Former Trump lawyer warns tax release could spell end for ex-president: ‘Take responsibility for your dirty deeds’
File Image: Former president Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump acknowledge supporters at Joint Base Andrews before boarding Air Force One for his last time as president
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After the Supreme Court ordered Donald Trump to release his tax returns to New York prosecutors, the Republican’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen said it was time for the former president to “take responsibility for his own dirty deeds”.
Mr Cohen was the longtime personal lawyer to Mr Trump until they fell out in 2018, as the attorney was sent to prison for his role in paying hush money to adult film actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. The two had said that they had sexual encounters with Mr Trump, which he denied.
Reacting to the apex court paving the way for Mr Trump to reveal his tax returns, Mr Cohen said in a statement: “The Supreme Court has now proclaimed that no one is above the law. Trump will, for the first time, have to take responsibility for his own dirty deeds.”
After pleading guilty to eight counts including criminal tax evasion, Mr Cohen was released from prison in May 2020 due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, and was directed to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest.
Appearing on NBC, Mr Cohen predicted that a probe into his former client’s tax affairs could wind him in jail and he should prepare for wearing a prison uniform. He added he’s not sure what exactly the documents may reveal, but was confident enough to claim “it does not look good for” Mr Trump.
He also said the former president “has done everything in his power within which to try to keep everybody, or at least the (New York) DA Cyrus Vance from seeing” the records.
“One thing I can turn around and tell you, he should start maybe speaking to someone about getting a custom-made jumpsuit, because it does not look good for him,” Mr Cohen said.
Trump’s lawyers sought to dismiss the New York County subpoena of his tax affairs as a “fishing expedition”, saying it was too broad in scope and as a result “unlawful”. After the Supreme Court decision, the former president issued a statement calling the probe “a continuation of the greatest political witch hunt in the history of our country”.
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