Michael Cohen, who served as a lawyer for Donald Trump between 2006 to 2018, said in a recent interview that he believes it is the beginning of the former president’s end.
What Happened: Cohen’s comments were made in an interview with Salon in advance of his upcoming book “Revenge.”
“I believe that the beginning to his end started with that incredible statement by Tish James,” said Cohen referring to the attorney general for the state of New York.
In September, James sued Trump and his three children for $250 million. Letitia James alleged fraud by Trump’s companies in a 200-page lawsuit filed before the Manhattan Supreme Court.
Cohen also said in the interview that the classified documents recovered from Mar-a-Lago by the Federal Bureau of Investigation were Trump’s “get out of jail free card.”
“What he saw in those documents. ‘You want to play with me? Really? I was the former president of the United States. I have documents that are so damaging to this country's national security. Go ahead, indict me, try to throw me in prison. See what happens,’” said Cohen.
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Why It Matters: Referring to the Manhattan suit filed by James, Cohen said, “That case will financially destroy him,” according to Salon.
“A lot of people make the mistake and they say that she's seeking $250 million. That's not accurate. What she said was, "There is a baseline of $250 million.”
Cohen said that the baseline exists because the prosecutors don’t have the full amount.
The former lawyer for Trump said in the interview, “Donald Trump has committed tax evasion, bank fraud, wire fraud, misrepresentation. He will not be able to get past that, and that is criminal.”
Cohen, who pleaded guilty to nine federal crimes that included tax fraud and lying to Congress, was sentenced to three years in prison in Dec. 2018. He was released in May 2020.
He called Trump an “orange-crusted buffoon” recalling the former president’s reaction to his office being raided by the FBI. Cohen said Trump had forgotten his name when the media asked him about the raid.
Trump, meanwhile, compared himself on Truth Social with former presidents George H.W. Bush, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton on Sunday and slammed the “double standard” related to confidential papers that he faced.
Truth Social is a part of the Trump Media & Technology Group, a company set to go public through a merger with Digital World Acquisition Corp. DWAC.
This story was originally published on Oct. 10, 2022.
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