a vocal antagonist of the former president. He recently testified before a grand jury as a witness for Manhattan Attorney Alvin Bragg’s criminal investigation against Trump, which led to a 34-count felony indictment related to the Daniels scheme.