Cohen had
Trump's back now Trump stabs him in the back
(Cohen gets revenge; smiles now smirks; tears later)
Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former lawyer, said
in a television interview on Friday (ABC “Good Morning America” with George Stephanopoulos from the Washington
Post) that Trump knew it was wrong to make hush-money payments to women who
alleged they had affairs with him, directly contradicting claims from the
president.
Cohen, who
has admitted facilitating payments to two women in violation of campaign
finance laws, told ABC News that he knew what he was doing was wrong.
Asked
whether the president also knew it was wrong to make the payments, Cohen
replied, “Of course.” Cohen then said that the purpose was: “To help [Trump] and his campaign. He was very
concerned about how this would affect the election.”
In his interview, Cohen, who once vowed that he would
“take a bullet” for Trump, now flatly disputed the president’s assertion.
He said
Trump was well aware of important decisions involving his business adding: “I don’t think there is anybody that believes
that. First of all, nothing at the Trump Organization was ever done unless it
was run through Mr. Trump. He directed me to make the payments. He directed me
to become involved in these matters.”
Cohen nicknamed “The Fixer”
said: “He knows the truth. I know the truth. Others
know the truth. And here is the truth: People of the United States of America,
people of the world, don’t believe what he is saying. The man doesn’t tell the
truth. And it is sad that I should take responsibility for his dirty deeds.”
Trump denied
that he had directed Cohen to break the law during the 2016 campaign by buying
the silence (hush money) of former Playboy playmate Karen McDougal and adult-film star
Stormy Daniels.
He also said that Cohen, as his lawyer, bore responsibility for
any campaign finance violations saying on FOX news recently: “I never directed him to do anything wrong. Whatever
he did he did on his own. I never directed him to do anything incorrect or
wrong.”
In the interview,
Cohen said that a $150,000 payment to McDougal was negotiated directly between
Trump and David Pecker, the chief executive of the National Enquirer’s parent
company (AMI), and that his role was limited to reviewing papers.
Federal prosecutors just announced a cooperation deal with the company, American
Media Inc. (AMI), in which it acknowledged paying McDougal: “To suppress the woman’s story and to prevent it
from influencing the election.”
In the
interview, Cohen declined to answer specific questions about the probe by
special counsel Robert S. Mueller III into possible coordination between Russia
and Trump’s 2016 campaign adding: “I
don’t want to jeopardize any of their investigations.”
But asked whether he thinks Trump is telling the truth
about the Russia investigation, Cohen replied, “No.”
Trump continues to deny any “collusion” with Russia
and has repeatedly attacked Mueller and his lawyers, accusing them of
conducting a “witch hunt.”
Cohen acknowledged that he “didn’t display good
judgment” in lying on Trump’s behalf and that his family was disappointed in
him saying: “I am done with the lying I am done with being loyal to President
Trump.”
Asked why people should believe him now, Cohen cited a
statement by Mueller’s office that he has been helpful to its investigations
adding: “There’s a substantial amount of information that they possess that corroborates
the fact that I am telling the truth.”
Related coverage:
(1) Here from the NY TIMES via MSN and (2) here
a short video clip of the ABC interview from CNN.
Trump’s
documented trail of lies here from the Washington Post:
Highlights: Trump has
made more than 6,420 false or misleading claims seen at the site above which has
an ongoing record since he assumed office (updated as of October 30, 2018).
My 2
cents:
Amazing with that we
know and the tons of evidence that Mueller has and is about to truly
mind-boggling how Trump loyalists stick by him. But, his days are numbered.
Thanks for stopping by.
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