“Totally clears the President. Thank you!” Donald Trump tweeted Friday, shortly after news broke that federal prosecutors had made filings in the cases against his former attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen.
For whatever reason, the “President” seems to think the filings exonerate him of any wrongdoing, but he is absolutely incorrect. The filing in Cohen’s case says the “President” helped plot the payoff of two women who could potentially come forward and create a sex scandal, ruining his chances at the presidency in 2016.
The New York Times reports that federal prosecutors in Manhattan wrote in a memo seeking a prison term for Cohen that he “acted in coordination and at the direction of” an unnamed individual. That unnamed individual is believed to be Donald Trump.
In a separate filing, Cohen is said to have been offered “government level” synergy between Russia and Mr. Trump’s campaign by a Russian citizen in November 2015.
So not only do the filings implicate Trump in the playoffs, but they also lend credence to the idea that Russia was seeking to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Federal prosecutors rejected Cohen’s plea to avoid prison in light of his cooperation and accused him of “repeatedly us[ing] his power and influence for deceptive ends.” They said he deserved a “substantial” prison term. Substantial must be relative, however, because Cohen’s prison term would amount to just four or five years.
Cohen, 52, will be sentenced in a Manhattan federal court next week. He is charged with campaign finance violations, financial crimes and lying to Congress about the extent of Trump’s business dealings in Russia.
Prosecutors said Cohen implicated Trump in his August guilty plea.
“Cohen himself has now admitted, with respect to both payments, he acted in coordination with and at the direction of Individual-1,” the prosecutors wrote.
“Individual-1” refers to Donald Trump.