Displaying items by tag: cohen

(Washington)

Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to charges of violating US election laws yesterday. Cohen admitted to making two payments as hush money to Stephanie Clifford and to the owner of the National Enquirer. Cohen also officially implicated the president, saying he was instructed to make the payments by Trump, which would also make Trump potentially culpable. Cohen took a plea deal with prosecutors and will receive between 46 and 63 months in prison. Lawyers say that the testimony puts Trump is hot legal water.

FINSUM: It is beyond us to say how legally troubling this may or may not be, but it is not going to help the president politically.

(Washington)

Rumors of former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen turning on the president have been stirring for weeks. Now it appears to have happened, as CNN has published a recording (which it says is from Cohen) of President Trump and Cohen discussing the “financing” of a payment to a former Playboy model. The conversation was apparently about buying the playmate’s story, a story which involved an alleged affair with Trump in 2006.

FINSUM: In our view this will likely just cause another minor firestorm. Trump doesn’t say anything really shocking or incriminating in the recording, so we don’t imagine this will have any significant impact.

(Washington)

We have not covered the Trump probe saga in a while, and with good reason—there has been little news. However, that may be about to change. ABC News has run an interview which seems to suggest that Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, may be about to turn on the president as he prioritizes his own family. “I will not be a punching bag as part of anyone’s defence strategy … My wife, my daughter and my son have my first loyalty and always will ... I put family and country first”. He says he is not the villain in this story and does not want to be depicted that way.

FINSUM: Maybe he is about to turn on Trump, but no one knows what cards he may or may not be holding.

(New York)

In a bombshell disclosure, a government ethics body has found that President Trump did, in fact, reimburse attorney Michael Cohen for the $130,000 payment he made to keep Stormy Daniels from taking her alleged affair with Donald Trump public. President Trump’s White House disclosed the payment as part of financial disclosure rules, with Trump affirming the payment on Twitter as well. The revelation refutes the president’s earlier claims that he had no idea about the payment.

FINSUM: So the reimbursement is one thing, but potentially more significant is the fact that this payment was not disclosed properly, which according to the Office of Government Ethics (OGE), was a violation.

(New York)

Those close to Michael Cohen and the situation say that the lawyer seems poised to turn on his friend, Donald Trump, if put under pressure by investigators. At least that is what long-time Trump legal advisor, Jay Goldberg, is telling the president. Goldberg was a former prosecutor who has advised Trump since the 1990s. Trump reportedly called Goldberg asking for advice, and the Wall Street Journal quotes Goldberg as saying “On a scale of 100 to 1, where 100 is fully protecting the president, Mr. Cohen ‘isn’t even a 1,’”. He explained that if Goldberg were faced with criminal charges, he would tell all.

FINSUM: So it looks like Goldberg is going to tell all, but what nobody knows is how much of value he might really have to say.