President Donald Trump made his first direct comments about his former lawyer Michael Cohen since Cohen accepted a plea deal and said under oath that the President told him to break the law.
WASHINGTON (CBSMiami) – President Donald Trump made his first direct comments about his former lawyer Michael Cohen since Cohen accepted a plea deal and said under oath that the President told him to break the law.
For more than a decade, Cohen was Trump’s lawyer and fixer, But on Wednesday Trump expressed his sense of betrayal in a tweeting.
Trump also posted a tweet that contradicted itself.
On Tuesday, Cohen pled guilty to tax evasion and campaign finance violations. He admitted under oath that then-candidate Trump directed him to make hush payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal “for the primary purpose of influencing the election.”
“He committed a crime. He should be indicted if he were not President, he clearly would be indicted and jailed,” said Cohen’s lawyer Lanny Davis.
Davis said Cohen also has information that would be of interest to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation on Russian interference.
“I can tell you he is committed 100% to telling the truth to governmental authorities,” said Davis.
Five of the president’s former advisers and associates have now been convicted or pleaded guilty to crimes, but the Cohen case is the first that directly implicates the President in a crime.
“There are no charges against him. Just because Michael Cohen made a plea deal doesn’t implicate the president in anything,” said Sarah Sanders.
Still, several lawmakers on Capitol Hill said they were bothered by the implications.
“We have to look into this, there’s no question about it, this is a serious set of problems,” said Sen. Orin Hatch, R-OR.
“This is a day where the President of the United States has essentially been named an unindicted co-conspirator,” said Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-IL.
While those in Congress have expressed concerns, they say it’s too early in the process to discuss possible impeachment proceedings.
