Michael Cohen can use social media, talk to reporters, and publish tell-all book on house arrest

President Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen will have a lot more freedom as he remains on house arrest.

Cohen, serving a three-year sentence, was released from prison to house arrest in May due to coronavirus concerns, but was taken back into custody in early July. He has since been released again, and scored another win Thursday when the U.S. government dropped its attempt to block him from publishing a tell-all book about Trump.

Cohen was sent back to prison in early July after he was spotted dining out during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the government saying he had violated the terms of his release. Cohen then sued Attorney General William Barr, contending the government was retaliating against him for writing a book about Trump to be released before Election Day. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ruled in Cohen's favor last week and ordered him to return to home confinement.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Still, a condition in Cohen's home confinement agreement barred him from using social media, talking to the media, appearing on TV, and publishing his book. The Justice Department and Bureau of Prisons decided to drop that provision in a Thursday filing, saying "a specific provision" regarding Cohen’s “contact with the media is not necessary." The government will no longer question Hellerstein's release ruling, it also said.

Cohen pleaded guilty to charges of tax fraud, campaign finance violations, and lying to Congress in 2018, all in connection to hush money payments made to women who alleged affairs with Trump.