Donald Trump has launched a stinging attack on his convicted former fixer, tweeting: ‘If anyone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you don’t retain the services of Michael Cohen!’ In a second tweet referring to ex-campaign manager Paul Manafort, also convicted Tuesday, Trump wrote: ‘I feel very badly for Paul Manafort and his wonderful family. ‘“Justice” took a 12 year old tax case, among other things, applied tremendous pressure on him and, unlike Michael Cohen, he refused to “break” – make up stories in order to get a “deal.”
Donald Trump attacked his former lawyer with this tweet Wednesday morning (Picture: Donald Trump/Twitter)’Such respect for a brave man!’ He added: ‘A large number of counts, ten, could not even be decided in the Paul Manafort case. Witch Hunt!. ‘Michael Cohen plead guilty to two counts of campaign finance violations that are not a crime. President Obama had a big campaign finance violation and it was easily settled!’ Trump turned on his former right-hand man Wednesday morning, hours after Cohen told a Manhattan court that he had worked with the president to pay off two porn stars who claim to have had affairs with him. That contradicted Cohen’s previous claim he had paid off one of the women without the president’s knowledge. Cohen admitted breaking campaign rules by paying Stormy Daniels $130,000 11 days before the presidential election, saying he did so at the direction of a ‘candidate for federal office’ – Trump. He also claimed to have helped set up a $150,000 interview with ex-Playboy Playmate Karen McDougall with the pro-Trump National Enquirer tabloid.
The magazine did not run the story, with Cohen saying yesterday that attempts had been made to silence both women in a bid to help Trump’s successful White House run. Cohen’s lawyer Lanny Davis has since claimed the former fixer does not need to provide evidence that Trump directed him to commit the crimes, insisting that the president’s lawyers have already done so.
Davis explained that Cohen admitted making illegal campaign contributions after Trump’s new lawyers sent special counsel Robert Mueller a letter admitting that the president had ‘directed’ his former fixer to pay Daniels, real name Stephanie Clifford. He told Good Morning America: ‘Let me make 100 percent clear: the evidence was provided definitively by Donald Trump’s lawyers. ‘It’s not a dispute. It’s not about credibility. It’s his lawyers in a letter used the word directed.’ Both she and McDougal claim to have slept with Trump in 2006, a year after his wife Melania gave birth to their son Barron. Trump has denied any affair claims.
Davis explained that Cohen admitted making illegal campaign contributions after Trump’s new lawyers sent special counsel Robert Mueller a letter admitting that the president had ‘directed’ his former fixer to pay Daniels, real name Stephanie Clifford. He told Good Morning America: ‘Let me make 100 percent clear: the evidence was provided definitively by Donald Trump’s lawyers. ‘It’s not a dispute. It’s not about credibility. It’s his lawyers in a letter used the word directed.’ Both she and McDougal claim to have slept with Trump in 2006, a year after his wife Melania gave birth to their son Barron. Trump has denied any affair claims.
Davis has also said that Cohen is willing to tell investigators ‘all he knows’ about allegations Team Trump were part of a ‘conspiracy to collude and corrupt the 2016 election. Cohen, who also admitted bank fraud and tax fraud, has been warned to expect between 46 and 63 months imprisonment when he is sentenced December.
Metro.co.uk
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