Michael Cohen's explosive allegations suggest danger for Trump on two fronts
Trump’s ex-fixer hints Mueller may have proof of coordination with Russia and again alleges campaign finance violations
Michael Cohen on Wednesday delivered a sharp warning to Donald Trump and the Republican party that the president faces legal and political peril on at least two fronts.
First, the Trump-Russia investigation.
Cohen became the first Trump associate to allege that, in 2016, Trump knew in advance that his eldest son, Donald Jr, was meeting Russians promising dirt on Hillary Clinton – and that WikiLeaks would be releasing emails stolen from Democrats by Russian operatives.
Moreover, Cohen hinted that Robert Mueller, the special counsel currently wrapping up a two-year inquiry into whether Trump’s team coordinated with Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, may have proof.
Cohen was asked by Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Florida Democrat forced to resign as party chairwoman over the WikiLeaks disclosures, how they could corroborate his explosive allegations, which are based on remarks he says he overheard in Trump’s office.
“I suspect that the special counsel’s office and other government agencies have the information you’re seeking,” Cohen said. Trump denied both allegations in his written answers to questions from Mueller.
Cohen also reiterated that Trump lied repeatedly to the American public during the 2016 campaign by saying he had no dealings with Russia. In fact, Cohen has told prosecutors, Trump was keenly pursuing a lucrative tower in Moscow until June 2016.
Trump’s former fixer cautioned that he could not prove the “collusion” with Moscow that the president vehemently denies. Still there was, Cohen said, “something odd” about the affectionate back-and-forth Trump had with Vladimir Putin in public remarks over the years.
“There are just so many dots that seem to lead in the same direction,” he said.
Michael Cohen was a lawyer for Donald Trump from 2006 until 2018. He was a vice-president of The Trump Organization, and was part of Trump’s campaign team for the 2016 presidential election. Considered a close friend and confidant of the US president, Cohen faced criminal charges for his work for Trump.
In August 2018 Cohen pleaded guilty to eight counts of campaign finance violations, tax fraud, and bank fraud, admitting that on the eve of the 2016 presidential election he made a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, and arranged for a $150,000 payment to the former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Cohen also admitted lying during campaign about a Trump property deal in Russia. He is one of of five of Trump’s presidential aides to have been found to have broken the law.
He was sentenced to three years in prison in December 2018, and was also ordered to pay nearly $2m in fines and restitution requirements.
Having previously described himself as “the guy who would take a bullet for the president”, when sentenced, Cohen said “I have been living in a personal and mental incarceration ever since the day that I accepted the offer to work for a real estate mogul whose business acumen that I deeply admired. I know now, in fact, there is little to be admired.”
The 52 year old is married with two children, and has, over the years flipped between being a member of both the Democrats and the Republicans. He is expected to report to jail in May 2019.
Martin Belam
The extent to which Mueller’s findings will be made public is unclear. Justice department policy is that a sitting president may not be charged with crimes. But Democrats have vowed to get their hands on the full report – and launch impeachment proceedings if necessary.
Second, Cohen continues to implicate Trump in a criminal conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws – and on Wednesday dragged Donald Jr in as well.
Cohen released copies of cheques signed by both Trumps that, he said, were reimbursements for payments he made to buy the silence of Stormy Daniels, a pornographic actor who alleged she had an affair with Trump.
Federal prosecutors in New York allege the payments amounted to an illegal scheme, using undisclosed funds to protect Trump’s presidential campaign. Cohen, who is due to go to prison in May for three years, pleaded guilty to involvement in the scheme – and alleged that Trump directed him to commit the campaign finance crime.
That could leave the elder Trump vulnerable to prosecution on charges in his native New York when he leaves office, according to legal analysts. And Cohen’s testimony on Wednesday indicated that Donald Jr could face similar jeopardy more immediately.
Charging documents in Cohen’s case said two senior people in the Trump Organization – identified only as “executive 1” and “executive 2” for the time being – were also involved in executing the illegal scheme.
Executive 1 is understood to be Allen Weisselberg, the Trumps’ longtime chief financial officer, who has been granted immunity to help prosecutors in their investigation. Executive 2 authorised Weisselberg to make a payment to Daniels, the prosecutors said.
Donald Jr had posted 30 tweets or retweets about Cohen’s testimony by lunchtime on Wednesday. Many of them championed the Republican congressmen who were loyally striving to criticize Cohen and save their leader.
None, though, addressed the allegation about his own involvement. But one of the reimbursement cheques produced by Cohen offered a clue. It bore the signatures of two executives: Weisselberg and Donald John Trump Jr.
Further dangers may await the Trumps down the road. Cohen said on Wednesday that he was unable to discuss his final contact with Trump last year, because that was being investigated by federal prosecutors in Manhattan.
His questioner, the Democratic congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois, tried again. Was Cohen aware of any further illegal activity or wrongdoing by Trump that had not yet been discussed?
“Yes,” said Cohen. “And again, those are part of the investigation that’s currently being looked at by the southern district of New York.”
