Michael Cohen's shocking picture of Trump's mob-like world
https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/28/politics/donald-trump-michael-cohen-world/index.html
It was either the betrayal of a proven liar who is making up tales to save himself or the courageous act of an unlikely hero rising above his dirty past to provide a national service,
Most notably,
Cohen produced a personal check for $35,000 that Trump signed while in office that appears to show that the President reimbursed him for hush payments he made to women who claimed affairs with the then-GOP nominee.
Cohen also claimed that he had overheard a call in which Trump's longtime political adviser Roger Stone told the then-GOP nominee in 2016 that WikiLeaks was due to dump a new trove of emails that would be damaging to Hillary Clinton.
And he said
Trump knew in advance about a 2016 meeting between a Russian lawyer and his campaign team designed to deliver "dirt" on Clinton.
Michael Cohen says 'changes' were made to his planned 2017 testimony to Congress
Since Trump previously told Mueller in sworn written answers that neither of those statements were true, he could be in legal and political jeopardy if Cohen or prosecutors can provide corroboration of Cohen's claims.
"I am ashamed because I know what Mr. Trump is. He is a racist. He is a conman. He is a cheat,"
In a startling exchange with Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier of California, Cohen said he had been directed by Trump to threaten people probably 500 times.
According to his testimony, lying came as easily as breathing. Every day, most of us in the room coming in ... we were going to lie for him on something. And that became the norm, and that is exactly what is happening now in this country," Cohen said
He also said
the President's lawyers had reviewed and edited the testimony at issue -- another serious charge.
"Everything was done with the knowledge and at the direction of Mr. Trump," Cohen said. His comment could undermine Trump's denials that he had known anything about the many meetings between his aides and Russians.
Since
Cohen has likely told everything and more that he said Wednesday to Mueller and other prosecutors with whom he has been cooperating, Trump's exposure could be acute.
And claims by Republicans that Cohen cannot be trusted were partially undermined by the fact that if he is proved to have lied in Wednesday's hearing, he risks having time added to his sentence.
After the hearing, a tired Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings delivered a verdict that may augur a fateful moment in American history when he was asked whether Trump may have committed a crime in office.
"It appears that he did," the Maryland Democrat said.
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