Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, spent 70 hours interviewing with Robert Mueller and his investigators into Russia’s attack on the 2016 presidential election. Apparently, Mueller was particularly interested in any Trump business with Moscow during his campaign and POTUS’ obstruction of justice. Now, Cohen has dropped a huge bombshell.
The attorney just pled guilty to lying to Congress in the federal court in Manhattan, New York as part of his plea deal. At a time when Cohen still felt as if he would take a bullet for the president, he lied about Trump’s real estate project in Russia. The presidential-elect repeatedly told people after his election that he had no business dealings with Moscow.
Trump former attorney has been talking to the special counsel even prior to having a plea deal arrangement. Cohen told the judge that he lied when he appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2017. The committee was asking him about a proposed Moscow Trump Tower development.
Cohen has pled guilty to eight criminal counts involving tax fraud, making false statements to a financial organization, and excessive campaign contributions. These were not part of Mueller’s investigation.
For this new case, the former Trump attorney pleaded guilty to “a single count of making false statements to Congress,” according to CNBC. During his campaign, Trump tweeted:
‘Russia has never tried to use leverage over me. I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA – NO DEALS, NO LOANS, NO NOTHING!’
When, Cohen spoke to the Senate Intelligence Committee, he had talked about a real estate deal in Russia that fell through:
‘I assume we will discuss the rejected proposal to build a Trump property in Moscow that was terminated in January of 2016; which occurred before the Iowa caucus and months before the very first primary. This was solely a real estate deal and nothing more. I was doing my job. I would ask that the two-page statement about the Moscow proposal that I sent to the Committee in August be incorporated into and attached to this transcript.’
Trump has been tweeting his innocence:
‘So much happening with the now discredited Witch Hunt. This total Hoax will be studied for years!’
Cohen emailed Russia’s president Vladimir Putin’s personal security during Trump’s presidential campaign. That was when he asked for help reinvigorating the Moscow Trump Tower development project, according to The Washington Post.
POTUS, as usual, tried to disqualify the man, calling Cohen “weak.” Trump has also tried to discredit Special Counsel Mueller in these recent tweets:
‘When will this illegal Joseph McCarthy style Witch Hunt, one that has shattered so many innocent lives, ever end-or will it just go on forever? After wasting more than $40,000,000 (is that possible?), it has proven only one thing-there was NO Collusion with Russia. So Ridiculous!’
‘Did you ever see an investigation more in search of a crime? At the same time Mueller and the Angry Democrats aren’t even looking at the atrocious, and perhaps subversive, crimes that were committed by Crooked Hillary Clinton and the Democrats. A total disgrace!’
Neither Cohen’s attorney Lanny Davis, nor criminal defense attorney Guy Petrillo, nor the White House would comment on this new information. When Cohen emerged from the lower Manhattan courthouse, he had no response to reporters’ questions.
Featured image is a screenshot via YouTube.
