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Trump, Familiar With ‘Flipping’ Under Legal Pressure, Says It ‘Almost Ought to Be Illegal’ Trump, Familiar With ‘Flipping’ Under Legal Pressure, Says It ‘Almost Ought to Be Illegal’
(35 minutes later)
WASHINGTON — President Trump said he was not surprised that his onetime lawyer and fixer cooperated with prosecutors in exchange for a lesser punishment — “It’s called ‘flipping,’ and it almost ought to be illegal,” he said.WASHINGTON — President Trump said he was not surprised that his onetime lawyer and fixer cooperated with prosecutors in exchange for a lesser punishment — “It’s called ‘flipping,’ and it almost ought to be illegal,” he said.
Mr. Trump said the years in prison facing his longtime attorney, Michael D. Cohen, for bank fraud were too daunting, and “in all fairness to him, most people are going to do that.”Mr. Trump said the years in prison facing his longtime attorney, Michael D. Cohen, for bank fraud were too daunting, and “in all fairness to him, most people are going to do that.”
“I know all about flipping. For 30, 40 years I have been watching flippers,” Mr. Trump said on Wednesday during an interview with “Fox & Friends” that aired on Thursday.“I know all about flipping. For 30, 40 years I have been watching flippers,” Mr. Trump said on Wednesday during an interview with “Fox & Friends” that aired on Thursday.
Then Mr. Trump referred to Mr. Cohen’s case. “But if you can say something bad about Donald Trump and you will go down to two years or three years, which is the deal he made, in all fairness to him, most people are going to do that. And I have seen it many times. I have had many friends involved in this stuff.”Then Mr. Trump referred to Mr. Cohen’s case. “But if you can say something bad about Donald Trump and you will go down to two years or three years, which is the deal he made, in all fairness to him, most people are going to do that. And I have seen it many times. I have had many friends involved in this stuff.”
The president’s professed experience with “flippers” illustrates his views on law and loyalty and helps to explain his opposing reactions to two men who are guilty of defrauding the federal government.The president’s professed experience with “flippers” illustrates his views on law and loyalty and helps to explain his opposing reactions to two men who are guilty of defrauding the federal government.
The president’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, who was just convicted of tax and bank fraud was “brave,” because he chose to go to trial instead of cooperating with the government. And Mr. Cohen, who was once so loyal to the president that he said he would take a bullet for him, was a bad lawyer who broke under pressure, in Mr. Trump’s view.The president’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, who was just convicted of tax and bank fraud was “brave,” because he chose to go to trial instead of cooperating with the government. And Mr. Cohen, who was once so loyal to the president that he said he would take a bullet for him, was a bad lawyer who broke under pressure, in Mr. Trump’s view.
“It’s called flipping, and it almost ought to be illegal,” Mr. Trump said of Mr. Cohen’s deal with the government. And the campaign finance crimes Mr. Cohen pleaded guilty to are “tiny ones,” or “not even crimes,” according to Mr. Trump.“It’s called flipping, and it almost ought to be illegal,” Mr. Trump said of Mr. Cohen’s deal with the government. And the campaign finance crimes Mr. Cohen pleaded guilty to are “tiny ones,” or “not even crimes,” according to Mr. Trump.
It was the latest swipe at the American justice system, which the president has previously disparaged and scolded for being unfair, most notably in continuing the investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and whether Moscow was coordinating with any Trump campaign aides.It was the latest swipe at the American justice system, which the president has previously disparaged and scolded for being unfair, most notably in continuing the investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and whether Moscow was coordinating with any Trump campaign aides.
Flipping, or striking a plea bargain with prosecutors, is one of the most commonly used tactics in the federal justice system. In the predawn hours on Thursday, the president tweeted, “NO COLLUSION — RIGGED WITCH HUNT!”
“Plea bargaining is a defining, if not the defining, feature of the federal criminal justice system,” a 2011 Justice Department report on the subject said. Flipping, or striking a plea bargain with prosecutors, is one of the most commonly used tactic in the federal justice system.
The president said he often puts quotation marks around the word “justice” when he is talking about the United States Justice Department because, in his view, the department is not pursing the real crimes. Matt Axelrod, a former federal prosecutor who is currently practicing as a white collar defense attorney at Linklaters Law Firm, called it a “fundamental building block” of federal prosecutions.
As for the attorney general, Jeff Sessions: “What kind of man is this,” Mr. Trump asked in his Fox interview. The president has long expressed regret over naming Mr. Sessions to the post because, in the president’s view, he did not protect the president from the Russia inquiry when he recused himself from overseeing the investigation. “Prosecutors use cooperators to work their way up the organizational hierarchy,” Mr. Axelrod said. “Without cooperators, prosecutors are often left with a case against just the worker bees, not the bosses.”
Mr. Trump said the only reason he gave Mr. Sessions the job is because he worked on his presidential campaign. “I felt loyalty,” Mr. Trump said. Or, as Mr. Trump said, “They flip on whoever the next highest one is, or as high as you can go.”
The president said he often puts quotation marks around the word “justice” when he is talking about the department because, in his view, the department is not pursuing the real crimes.
And as for the leader of the Justice Department, Jeff Sessions: “What kind of man is this,” Mr. Trump asked in his Fox interview. The president has long expressed regret over naming Mr. Sessions to the post because he did protect the president from the Russia inquiry when he recused himself from overseeing the investigation.
Mr. Trump said the only reason he gave Mr. Sessions the job is because he was an early supporter of his and worked on his presidential campaign. “I felt loyalty,” Mr. Trump said.