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Michael Cohen has information on 'conspiracy by Russians', says lawyer | Michael Cohen has information on 'conspiracy by Russians', says lawyer |
(about 4 hours later) | |
Donald Trump’s former lawyer and fixer has information on a “conspiracy to corrupt American democracy by the Russians” that would be of interest to justice department investigators, it was claimed on Wednesday. | |
Michael Cohen has pleaded guilty to eight charges including campaign finance violations and directly implicated the future US president in paying “hush money” to women with whom he allegedly had extramarital affairs. | |
Cohen’s lawyer, Lanny Davis, suggested that Cohen is ready to tell Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his team, investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, everything he knows. | |
“Michael Cohen knows information that would be of interest to the special counsel, in my opinion, regarding both knowledge about a conspiracy to corrupt American democracy by the Russians, and the failure to report that knowledge to the FBI,” Davis told the MSNBC channel on Wednesday. | |
Trump suffered twin setbacks on Tuesday when Cohen pleaded guilty in a court in New York, just minutes before Trump’s former campaign chief, Paul Manafort, was convicted of financial crimes in Alexandria, Virginia, that could see him jailed for the rest of his life. | |
The developments stunned Washington, dented Trump’s claim that the Mueller investigation is a “witch hunt” and and revived speculation over whether he could face impeachment proceedings if Democrats win a majority in the House of Representatives in November’s midterm elections. | |
Appearing in federal court in Manhattan, Cohen - a close confidante of Trump for more than a decade - said that during the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump directed him to make payments to two women who claimed they had affairs with the president in exchange for their silence. | |
He told a judge that he acted “in coordination with and at the direction of” a candidate for federal office and made the payments “at the request of the candidate”. | |
The payments to the women – pornographic film actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal – amounted to illegal campaign contributions and were designed to influence the results of the election, Cohen admitted in court. He said Trump repaid him for the $130,000 in hush money received by Daniels. | The payments to the women – pornographic film actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal – amounted to illegal campaign contributions and were designed to influence the results of the election, Cohen admitted in court. He said Trump repaid him for the $130,000 in hush money received by Daniels. |
“He said under oath the most damaging, definitive information yesterday – that the president of the United States directed him to commit a crime,” Davis said on NBC’s Today show. | |
Davis also said Cohen would not accept a pardon, even if Trump were to offer him one. | Davis also said Cohen would not accept a pardon, even if Trump were to offer him one. |
“Not only is he not hoping for, he would not accept a pardon,” Davis said.“He considers a pardon from somebody who has acted so corruptly as president to be something he would never accept.” | “Not only is he not hoping for, he would not accept a pardon,” Davis said.“He considers a pardon from somebody who has acted so corruptly as president to be something he would never accept.” |
Trump lashed out at Cohen via Twitter on Wednesday, accusing his former fixer of making up “stories in order to get a ‘deal’” from federal prosecutors. | |
He also attempted to dismiss two of the counts of campaign finance violations that Cohen had pleaded guilty to, saying they “are not a crime.” | |
He elaborated during an interview with the conservative network Fox News due to be broadcast on Thursday. Asked if he knew about the payments, Trump said: “They didn’t come out of the campaign, they came from me. And I tweeted about it. You know, I put -- I don’t know if you know but I tweeted about the payments. But they didn’t come out of campaign. | |
“In fact, my first question when I heard about it was did they come out of the campaign because that could be a little dicey. And they didn’t come out of the campaign and that’s big. But they weren’t – that’s not a – it’s not even a campaign violation. If you look at President Obama, he had a massive campaign violation but he had a different attorney general and they viewed it a lot differently.” | |
Trump was apparently referring to a fine levied on the former president’s 2008 campaign over missing and delayed disclosure of high-dollar donors in the final days of that race. | |
Though Cohen’s plea deal did not include an agreement to cooperate with prosecutors, but his lawyer said Cohen is now prepared to tell all to the special counsel’s investigators and to the public. | Though Cohen’s plea deal did not include an agreement to cooperate with prosecutors, but his lawyer said Cohen is now prepared to tell all to the special counsel’s investigators and to the public. |
Davis did not specify what information Cohen has about Russian interference, but said he is “100%” prepared to reveal everything. | Davis did not specify what information Cohen has about Russian interference, but said he is “100%” prepared to reveal everything. |
“What he knows that he witnessed will be of interest to the special counsel,” he said on ABC’s Good Morning America. “He will tell the truth to everyone who asks him about Mr Trump.” | “What he knows that he witnessed will be of interest to the special counsel,” he said on ABC’s Good Morning America. “He will tell the truth to everyone who asks him about Mr Trump.” |
Cohen was for years one of Trump’s most trusted advisers, but his attorney made it clear he has now thoroughly turned on his billionaire boss, less than a year after he said he “would take a bullet for” the president. | Cohen was for years one of Trump’s most trusted advisers, but his attorney made it clear he has now thoroughly turned on his billionaire boss, less than a year after he said he “would take a bullet for” the president. |
Cohen believes Trump is “unsuitable to hold the office”, Davis said, citing his refusal while standing alongside Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, to accept the conclusion of US intelligence agencies that the Russians were responsible for the election disruption. | Cohen believes Trump is “unsuitable to hold the office”, Davis said, citing his refusal while standing alongside Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, to accept the conclusion of US intelligence agencies that the Russians were responsible for the election disruption. |
If anyone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you don’t retain the services of Michael Cohen! | If anyone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you don’t retain the services of Michael Cohen! |
“He’s turned his life [around] from what he did for Donald Trump, much of which he now regrets,” Davis said on the Today Show. “That’s the kind of thing that caused Michael Cohen to change his mind, and decide to dedicate himself to telling the truth to the American people.” | “He’s turned his life [around] from what he did for Donald Trump, much of which he now regrets,” Davis said on the Today Show. “That’s the kind of thing that caused Michael Cohen to change his mind, and decide to dedicate himself to telling the truth to the American people.” |
The distaste is apparently mutual. In his first comment on Cohen’s plea, Trump tweeted on Wednesday morning: “If anyone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you don’t retain the services of Michael Cohen!” | The distaste is apparently mutual. In his first comment on Cohen’s plea, Trump tweeted on Wednesday morning: “If anyone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you don’t retain the services of Michael Cohen!” |
Conversely, Trump praised Manafort, saying he was “brave” and had “tremendous pressure on him and, unlike Cohen, he refused to ‘break.’” | |
At Wednesday’s White House briefing, press secretary Sarah Sanders declined to rule out the possibility that Manafort might receive a presidential pardon. She insisted: “Just because Michael Cohen made a plea deal doesn’t mean that implicates the president in anything.” | |
Asked if the president lied to the American people about the payments, Sanders replied: “That’s a ridiculous accusation. The president in this matter has done nothing wrong and there are no charges against him.” | |
But there has been sharp criticism from Democrats and some members of Trump’s own party. Republican Senator Ben Sasse said: “Paul Manafort is a founding member of the DC swamp and Michael Cohen is the Gotham version of the same. Neither one of these felons should have been anywhere near the presidency.” | |
Michael Cohen | Michael Cohen |
Donald Trump | Donald Trump |
Russia | Russia |
US politics | US politics |
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