A recap of the days news. This is cnn tonight. Im don lemon. You want to Pay Attention to this hour. Weve got a lot going on. Its 11 00 p. M. On the east coast. Were live with breaking news tonight. A source tells cnn that white house staffers are stunned by todays news. The men who led the president s campaign for five critical months leading up to the election found guilty in Federal Court. Former Trump Campaign chairman Paul Manafort guilty of eight Financial Crime charges. A victory for Robert Mueller in the first trial to come out of his investigation. While the president continues to push the lie that the case against manafort wasnt part of the Special Counsels original mission, i want you to look at what the Trump Appointed ActingAttorney General wrote. Mueller is authorized to investigate any links and or coordination between the russian
even his childrens telephones. Well, now he has stepped up to the line and he can now speak again and he feels liberated. How far is he willing to go . Because i just want to ask because, you know, for years hes been saying, i will protect this president. Im very loyal to donald trump. Im not going to flip on him. I would never hurt him. And now weve come to this. When i first spoke to Michael Cohen and took several weeks for the two of us to get to know each other on the phone before we ever met, we talked very intensely about what caused him to change his mind about donald trump. And the only way to put it it may sound a little bit syrupy was patriotism and love of country caused him to recognize president and his lack of lar
privilege contradicted president trumps lie on Air Force One who said, mr. Trump reimbursed Michael Cohen for the advance money paid to miss daniels to keep her quiet. That is Rudy Giuliani saying that donald trump knew, directed and paid Michael Cohen. There is no allegation of any wrongdoing against the president in the government charges against mr. Cohen. This is giuliani speaking here. It is clear that as the prosecutor noted, mr. Cohens actions reflect a pattern of lies and dishonesty over a significant period of time. Lanny . Let me repeat. I am talking about a fact not in dispute. Mr. Trumps attorney submitted a letter published to the Special Counsel in which they said mr. Trump directed mr. Cohen to make this payment. Whatever giuliani wants to invent, that truth isnt truth, or to say whats on the tape that isnt on the tape so i went on this cnn network and said, dont believe me, listen to the tape, giuliani doesnt know the difference between a lie and a fact. But here hes caught in his own words. He said that mr. Trump lied to the press when he denied knowing about the Stormy Daniels payment, and giuliani said and his lawyer said that mr. Trump knew and directed mr. Cohen, as mr. Cohen said under oath today in Federal District court. So there is no doubt that donald trump committed a crime. And more than that, a cover up of the crime because he did not want to write the check to Stormy Daniels, which mr. Giuliani admitted he directed mr. Cohen to do. Why didnt donald trump write the check himself, don . This is all because he covered up what he
knew was wrongdoing. Thats why. This is all going to come down to proof. People are going to say where are the receipts . Where are the receipts that Michael Cohen has . And, you know, i was speaking to chris earlier. Chris said he has no reason to lie. It doesnt behoove him to lie because then hes in more trouble than hes already in. Does he have the proof . Does he have the receipts . So, first of all, yes, the Wire Transfer from the Trump Corporation to the account that Michael Cohen set up that then went to Stormy Daniels is recognizable and provable. But let me repeat, the proof is president trumps own lawyers wrote the Special Counsel and used the word directed. There doesnt need to be proof when the lawyers have acknowledged that the client directed Michael Cohen to make an illegal payment, making the
A recap of the days news. Attorney client privilege when he spoke about what donald trump told him. Im not allow today do that. There is a certain complication in that story that we were never able to correct, but i do to answer your question, no, that Michael Cohen has information that would be of interest to mr. Mueller in his probe of a conspiracy to Corrupt American Democracy very similar to the indictment of the 12 russians i believe that mr. Cohen would be able to provide information useful to the Special Counsel. I wont call it smoking gun information, somebody else will have to judge that, but i believe that he does have relevant information. So he has relevant information. Do you think that information pertains to that Trump Tower Meeting or could it pertain to that Trump Tower Meeting . It pertains to Something Else that i cant divulge right now,
but i believe that it would be of interest to mr. Mueller in his probe of the russian the conspiracy to collude as well as actual knowledge of a crime that most people would call the fbi about. And well see what develops with mr. Muellers investigation. I think he knows a lot more than we think he knows. So, lanny, let me ask you this. If michael has all of this stuff as you say and there is no reason to believe he doesnt, then why would the president and the president s team, the administration, work as hard almost every day to throw Michael Cohen under the bus, under the bus and keep backing up over him, or as one of our analysts here, laura coats said, you know, on Air Force One, throwing him under Air Force One . Why would he do that . Or they do that . Its impossible to understand Rudy Giulianis conduct. Truth is not truth. Throwing a client under the bus by admitting essentially we now know a crime, by saying he reimbursed a Campaign Contribution that was above the limits. And then didnt disclose it in his 2019 18 report. So, Rudy Giuliani simply doesnt understand the law or doesnt care about the law, and this particular culture of lying, we know it was Rudy Giuliani who said that when donald trump lied to the press on Air Force One youve done that clip, ive seen its not a crime to lie to the American People. Well, giuliani is right about that. But it is an Impeachable Offense to use the office of the president to abuse the powers of the presidency and lie to the American People. Im not going to monopolize your time. Im not going to hold you too much longer. But again, you say Michael Cohen has information that does what as it relates to conspiracy and
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stated that there was a Wire Transfer from the Trump Organization directly into the account that Michael Cohen had established this was the Essential Consultants account in order to pay my client the 130,000 payment. Now, if that, in fact, is true, that is a huge problem for the president because it would be direct conduct by the Trump Organization to reimburse that payment. That would constitute Campaign Finance violation and would basically make donald trump aiko conspirator, no question about that. And ill also add that that is directly contrary to what Rudy Giuliani told sean hannity a few months ago because what Rudy Giuliani told sean hannity was that the payment was reimbursed by way of invoices or i think he said laundered or used a similar word when describing how the 130,000 was reimbursed. So if lanny davis is correct, what he just stated to you that,
in fact funneled. You spoke about t. We did. We talked about the fact that was an interesting word to use, right . Well, if, in fact, there was 130,000 payment that went out to my client, which we know there was, and then there was 130,000 wire that came in directly into that account from the Trump Organization, the president s in a lot of trouble. How so . Explain. Well, because i think its an open and shut case relating to the fact that this 130,000 payment was paid by Michael Cohen with the understanding that he was going to be reimbursed directly by donald trump or the Trump Organization. That would have had to have been disclosed. Another part of the interview i said i followed up okay. This is not verbatim, right. This is just notes. Some things that i cant divulge, Attorney Client privilege. He said certain Dcomplications E are unable to correct. Michael cohen has information that would be of interest to mr. Mueller, he said, okay, and again this is paraphrasing here. He said i wont call it a smoking gun information. Someone would have to characterize it, but he does have information that would be of interest and it pertains to a crime most people would call the fbi about. Well, don, i think the biggest problem right now for donald trump is that he has lost control. Hes lost control over manafort. Hes lost control over cohen. These two individuals now are going to be looking to do whatever they can to cut their own criminal sentences, to protect their families, and there is not a lot that donald trump is going to be able to do about it. I will just tell you, though, if there is a Wire Transfer receipt for a 130,000 payment from the Trump Organization, that is nothing short of a bombshell. I do want to say one thing, though. And i respect lanny, but i disagree with him about, you know, what we just heard in the following regard because i think its complete nonsense and spin. Michael cohen did not all of a sudden find love of country and
did not all of a sudden became become a patriot. Did not all of a sudden conclude after having known donald trump for 12 or 15 years that donald trump would not make a good president. Heres what happened. Michael cohen realized he was dead to rice. He was in the crosshairs. Whatever metaphor you want to use, as it relates to prosecutors from the Southern District of new york. Michael cohen took the steps he has taken for no other reason to save himself and his family. Lets be clear about that. Lets not try to call it anything other than what it is. Just so everyone understands what happened, this isnt about love of country or patriotism. In fact, Michael Cohen waited until the last possible moment. Youve witnessed it over the last five months. The American People have witnessed it. Hes been practically begging for donald trump to lead him out of the dark forest for months now. It became clear it wasnt going to happen. You think he was waiting on some help from the president . No question. I think he was waiting for air cover and loyalty, it never developed. It is a lengthy sound bite. This is what you were referring to earlier as it comes to that wire alleged Wire Transfer if that is indeed what happened. Watch this. Does he have the proof . Does he have the receipts . So, first of all, yes. The Wire Transfer from the Trump Corporation to the account that Michael Cohen set up that then went to Stormy Daniels is recognizable and provable. But let me repeat. The proof is president trumps own lawyers wrote the Special Counsel and used the word directed. There doesnt need to be proof when the lawyers have acknowledged that the client directed Michael Cohen to make an illegal payment, making the client as guilty, certainly, as the lawyer. And in my judgment, more guilty because he was trying to cover up and hide his own role in the situation with miss daniels by having mr. Cohen do the deed
rather than himself. So there is no dispute. There is no need for proof. His lawyers have admitted that fact. Thats good. So, the first part of that, you say what . Thats a bombshell. If what lanny davis just stated is true, theres a 130,000 Wire Transfer directly into that bank account that was used to pay my client and that is a direct reimbursement from donald trump or a Company Controlled by him, which is what lanny davis just said, that is a stunning piece of evidence and a stunning admission and it runs directly counter to what Rudy Giuliani has said and it also, it also runs directly counter to David Schwartz. I dont know if some of your viewers remember that guy that showed up early on he used to defend cohen. Used to defend Michael Cohen. Youll recall all the things David Schwartz told the American People that have proved to be absolutely false. Okay. So, youve made a lot of predictions and a lot of them have come true. Im just wondering what this means and ill get to that,
the one important one i want to talk about. What does this Amelia Draper for yo mean for your case . Does this mean you will possibly get to depose a sitting president . What are the chances that of . I think the likelihood of us being able to depose first Michael Cohen and second donald trump, i think those odds went through the roof today as a result of this plea, as a result of the language in the plea and the facts that Michael Cohen pled to. I think theres little question as to whether were going to get a deposition of Michael Cohen a