4 million. Filing false statements to a bank in order to obtain a loan, and the real stunner, two counts of Campaign Finance violations. The reasons those were such a stunner, because Michael Cohen detailed in a little bit exactly what those Campaign Finance violations were. One, 150,000 payment to the ceo of a Media Company for a contract which we know from our previous reporting has to do with karen mcdougal, who accuses President Trump of an affair, which he, of course, has denied. And then the second, 130,000 payment, which he facilitated, which we know again from previous reporting has to do with Stormy Daniels, a porn star that alleges an affair with the president. Again, their names not mentioned in court, but we know who they were talking about, and then we got a little bit more detail when the u. S. Deputy attorney came out of court after these guilty pleas and talked about all of the charges in general. Take a listen real quickly. A look at breaking news, politics and reports from around the world. Thats something that is very rare in american history. I mean, this has not happened very often. And the fact that we now have on the record in Federal Court the president of the United States declared by a confessed felon to be a fellow conspirator is a pretty extraordinary thing. What its implications are legally, politically, i dont know. I mean, i think theres a lot that needs to be sorted out. But the mere fact of this of the fact that the president has been accused by a confessed felon as another felon is a pretty extraordinary piece of news. Its truly extraordinary. Michael cohen says he made that payment, facilitated that payment to karen mcdougal, quote, for the purpose of influencing the election. That was all done through
american media. The Parent Company of the national enquirer. And cohen says President Trump repaid him for the Stormy Daniels 130,000 payment, as well. Those comments from inside this Federal Courtroom today about the president of the United States. Go ahead and give us your reaction. Well, and remember, who has benefited from all of this . Who benefited from the fact that these two women were silenced . Wasnt Michael Cohen. Michael cohen wasnt the one who was running for president. It was donald trump. So if you wanted to look at the way prosecutors generally view culpability, they look at who benefits. Who made the money. Who was at the top of the pyramid. Here, theres not even close to a debate about that. This was something done for the benefit of donald trump, who, according to Michael Cohen, directed the entire illegal
conspiracy. Remember that phrase, at the direction of. Cohen said this whole illegal activity, these Illegal Campaign contributions, was done were done at the direction of donald trump. Now, We Havent Heard from trump or his lawyers. Perhaps theyll say Michael Cohen is lying. Perhaps theyre saying there was no crime here. But at least what went on in Federal Court today was a statement that donald trump directed an illegal conspiracy to commit felony Campaign Finance violations. Thats pretty extraordinary. The president had a chance to speak about what Michael Cohen was alleging when he spoke with reporters upon his arrival in charleston, west virginia, decided not to do so. And just to be precise, i want to read the words of what Michael Cohen said in this Federal Courtroom today. He said that the payments to these two women were done, quote, in coordination and at the direction of a candidate for
federal office. This was done only days before the president ial election in november of 2016. That candidate being donald trump. And it was all done, quote, to influence the president ial election. Thats also a quote. You know, when you think about this, could Michael Cohen still cooperate with the Special Counsel, Robert Mueller, and does mueller want cohens cooperation right now . Well, i certainly, he could. There is apparently no formal Cooperation Agreement. But Michael Cohen is going to want as low a sentence as possible. The way convicted felons in our system get points from judges and thus lower sentences is by cooperating. And that certainly seems to be a possibility for Michael Cohen to cooperate with Robert Mueller. However, now that he has pleaded guilty, there is also the possibility that Robert Mueller will simply give him whats
called use immunity, which means he will have to testify in the grand jury or go to jail for contempt. Same thing with congress. If there is a democratic majority in the house of representatives, as there may be and there may not be after the midterm elections, the House Judiciary Committee could vote to give Michael Cohen immunity and force him to testify in public about what went on in this campaign and whether donald trump did, in fact, coordinate or direct these Illegal Campaign contributions. So i think the important point is, we have almost certainly not heard the last from Michael Cohen. What forum that statement, that testimony takes is, i think, uncertain at this moment. But i suspect one way or another, we are going to hear Michael Cohen elaborate on what he said in court today. Yes, we certainly will. I totally agree with you. Were just getting in a statement from Rudy Guiliani, the president s personal attorney. Let me read it to you. Get your reaction, jeffrey. Quote, there is no allegation of any wrongdoing against the president in the governments charges against mr. Cohen. It is clear that as the prosecutor noted, mr. Cohens actions reflect a pattern of lies and dishonesty over a significant period of time. What do you think of those words . Well, theres a key word in that statement, which is charges. He said, the governments didnt charge any illegal activity by the president. But what Rudy Guiliani does not say is that Michael Cohen, In Open Court, implicated the president. So it is true in a narrow technical sense that the charges themselves did not implicate the
president. What Michael Cohen said in pleading guilty to those charges, very much did implicate the president. Were all people can draw their own conclusions about that. Were also getting a statement from lanny davis, who is one of the attorneys representing Michael Cohen. Hes just tweeted this. Let me put it up on the screen there. Today he stood up and testified under oath that donald trump directed him to commit a crime by making payments to two women for the principle purpose of influencing an election. If those payments were a crime for Michael Cohen, then why wouldnt they be a crime for donald trump . Well, whats your reaction to the statement from lanny davis . Good question. Why wouldnt they be a crime for donald trump . I mean, this is such an unusual situation. Because you have an underling pleading guilty to a crime where he implicates the higher up. The higher up is the real beneficiary of the crime, but because hes president of the
United States, at least according to Justice Department policy, he cant be charged with a crime. Its an unusual situation. Lanny davis tweet i think makes very clearly the peculiarity of the situation. I assume were going to be getting a lot more reaction coming in from all of the principles on this historic day. Jeffrey, i want you to stand by. Were going to be speaking with Stormy Daniels attorney, by the way, michael avenatti. There you see him in. Michael. Stand by. I want to go to jessica schneider. Shes got more on the verdict against Campaign Chairman, Paul Manafort. Jessica, tell us more about the verdict. Reporter yeah, wolf, it took four days, two notes and several questions from this jury. But their partial guilty verdict will now send Paul Manafort to prison for what could be up to 80 years. Now to be clear, this jury deadlocked on ten counts. In that deadlock, prosecutors will now have to determine by
next week whether or not they want to go to a retrial of those ten counts for Paul Manafort. But this jury finding Paul Manafort guilty of eight counts. And they break down as follows. Five counts of tax fraud, carrying three years for each count. One count of hiding Foreign Bank Accounts and two counts of bank fraud. Now, the judge told Paul Manafort of his guilty as Paul Manafort stood before him. Paul manafort showing no emotion, not smiling, and flanked by his defense attorney, Kevin Downing. After the proceedings were over, the jurors released, Kevin Downing came outside the courthouse and said mr. Manafort was disappointed he didnt get an acquittal on all counts and he said mr. Manafort is considering his options moving forward. Of course, that relating to any possible appeal this defense team might file. As it stands now, wolf, the Paul Manafort, former Campaign Chairman for president donald trump, has been found guilty on eight counts. He now faces many years, if not
decades, in prison. Wolf . Jessica, i want you to stand by, as well. Jessica schneider, over at the Federal Courthouse in alexandria, virginia, just outside of washington. I want to get back to the Bombshell News of Michael Cohens plea deal today. Joining us now, the attorney, michael avenatti, you represent Stormy Daniels in her legal battle against Michael Cohen and President Trump, for that matter. Michael, thank you so much for joining us. How do you and your client, Stormy Daniels, feel today . Whats your reaction when you hear Michael Cohen plead guilty and hear him say he committed Campaign Finance violations in coordination and at the direction of President Trump . Well, i spoke to my client about an hour ago. We feel incredibly vindicated, wolf. Theres a lot of people like one of your next guests, Richard Blumenthal, who have taken unnecessary shots at me and my client about our legal strategy and how we have gone about this. We have been absolutely vindicated. People like Richard Blumenthal and others have proven to be wrong. We have proven to be right, which is always a good thing. But more importantly, wolf, weve got a lot of work to do. Were going to get to the bottom of what this president knew and when he knew it and what he did about it. And the details of this coverup. On september 10th, the court is going to lift the stay, i anticipate, in the civil case. Were going to march forward with our efforts to place the president under oath and get a deposition, where im going to be able to ask him questions and hes going to be forced to answer those questions under oath about his own conduct. Were also going to get a chance to depose Michael Cohen and get to the details of this. So im very much looking forward to those moments, and im very much looking forward to uncovering the evidence and the facts so we can demonstrate them to the American People. So what do you think this means, legally and politically, for that matter, for the president right now . The president is in a lot of trouble, wolf. And were coming for him. Im telling you, flat out, were going to come for him. Were going to get this
deposition. You know, the president has created an Alternative Universe on many, many fronts. He thinks that he can lie his way out of situations and create this universe and everyone else is going to live in it. Well, guess what, that Alternative Universe sooner or later is going to come crumbling down. And i think were on the precipice of that happening. The president s lawyer, Rudy Guiliani, he just issued a written statement, and ill read it to you once again. There is no allegation of any wrongdoing against the president and the governments charges against mr. Cohen. It is clear as the prosecutor noted, mr. Cohens actions reflect a pattern of lies and dishonesty over a significant period of time. Whats your reaction to guilianis statement . Rudy guiliani has absolutely zero credibility, wolf. Just the other day he said truth doesnt mean truth, which is one of the most bizarre and ridiculous statements ive seen on television in a long time. That statement that you just read has absolutely no credibility. Its clear as day, if you read the Charging Documents from the
Southern District this afternoon who theyre referring to. Donald trumps fingerprints are all over the crime scene in connection with this, wolf. Were going to prove it. Its clear as day. And im going to say it again. The president is in trouble. Do you think this is an Impeachable Offense . Will you call on congress to begin Impeachment Proceedings . I think Congress Needs to seriously consider it. But ill say this. You know, the gop and the Republican Party has shown absolutely zero backbone. They have been spineless as it relates to keeping this president in check. They have placed party over country, which i think is a disgrace. So i dont have a lot of confidence in their ability to get the job done. You say that you have zero doubt, your words, zero doubt, that Michael Cohen is cooperating in all of this. But this deal doesnt include cooperation as far as we know. Weve gone through the documents, Robert Mueller handed this off to the u. S. Attorney for the Southern District of new york in the first place. Is it possible mueller doesnt need cohens cooperation . Well, thats possible, wolf. But i want to be really clear about something. All because these documents dont state a Cooperation Agreement or a requirement for cooperation does not in any way, shape or form mean that there is not already been cooperation, and i know for a fact that there has been, by the way. Or that there will be additional cooperation in the future. Very often, youll have an agreement such as this that will not include a written cooperation requirement, and yet the defendant will cooperate because, as jeffrey noted, the defendant wants to limit the sentence, wants to cooperate, and wants to remain in the good graces of prosecutors up through and including sentencing. So just elaborate on what you mean when you say that this cooperation is already taking place. Well, i know for a fact theyve been in discussions for a number of weeks relating to how to resolve the potential criminal charges against Michael Cohen, and i know for a fact
that theres been information provided by Michael Cohen to prosecutors in the Southern District of new york. Now, what those prosecutors determined should be done with that information, thats an entirely different question. Were you surprised when you heard he could face lets say five years in prison, Michael Cohen, right now and a half Million Dollar fine . No, i wasnt surprised in the least bit. Ive been saying for five or six months now, wolf, i said it before the warrants were executed, too much faith and confidence had been put on the shoulders of Michael Cohen by donald trump and others. And that ultimately, he would be charged with serious crimes. And ultimately, he would roll over on the president. And i think today each of those predictions have been proven to be true. What does this mean this deal mean as far as youre concerned for cohens claim that President Trump knew about that very controversial june 2016 Trump Tower Meeting that his son, soninlaw, Campaign Chairman, had with russians that he knew about this ahead of time . Well, its tough to say,
wolf. But ill say this. Each time that Michael Cohen makes a statement that ultimately is proven to be true regarding donald trump, i think that boosts his credibility as it relates to various issues. If theres no trial, and there wont be a trial, hes already pleaded guilty, will the public see the evidence against cohen . Well, i think they may very well see the evidence against cohen, and donald trump in connection with our case. Because this does not have a bearing as to whether our Case Proceeds or not. Our case is going to proceed. Were going to proceed with the civil case. And i think were going to be entitled to all, if not close to all, the information and the evidence relating to that count eight concerning 130,000 payment to my client. And, you know, i want to bring your viewers back to that moment, and im sure theyre going to remember it. That statement that the president the statements the president made on Air Force One, the peoples plane, where he
denied any knowledge of that 130,000 payment and directed everyone to his attorney, Michael Cohen. Well, guess what . Weve now heard from Michael Cohen. We have begun to know the truth, and we have determined that the president of the United States lied to the American People while standing aboard the peoples plane. Michael avenatti, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. President trump was asked about the Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort convictions a little while ago. As he headed to a campaign event. Our white house correspondent, kaitlan collins, is joining us right now. Kaitlan, a very troubling day for the president of the United States. So tell our viewers what he had to say. Reporter well, wolf, the president got off Air Force One after that hourlong ride where he watched cable News Coverage of these events unfolding. His former Campaign Chairman and former attorney becoming felons within one hour of each other. And as the president got off the plane, he greeted the people there at the airport, shook some hands. And then he came over to reporters to say this about the Paul Manafort news. I must tell you that paul
manafort is a good man. He was with ronald reagan. He was with a lot of different people over the years. And i feel very sad about that. It doesnt involve me, but i still feel its a very sad thing that happened. This has nothing to do with russian collusion. This started as russian collusion. This has absolutely nothing to do this is a witch hunt and its a disgrace. This has nothing to do what they started out, looking for russians involved in our campaign. There were none. I feel very badly for Paul Manafort. Again, he worked for bob dole. He worked for ronald reagan. He worked for many, be many people. And this is the way it ends up. It was not the original mission, believe me. It was something very much different. So had nothing to do with russian collusion. We continue the witch hunt. Thank you very much. So, wolf, i dont know if you caught it, but there at the
beginning, the president said i feel bad, i feel badly for both. That was in response to shouted questions, not just about Paul Manafort, but also about Michael Cohen. But the president didnt say anything else about cohen as he spoke to reporters. He only wanted to talk about manafort, even though he made himself the point of coming over to speak to reporters about this. That was the first reaction we got from the white house, because in the hours before that, sarah sanders, the press secretary, had said nothing about the manafort verdict, and nothing about cohen, either. But now we do have a statement from the president s legal team, from Rudy Guiliani, the president s lead attorney representing him in this russia probe on Michael Cohen. And in this statement, he says there is no allegation of wrongdoing against the president in the governments charges against mr. Cohen. He said its clear that as the prosecutor noted, mr. Cohens actions reflect a pattern of lies and dishonesty over a significant period of time. Wolf, what Rudy Guiliani Doesnt Mention in that statement is that Michael Cohen himself who has known the president for over
a decade, worked as his longtime fixer and attorney, came into that courtroom today and implicated the president in committing a crime. Rudy guiliani makes no statement of that, no mention of that, or anything that Michael Cohen said. So all of this goes back to something as what were waiting is for the true reaction from the president on Michael Cohen. Hes happy to distance himself from Paul Manafort, but the white house and the president himself truly cannot distance themselves from Michael Cohen, because, of course, if it is a Campaign Finance violation, which he says the president directed him to do, they cannot distance themselves from that. But really, wolf, what all this gets to is Michael Cohen is the person who for so long was there to fix the president s problems. But wolf, today he became one of the president s biggest problems. Yeah, accusing the president of the United States of committing a crime and engaging in Campaign Finance violations. Kaitlan, thank you very much. Joining us now, senator Richard Blumenthal, a democrat, serves on the judiciary and Armed Services committee. Senator, thank you so much for
coming in. Thank you. Let me get your reaction, first of all, to the Michael Cohen guilty plea. Today is going to be historic. Well all remember what we were doing when we heard this news about Michael Cohen implicating the president in a very, very serious crime. If donald trump were anyone except the president of the United States, very probably he would be charged today with a crime. And the white house is looking increasingly like a criminal enterprise. You believe Michael Cohen . I believe Michael Cohen. And i believe the United States of america. Which charged Michael Cohen and is responsible for the plea agreement. They could not accept Michael Cohens plea agreement, unless they believed Michael Cohen, too. Which means they have evidence to corroborate it. So do you believe this is an Impeachable Offense . What the remedy is going to be will depend on what more is found as a result of the continuing investigation by this Special Counsel. And heres what i believe is most important, wolf, on this
day. The congress of the United States has to protect the Special Counsel. Were likely to see a firestorm of resistance from the president of the United States and the congress of the United States itself has to investigate through the Judiciary Committee of the senate. Do you think anything is going to happen between now and the midterm elections . You only have a few legislative days, and youve got a lot of other stuff to do, including the Confirmation Hearings for u. S. Supreme court justice. We need to begin. The senate Judiciary Committee is composed of senators who are going to be there after the midterm election. Twothirds of us. So i think the beginning has to be set and marked right now. And wolf, were in a watergate moment, where the two parties have to come together. We need bipartisanship now more than ever to protect the Special Counsel and to stop, and i must underscore, stop any consideration of pardons which
undoubtedly the president has a right to pardon Paul Manafort, for example, if he wanted to. He has the power to pardon Paul Manafort. But he would be screaming to the world, i am guilty. And he would so undermine the credibility of his office that it would be a disaster for the nation. And it would very possibly be an obstruction of justice. Because he would be misusing that power to protect himself as a target of that investigation. Because we did hear the chairman of the Senate Intelligence committee, richard burr, top democrat, mark warner. They came out and read a joint statement saying they would like Michael Cohen to come back to the senate and answer questions. I assume you would like to see that, as well. Not only Michael Cohen, but also donald trump jr. There are a series of potential witnesses who still have not testified before the senate Judiciary Committee as well as the Intelligence Committee and congress has to reassert itself as a force for democracy. What do you think Robert Mueller, the Special Counsel,
will do with all of this information that was collected by the u. S. Attorney and the Southern District of new york and including the fbi and the irs agents . The Justice Department is one prosecuting entity. And that information is going to be shared. Michael cohen hopefully, for his sake, as well as the countrys, will cooperate. And whatever testimony he is able to offer could be used by the Special Counsel in a prosecution of other officials, including relatives of the president and the president himself. And i just want to emphasize, as ive said to you before, i believe the president of the United States can be indicted. There is a serious legal issue about it. Which is very likely the reason that he was not named to additional culpability today. There is a serious legal issue, but i think he can be indicted and the trial can be postponed until after hes finished serving. As you know, Michael Cohen has made the claim that the
president knew in advance of that controversial june 2016 Trump Tower Meeting, that his son, soninlaw, Campaign Chairman, had with russians who were offering, quote, dirt on hillary clinton. The Senate Intelligence committee is looking into all of that. Is that something you think Robert Mueller should also pursue . He should be pursuing it very directly and immediately. The possibility that the president s son and soninlaw and Campaign Chairman went to that meeting after donald trump jr. Said, i love it, he was offered dirt on hillary clinton, that will be one of the epitaphs of this administration, along with Rudy Guiliani saying truth is not true. What was your reaction to the president s former Campaign Chairman, Paul Manafort, being found guilty on eight Felony Counts in alexandria, virginia, today . In a way, not surprising. Because the evidence was so overwhelming. The government still has the option to retry him on those ten
counts, where the jury hung. But he faces a second trial in the district of columbia on eight additional counts of very serious felonies. So he already potentially faces the rest of his life in prison, and i think that he has a real incentive now to cooperate, to put it mildly. Well, the president , you just heard him say on his arrival in west virginia, Paul Manafort is a good man, very sad thing happened to him. This had nothing to do with russian collusion, its a witch hunt, its a disgrace. I feel very badly for Paul Manafort, and he said remember he used to work for bob dole, ronald reagan. The way he was speaking about Paul Manafort suggests to me he is seriously thinking of a pardon. And thats why the congress has to act right now. In a very bipartisan what can congress do . The president has the authority to pardon anyone he wants . The congress can direct that it is the will of congress that there be no pardon. But you dont think the
republican majority in the house or the senate is going to do that, do you . I believe that at some point my republican colleagues have to join in a bipartisan effort to save our democracy, which will be increasingly threatened if the president puts himself above the law. No one is above the law. Were in a watergate moment. Finally, very quickly. I want you to react. Michael avenatti, you just heard him, the lawyer for Stormy Daniels, he was very critical of what you had said about him, Stormy Daniels, their procedures over these many months. Ill give you a chance to react. All i did, wolf, was decline to endorse him for president of the United States. I think his legal strategy is his own decision, and whatever works for his client, he should pursue. Senator blumenthal, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you. Just ahead, more breaking news. Donald trumps onetime lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, pleads guilty to eight counts and implicates the president and Campaign Finance violations,
including hush money payoffs. Cohen faces potentially five years in prison, a huge fine. Whats the impact on President Trump . How much more did cohen reveal to prosecutors before making his plea deal . Well be right back. Chair, new laptop, 24 7 tech support. Yep, thanks guys. I think he might need some support. Yes. Start them off right, with the School Supplies they need at low prices all summer long. Like these for only 2 or less at office depot officemax. Mom okay we need to get all your School Supplies today. School. Grade. Done. Done. Hit the Snooze Button and get low prices on School Supplies all summer long. Like these for only 2 or less at office depot officemax. Jushis local miracle ear t at helped andrew hear more like these for only 2 or less of the joy in her voice. Just one hearing test is all it took for him to hear more of her laugh. And less of the Background Noise around him. For helen, just one visit to her local miracleear is all it took to learn how she can share more moments with her daughter. Just one free hearing test could help you hear more. Laughter. Music. Life. Call now for your free hearing test from an Industry Leader miracleear. What i just introduced you worto my parents. G . Psst craig and sheila broke up. What, really . Craig and shelia broke up . No, craig . What happened . I dont know. Is she okay . Craig and sheila broke up craig and sheila . As long as Office Gossip travels fast, you can count on geico saving folks money. Craig and sheila broke up what . Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. But we can guarantee the best price on a hotel, like this one. Or any home, boat, treehouse, yurt, whatever. Get the best price on homes, hotels and so much more. Booking. Com, booking. Yeah
finance violations directly related to his work for mr. Trump. Cohen telling a federal judge that he violated Campaign Laws for the, quote, purpose of influencing the president ial election and that he broke the law at the direction of mr. Trump. This as the president s former Campaign Chairman, Paul Manafort, is found guilty of eight felonies. Lets go back to the white house. Our correspondent, kaitlan collins, is standing by. The president hasnt tweeted, but he did speak briefly to reporters and i want you to update our viewers. Reporter wolf, he did speak to reporters, but its interesting what the president said when he came over to speak to those reporters. He didnt say anything to any reporters as they flew in that hour flight from washington, d. C. , to west virginia, where hes holding that rally tonight. But then when he got off the plane in front of the cameras, he went up, spoke with reporters and had this to say. I feel badly for i must tell you that Paul Manafort is a good man. He was with ronald reagan. He was with a lot of different people over the years. And i feel very sad about that. It doesnt involve me, but i still feel you know, its a very sad thing that happened. This has nothing to do with russian collusion. This started as russian collusion. This has absolutely nothing to do this is a witch hunt and its a disgrace. This has nothing to do what they started out, looking for russians involved in our campaign. There were none. I feel very badly for Paul Manafort. Again, he worked for bob dole, he worked for ronald reagan. He worked for many people. And this is the way it ends up. It was not the original mission, believe me. It was something very much different. So i have nothing to do with russian collusion. We continue the witch hunt. Reporter so, wolf, those were questions not just about Paul Manafort, but also about Michael Cohen. Instead the president came over, he denounced the Special Counsels investigation. He said he feels badly for paul
manafort, but he had nothing to say about his longtime attorney Michael Cohen, someone who knew the president much more for a longer time and much better than Paul Manafort did. And we know, wolf, that is something that has irritated the president for months. Way more than the Special Counsels investigation ever did. It was the Michael Cohen investigation that really bothered the president. Back in april, youll remember the president was in a meeting, when reporters came in the room, the president went off about the Michael Cohen raid, the fact that the fbi had raided his house, his hotel, calling it a disgrace and an attack on the country. Now we know that in recent weeks the president has been complaining about Michael Cohen, because in his opinion, he feels stunned by all of this, because he feels that he has done just so much for Michael Cohen. And now when he learned that Michael Cohen had recorded conversations they had about paying women, that is something that infuriated the president. And now that Michael Cohen walked into a courtroom today, implicated the president in a
crime, he is surely going to have something to say, but so far hes being silent. But, wolf, hes just a matter of minutes away from having an entire audience and a stage to himself in west virginia. To a very, very friendly audience. Well see what he has to say, if anything else about all of this. Kaitlan, good reporting, as usual. David chalian, im anxious to get your reaction to this day. Very, very quickly, give us your thoughts. Clearly, its the worst day of the trump presidency, so far. Little doubt about that. Its coming at him from every direction. And you heard just there when you we listening to the president s remarks, where he said this doesnt involve me, talking about the Paul Manafort case. But the Michael Cohen case so directly involves the president. He is listed everywhere in this document. There is no saying not even donald trump, who stretches the truth constantly and dissembles and lies. He could not even come up and say this doesnt involve him. He understands that it does. So this is a terrible day for the president. But, wolf, i will just say, listen to the silence right now from republicans on capitol hill. We have not heard from paul ryan or Mitch Mcconnell or Kevin Mccarthy or steve scalise, the leaders of the Republican Party on capitol hill. How this is going to play politically i think is still uncertain. I would not expect, obviously were not seeing a rush to the microphones to denounce the president or tell him to get in line in some way. We may see more of the same, despite the drama of today. We may see more of the same of what we have seen from his fellow partisans up on capitol hill. Anne milgram, ill read a couple sentences from this document that the u. S. Attorney for the Southern District of new york released. And let me read it to you. Michael cohen, the defendant, caused and made the payments described herein in order to influence the 2016 president ial election. In so doing, he coordinated with one or more members of the campaign, including through
meetings and phone calls about the fact, nature and timing of the payments. And in court, he said he did all of this in coordination, and at the direction of a candidate for federal office, designed to influence the election. That candidate for federal office being donald trump. Yeah, its extraordinary. I mean, usually the word there would be conspired with. You know, we would have expected if he wasnt the president of the United States to have seen donald trump named as a Co Conspirator here. There is no question that he is deeply implicated in this, and that essentially he is the mastermind of the coverup and cohen was the one who implemented it and did it. And thats what he acknowledged In Open Court today before a judge and before, obviously, the american public. And Rudy Guiliani, jeffrey toobin, in his statement ill read it once again for our viewers. There is no allegation of any wrongdoing against the president in the governments charges against mr. Cohen. It is clear that as the prosecutor noted, mr. Cohens actions reflect a pattern of lies and dishonesty over a
significant period of time. I want you to tell us what you make of that. Well, the key word there is charges, as you point out. Because, yes, it is true that the president is not charged in the crime. But in the statement by the defendant, Michael Cohen, of the crime, he makes clear that the instigator of this crime, and the leader of the coverup of this crime was the president who was the beneficiary of this crime. So, you know, i think its you know, that is parsing the legal document very carefully, to say charges, as Rudy Guiliani did. But i dont think anyone is going to be misled that this crime was one done at the service of and, according to Michael Cohen, at the behest of donald trump. Now, whats going to be
interesting is what Rudy Guiliani and the president s other defenders say about Michael Cohen at this point. Presumably, theyre going to say, hes just lying about the whole thing. That he did not do this at the direction of donald trump. And that will certainly call will lead to whether there is any Corroborating Evidence of Michael Cohen. Are there emails. Are there tapes. And i suspect one way or another, through the mueller investigation, through congressional investigations, or simply with interviews to the media, we have not heard the last of Michael Cohen defending what he said in court today. Yeah, im sure youre right. Sabrina sadiqy, the president im sure has been stewing all day. Im sure hes really angry. But hes about to go on a stage in charleston, west virginia, big political rally. What do you anticipate . What do you expect we might be hearing from the president . It was notable that when the president landed in charleston, he would not comment on Michael Cohen, and i think what we can glean from his attorney, Rudy Guilianis statement, there will be an effort if he does speak publicly on cohen, he will discredit his account to undermine Michael Cohens culpability. The role that he has played in Donald Trumps career. For years he acted not just as his personal attorney, but selfdescribed fixit guy. And he was so intimately involved in handling both the president s personal and professional dealings. And he stood in court today and directly implicated the president in a crime. This is precisely why the president and his legal team were far more concerned in recent months over the case involving Michael Cohen, and were not entirely sure whether hes going to address he seems to be redirecting this to russia. This Isnt The Last were hearing of Michael Cohen and the president and his legal team are aware of it. The pressure is mounting on President Trump right now. I agree, the pressure is mounting at least today more so on the plea of cohen rather than microsoft because t manafort. He directed hush money over an alleged mistress and then tried to cover it up and the president when he was in that clip you just played didnt even address it because its very hard to address it. I think the things to watch for are, one, what he says tonight at this rally and where the polls go in the next couple of days. In the real clear politics average, 43. 4 , basically right where he was the day he took office. Well see if it moves in the rest of the week. The whole notion david chalian, right now of the Michael Cohen eight counts guilty pleas, felony potentially going to jail, paying a half a Million Dollar fine, coming on the same day at manafort was
found guilty of eight counts. He could spend the rest of his life potentially in jail. Its pretty extraordinary when you think about it. Youre an astute observer of donald trump. You have been for years. We know how he consumes media and headlines and coverage. Imagine being him today, watching these headlines ripping across the screen of these people who, yes, he had a much closer relationship to Michael Cohen than Paul Manafort but this was the chairman of his campaign through its most tricky period in getting through the convention and becoming the nominee and moving on to the general election. And this longtime fixer and he is seeing these people who have been just attached to him in these last few years in very big ways. See them go up in flames legally and understand that the political walls start moving in for him when that happens. You know this president of the United States as well. Youve seen him when he gets attacked. He fights back. What is he going to do now . Hes got options presumably. Hes the president of the United States. You see in his comments today, hes not giving up this line of a witch hunt and going after mueller and saying that theres no russian collusion. I imagine hes going to keep up that verbal combat against the Special Counsel, probably more so than weve seen before. Jeffrey toobin, justice told white house correspondents for reuters that if he wanted to, he could take over for Robert Mueller and run the investigation himself. Yeah, i mean, thats part of the donald trump Parallel Universe where he thinks he can do that as a practical matter. He is still the has of the Justice Department and he is the ultimate supervisor. But the idea that he could run the investigation is simply not something that could happen in the real world. What he can do is direct the firing of Robert Mueller which has always been a possibility
and i suppose remains a possibility. He would have to direct some Justice Department official to do it and that Justice Department official would have to agree to do it, presumably rod rosenstein, the Deputy Attorney general who is the current supervisor of mueller would not agree to do it. So hed have to fire hed have to Fire Rosenstein and then there would be a Saturday Night Massacre like a series of dismissals until somebody agreed to fire him. I dont think thats likely to happen either. Its likely to be this continued rhetorical attack on mueller. But mueller now has something very different than he did earlier today, which is a conviction. A Jury Conviction of someone extremely close to donald trump, his Campaign Chairman. Thats something that is very hard to argue against. Its very hard to argue that thats a witch hunt. But that doesnt mean the
president wont do it. Go ahead. What jeffrey said about the firing of mueller or directing someone to do that. You heard Richard Blumenthal say that to you. Chuck schumer has been talking about this. Elizabeth warren, mark warner. The democrats are circling around this notion of readdressing this about how important they see it to protect mueller. You heard in Lindsey Grahams statement, a nod to this as well. This is where the political conversation on capitol hill is going to move from the democrats to put pressure on the republicans to speak up about the need to protect mueller. You agree . Yes, the president and his legal team were hoping the verdict in the manafort case would go their way so that they could make the case that mueller should shut down his investigation and amplify the political pressure on Robert Mueller. They did not get that, obviously, with Manafort Being found guilty on eight counts. Its important to note as theyre trying to frame this as no evidence of collusion, part of why mueller retained the case
with respect to manafort was in order to gain leverage on charges unrelated to the election. Thats part of how he was able to compel rick gates to cooperate and one of the open questions raised from this trial is why did manafort offer his services to the Trump Campaign for free at a time when his firm was reporting losses in Tens Of Thousands of dollars for a month. Was there a quid pro quo there . We dont yet know. The investigation with respect to potential collusion between the Trump Campaign and moscow is not yet over, despite what the president and his allies are saying. How does this change the ramifications for the midterm elections . So, i think, again, what matters for democrats is, yes, they are putting pressure now on republicans to do something to protect mueller. But also they are looking down the road and saying, this really changes significantly if they win one of the houses of congress and get control of the committees and, therefore, get subpoena power. If Chairman Nunez becomes
chairman schiff, thats when you see the democrats having additional leverage they dont have now. Right now theyre relying on people, like senator graham, to do the right thing in their view, whereas if they have committee control, thaw cey can whatever they want. You are a former Attorney General in new jersey. When the fbi and the u. S. Attorney, the prosecutors raided Michael Cohens home, his office, his hotel room, his Safe Deposit Box months ago, it was a pretty extraordinary move. The attorney for the fleft United States, the longtime fixer. You dont easily make a decision like that to raid the personal property of a lawyer, first of all, who is involved in this. My assumption always was that they knew then basically what has come out today. But i want your thoughts. Well, its very likely. In order to get a warrant like that which essentially lets them take everything and Access Computers and cell phones and all those records, they have to
prove to a judge theres probable cause that a crime was committed by Michael Cohen. So they are already getting to this sort of higher Legal Standard than we often think about when the police just stop and talk to someone, for example. So they had a fair amount of evidence going in to get that kind of search warrant on cohen. What we now know from a lot of reporting is that they got a considerable amount of evidence, including tapes cohen had made of conversations with trump and with others. And so they were already pretty far down the road when they got into those rooms and got that evidence. Its clear that what they found as part of those Search Warrants let them really make a case against cohen and ultimately convince him to plead guilty, meaning he didnt want to test their evidence in court. He just decided to acknowledge in court at this very, very early point in time that he was guilty. Jeffrey toobin, what should President Trump be most concerned about right now . Whether there is evidence that we have not yet seen to
corroborate Michael Cohens statement that donald trump committed a crime. I think that is the heart of the problem for that was exposed today is that we had the president s personal lawyer, someone very close to him, say In Open Court today the president of the United States committed a crime. Presumably, the president Rudy Giuliani and other defenders of the president are going to say thats a lie. The question now becomes, what is there to support what Michael Cohen said or to contradict it . That Corroborating Evidence or the lack of it, will be something that donald trump will probably spend some time worrying about. David chalian, take a look at this. Well put it up on the screen. These are five people close to donald trump now either convicted or plead guilty to various charges. Paul manafort, rick gates,
michael flynn, George Papadopoulos and now Michael Cohen who for the last decade or dozen years was the president s personal attorney and fixer. What does that say to you . To say nothing of the two members of congress who were first to support his president ial campaign, Chris Collins and Duncan Hunter under indictment for matters unrelated to donald trump. So its not a good gang to be hanging around with. But it says that theres been a lot of cooperation from people who have a lot of information about Donald Trumps 2016 campaign who are now cooperate with authorities. And that should give donald trump some pause. David swerdlick . This is not only legal jeopardy for him. But when President Trump came in, he was going to have a dream team, the best people. Now a bunch of people who have plead guilty or been convicted of serious federal crimes. This is turning out to be a real nightmare for the president. Mueller has brought indictments against 32 individuals, three companies and
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