Michael Cohen predicts people Trump pardoned may testify against him

President Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen suggested Monday that recent recipients of presidential pardons may turn on Trump and be forced to testify against him due to their lack of Fifth Amendment protection.

“This produces a very significant problem for Donald Trump, in that once you get that pardon, you’re no longer able to invoke the Fifth Amendment … because you cannot be charged. All of these people may ultimately be his downfall simply because they’ll be testifying against him,” Cohen said while speaking with MSNBC’s Ari Melber.

“Once you get that pardon, you’re no longer able to invoke the Fifth Amendment … All of these people may ultimately be his downfall simply because they’ll be testifying against him,” Michael Cohen says about the implications Pres. Trump may face from pardoning political allies. pic.twitter.com/3d1kW5IHIZ

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) December 28, 2020

The Fifth Amendment protects Americans from being forced to make statements implicating themselves in criminal activity.

The president has pardoned a number of loyalists in recent weeks, including longtime political adviser Roger Stone, former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Democrats like Rep. Bill Pascrell (N.J.) have recently called for Trump to face criminal investigations over his use of power in office as well as his personal business dealings after his term ends.

Cohen in 2018 pleaded guilty to nine counts, including tax evasion and fraud, and was sentenced to three years in federal prison. He was due to be released from prison next November but was released to home confinement in May due to the coronavirus pandemic.