Cohen’s lawyer has asked the judge for no jail time because, he said, his clients misdeeds were caused by his “fierce loyalty” to the president.
11:45 a.m.
Michael Cohen is now approaching the podium to deliver a prepared speech.
11:40 a.m.
SDNY’s Assistant U. S. Attorney Nicolas Roos is up.
He defended his treatment of Cohen. «For all the hypothesizing that Mr. Petrillo has done, Mr. Cohen can’t have it both ways,» he said. «There is a standard way this office conducts cooperation, we’ve treated Mr. Cohen just the way we treat every other defendant that deal with the US Attorney’s office.»
Cohen’s charges, he said, «portray a pattern of deception, of brazenness and of greed» and were «serious because of the tremendous societal costs.»
Cohen’s actions he said, hurt «free and transparent elections, and in committing these crimes, Cohen has eroded faith in the electoral process.»
11:35 a.m.
Jeannie Rhee, representing Special Counsel Robert Mueller, delivered a short speech summarizing her earlier memo. She called Cohen «credible» and said he delivered «valuable information» about «any links between a campaign and a foreign government.» She said she believes Cohen «told the truth» but that she couldn’t say much because of the «ongoing investigation.»
11:25 a.m.
Petrillo told the Judge Pauley that his client has not been treated like other defendants because «Mr. Cohen had the misfortune to have been counsel to the president.»
«This is a man whose first instinct is to help,» he said. Cohen does not «engage in sharp business practices,» and has not hurt any financial institutions. «No bank has ever lost money dealing with Michael Cohen. I’ll say that again: No bank has ever lost money dealing with Michael Cohen. No friend in need has ever been turned away,» he said.
Cohen, he said, wanted to fully cooperate but is «wary of a long-term cooperation agreement for personal reasons and because he wants both to remove himself and remove his family from the glare of the cameras.»
Finally, Petrillo took a dig at the Southern District, and said they were upset at the spotlight the Mueller investigation had gained.
