Donald Trump’s former lawyer and “fixer,” Michael Cohen, is fresh out of prison and touring to promote his new book, Disloyal: A Memoir: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump. Book excerpts have drawn attention for their inside stories of Trump’s campaign and White House, including the president mocking evangelicals, routinely using the n-word to describe African Americans, and insinuating that American soldiers drafted to fight in Vietnam were “dummies” for not being able to avoid service as he did.
Can you imagine the ratings for Rachel Maddow's show tonight with Michael Cohen? Are you going to watch? Then rage tweet? Then try to sue them? pic.twitter.com/GVVBY4brKk
— Happy Canadian (@macarthur54) September 9, 2020
On Tuesday, Cohen appeared on MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show to sit for an interview in which he discussed his explosive new memoir.. He confirmed that there are ongoing investigations into Trump’s businesses, including those investigations requiring copies of Donald Trump’s tax returns but also others that have not yet been made public. Cohen said that, as Trump’s attorney, he had access to financial documents that prove tax fraud, bank fraud, and insurance fraud, and that Trump refuses to release his tax returns because they “pose a tremendous threat to the president.”
Michael Cohen just confirmed there are ongoing investigations of Donald j trump
THIS is why trump will do everything in his fucking reach to steal the 2020 election and we MUST be ready to remove him#maddow
— BlackWomenAreKryptoniteToGOP (@battletested5) September 9, 2020
Perhaps most astonishing was his story regarding the sale of a real estate property in Palm Beach, Florida to a Russian oligarch in 2008. Trump had previously been unable to sell the property, which he had purchased for around 45 million dollars. The oligarch, Dmitry Rybolovlev, paid him 95 million dollars after the property had sat on the market for months.
Cohen says that Trump believed that Vladimir Putin had arranged this 50 million dollar windfall for him. Cohen told Maddow that “Trump is keen on this power, like Vladimir Putin, Mohammed bin Salman, Kim Jong Un” have, and that the president has always been in search of that power. He believed and was not bothered by what he believed were payments by the leader of a hostile foreign country, and “anything like the purchase of this home had to be through or with the personal permission of Vladimir Putin.”
Rachel Maddow's interview with Michael Cohen is tonight at 9pm ET on MSNBC!
Here's a sneak peek from @AriMelber earlier tonight. pic.twitter.com/YTTtygdAMZ
— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) September 9, 2020
Cohen also answered questions about why, since his crimes were committed on behalf of the president, he was the only one who went to prison. Cohen said that he’s the only one who’s taken a hit to his reputation, as well, even though he’s “not the one who had an affair, he did.” I’m just the ‘dummy'” who chose to pay $130,000 to cover up his affairs. Trump is individual #1 in the legal documents convicting Cohen, but Cohen the only one who was held accountable.
Michael Cohen tells Rachel Maddow that he believes trump will resign when he loses so that Pence can pardon him.
That sounds about right.
— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) September 9, 2020