Transcripts For MSNBCW The Rachel Maddow Show 20180822 04:00

Rachel Maddow takes a look at the days top political news stories. But the president s own fate is a real front burner issue now because of what just happened with cohen and manafort. Lets start with manafort. On manafort, you know by now the basics. Manafort was convicted on eight Felony Counts. The jury in the Manafort Case was not able to reach a verdict on the other ten Felony Counts that manafort was facing. They didnt find him not guilty on those other ten charges. They just couldnt come to a decision. That gives the prosecution and the defense both some options here. On the counts where the jury didnt reach a verdict, there was a mistrial for those ten counts, than means prosecutors could decide to try Paul Manafort again on those ten counts. Prosecutors have a choice as to whether or not they want to do that. On the other hand, there are the eight counts, the eight Felony Charges where the jurors did reach a verdict. On all eight charges they found him guilty. On those eight guilty verdicts, are these 18 counts settled or were they continued to be litigate inside thats one thing to watch. The second logistical thing to watch. After these convictions today on these eight Felony Charges, how much better or worse does manaforts fate look for his next felony trial which after all, starts in less than a month in federal court in d. C. This was manaforts trial in virginia. He is about to go on trial in federal court in d. C. Less than a month from now. And believe it or not, tonight is the deadline for the prosecutors to submit their list of evidence that they are planning on using in that next case against Manafort Next month. We are expecting over the course of this evening, sometime tonight to get access to that Evidence List. Were expecting that it will contain well over 1,000 individual pieces of evidence that prosecutors will use in their case against Manafort Next month. When we get that Evidence List tonight, presumably it will land like an anvil on the manafort defense team. Right . It will come just hours after that your client was convicted on eight Felony Counts in a different federal court today. Is that case over . How does it affect the next case . Theres twos things to watch. Basically logistical but it be fascinating watch both of those. The third thing on watch here when it comes to manafort. With these eight felony quikszs convictions today, Trump Campaign manager Paul Manafort is the facing a maximum snchbs 0 years in prison. Hes probably looking at maybe seven to nine years. And he is about to face another felony trial against the same Special Counsels office who just got him convicted on eight felonies and thats coming up in less than a month. You see where this is going. The last thing to watch when it comes to Paul Manafort is, whether being convicted today while staring down the evidence in the next trial hes about to face in d. C. , whether any of this is going to change Paul Manaforts own calculus about whether or not he might want to help prosecutors now. Paul manafort, a lot of other people in the russia scandal have flipped and decided to help prosecutors. Not manafort. He has not cooperated with prosecutors at all. If he decided now to start cooperating, his future would look very different. Presumably, right . Depending on the deal he was able to cut. Depending on what he could offer information about. Depending on how valuable it might be to prosecutors and any other investigations they are pursuing. The years in prison that he is now looking at as of today for the felonies of which he was convicted today, those years conceivably in a deal with prosecutors, those years might go away, as might the charges hes about to face in his new trial in court in washington, d. C. Next month. Were going on get some expert advice on this. Another prosecution for perjury or making a Facility Statement . Or making a false statement . Michael cohen, i do, your honor. The judge, very well. For the record, what is your full name . Michael cohen says, michael dean cohen. The judge, and at this time, mr. Cohen, you may be seated and i would ask that you pull the microphone close to you. The defendant, thank you, your honor. Mr. Cohen, how old are you, sir . The defendant, in four days ill be 52. The judge, how far did you go in school . Law. The judge. Are you able to read, white, speak and understand english. The defendant, yes, your honor. The judge. Are you now or have you recently been under the care of a doctor or psychiatrist . The defendant. No, your honor. Court, have you ever been treated or hospitalized for any Mental Illness or hospitalized for any addiction . No. The judge, in the past 24 hours have you taken any drugs, medicine or pills or have you consumed any alcohol . Yes, your honor. The judge, what have you taken or consumed, sir . Last night at dinner, i had a glass of glenly vet 12 on the rocks. The judge, all right. Is it your custom to do that . No, your honor. The judge, all right. Have you had anything since that time . The defendant, no, your honor. Is your mind clear today . Yes. Are you feeling all right . Yes, sir. Are you represented by counsel . I am. Who are your attorneys . Guy pet trillo and amy lester. Mr. Pet trillo, do you have any doubt as to your clients competence to plead at this time . I do not, your honor. Judge, now, mr. Cohen, your attorney has informed me that you wish to enter a plea of guilty. Do you wish to enter a plea of guilty . Defendant, yes, sir. The judge, have you had a full opportunity to discuss your case with your attorney and to discuss the consequences of a plea of guilty . Yes, your honor. Judge, are you satisfied with your attorneys, mr. Petrillo in their representation of new this matter . The defendant, very much, sir. The judge, on the basis of mr. Cohens responses to my questions and my observations of his demeanor in the courtroom this afternoon, i find that he is full competent and informed plea at this time. Warned that he will be prosecuted for perjury if he gives any false statements at this hearing today. They then go through it. There is a long back and forth at this point about cohen understanding the nature his plea deal and the charges against him and the clear mind with which he is pleading guilty. He pleads guilty to eight Felony Charges today. Felony tax evasion in five separate charges. Making a false statement to a Financial Institution to get a loan that he shouldnt have otherwise gotten and then last two charges that blew the Proverbial Lid off the place today. As theyre going through all the charges between the judge and the attorneys and mike cohen, just saying yes, your honor a lot as theyre going through stuff, there comes this moment in todays hearing when the judge asks Michael Cohen to explain in his own words the crimes he has commit and to which he is pleading guilty. The judge. Mr. Cohen, would you please tell me what you did in connection to each of the crimes to which are you entering a plea of guilty . Michael cohen, yes, your honor. May i stand . The judge. You may. The defendant, thank you, sir. Michael cohen. I also just jotted down some notes so that i can keep my focus and address this court in proper fashion. As to counts one through five, i evaded paying substantial taxes on certain income i received that i knew was not reflected on the return and that i caused to be filed. And then i wont read all the details but cohen says he how he knowingly lied to a bank that you applied for a loan. We learned he used it to pay off Stormy Daniels. Well have more only later. But then we get to the part that led to front pages like this. This is the front page of the New York Times. Cohen pleads guilty implicating president. Thats the front page of the New York Times tonight. Heres where that comes from in court today. Ready . Okay. Michael cohen. Thank you, your honor. As to count number seven, on or about the summer of 2016 in coordination with and at the direction of a candidate for federal office, i and the ceo of a Media Company, at the request of the candidate, worked together to keep an individual with information that would be harmful to the candidate and to the campaign from publicly disclosing this information. After a number of discussions, we eventually accomplished the goal by the Media Company entering into a contract with the individual under which she received compensation of 150,000. I participated in this conduct which on my part took place in manhattan for the principle purpose of influencing the election. The federal candidate in this case is the president of the United States. The election in this case is the election that made him president of the United States. And this is the president s attorney, saying under oath, under penalty of perjury, that the president directed this illegal payoff during the campaign for the purposes of influencing the election. This count, number seven, is the Karen Mcdougal case. This is the woman who used to model forboy magazine who said she had a long Running Affair with the president. Michael cohen said in court today that the president directed him, Michael Cohen, and the ceo of a Media Company, which appears to be david pecker, the ceo of american media, the owner of national enquirer, Michael Cohen said the president directed two of them to arrange a payment of 150,000 to Karen Mcdougal during the election. Specifically for the purpose of influencing the election. Now, that is something that has been reported in detail that you have heard about over months. That is now being charged as a felony. As an illegal corporate contribution to the president s campaign. One that, according to this Court Proceeding today, was directed by the president himself. Now, Michael Cohen is pleading guilty to his own role in that but he is directly implicating both the president of the United States and the executive david pecker in that same criminal act. So well have more on that in a second. But then heres the last count. And this part is probably even worse for the president at least the way i read it. Back to the print. Mike cohen. Your honor, as to count number eight, on or about october of 2016, the month before the election, in coordination with and at the direction of the same candidate, i arranged to make a payment to a second individual with information that would be harmful to the candidate and the campaign to keep the individual from disclosing the information. To accomplish this i used a company that was under my control to make a payment in the sum of 130,000. The moneys i advanced were later repaid to me by the candidate. I participated in this conduct which on my part took place in manhattan for the principal purpose of influencing the election. The reason he is saying, i did this in manhattan is because he is being charged by federal prosecutors. In the Southern District of new york. Thats essentially establishing their jurisdiction to charge him with these felonies. When he says he participated in this conduct for the principal purpose of influencing the election, that is identifying this felony as a campaignrelated felony, a Campaign Finance felony. So the president s lawyer has pled guilty. In so doing, he implicates the president personally in arranging Two Illegal Payoffs during the campaign for the purpose of influencing the outcome confident campaign. Mr. Cohen, Michael Cohen, will be going to jail for this conduct. But he has implicated the president in this criminal act as well. And then after did he that, federal prosecutors told the judge they have lots of evidence to prove this crime. The judge asked the prosecutors to summarize its evidence on these charges that cohen has just described. The prosecution goes through all the evidence. Ought barge charges all the bank charges and all the Felony Charges on which Michael Cohen implicates the president personally, he stands up and gives Bullet Points that are a list of evidence that the government has collected to prove those charges. Quote, records obtained from a series of Search Warrants on olympian cohens premises including hard copy documents, seized devices and Audio Recoveredings made by mr. Cohen. We would also offer messages september and emails. Via subpoena including records from the reference and alsorenced in the information. Finally we would offer testimony of witnesses including witnesses involved in the transactions in question who communicated with the defendant. Now, thats the list of evidence that government says it has compiled to prove that case. They explain that theyve got all that evidence to the judge today in court. But the government is not going to put that evidence on display in a trial against Michael Cohen because theres not going to be a trial because cohen has pled guilty. So cohens plea and the Court Filings from prosecutors in this case, they implicate cohen. They also implicate the president in this same criminal behavior. Cohens guilty plea spelled it out, out loud in the transcript that i just read to you. Its also spelled out in even more detail in the criminal information document which the prosecutor was just referencing there in that quote that i just read. The criminal information document became public later this evening. It spells it out in even more detail. It describes one or more members of the Trump Campaign coordinating with Michael Cohen to make these illegal payoffs. And this is interesting to me. It hasnt received a lot of attention today but i think it is worth focusing on. The president s company, his business, the trump organization, also appears to be implicated in the description of this crime. Because it is the president s company that is apparently the entity that reimbursed Michael Cohen for the illegal payoff. It was 130,000 illegal payoff to Stormy Daniels. They not only reimbursed him for the payoff. They also paid him a lot more on top of the reimbursement. It is spelled out that Michael Cohen put out this 130,000 as the payoff but then trump organization, the president s business, paid him back not 130,000. They paid him back over 420,000 for having provided that service. And that service, of course, was a felony for which mr. Cohen will now go to prison. They paid him a lot of money to do that. I dont know if you can indict a president but im pretty sure you can indict the president s company company. So a big day. The indicted congressman today, congressman Duncan Hunter is very lucky to have had his criminal news land like a rain drop in this ocean of criminal news today about the president s Campaign Chair and his long time personal lawyer. Both now as of today, convicted felons. The last day like this, march 1st, 1974, saw mr. Nixon named as an unindicted is coconspirator in criminal cases against his top aides. Today there was no grand jury to do that kind of naming. But in the Court Filings around the Michael Cohen guilty pleas the president is implicated just as overtly as nixon ever was. So now i have questions. Ive laid out my questions on manafort. Basically, how much time is manafort ultimately looking at . Will that change his mind on flipping and cooperating . Pretty simple. Watch this space for that. Including watch tonight for the publication of that list of evidence from the prosecution. Manafort. But on cohen, tell me this. Cohen and federal prosecutors in the southern Southern District of new york, they implicate the president explicitly today in Campaign Violations with the secret payoffs. Thats not the same thing as indicting the president for those charges. But whats the distance between implication by prosecutors, this explicit implication today, and indictment . Like how do you travel that distance . And can you travel that what happens now that the president is named as someone involved in the commission of multiple felonies . Where does that go . Second question, Michael Cohen is not required to cooperate with prosecutors as a condition of his Plea Agreement. Why not . Did prosecutors not want that . Did Michael Cohen not want that . What does that mean . And third, where is the Special Counsel . Robert mueller and his prosecutors at the Special Counsels office reportedly initiated this investigation of Felony Counts<\/a>. The jury in the Manafort Case<\/a> was not able to reach a verdict on the other ten Felony Counts<\/a> that manafort was facing. They didnt find him not guilty on those other ten charges. They just couldnt come to a decision. That gives the prosecution and the defense both some options here. On the counts where the jury didnt reach a verdict, there was a mistrial for those ten counts, than means prosecutors could decide to try Paul Manafort<\/a> again on those ten counts. Prosecutors have a choice as to whether or not they want to do that. On the other hand, there are the eight counts, the eight Felony Charges<\/a> where the jurors did reach a verdict. On all eight charges they found him guilty. On those eight guilty verdicts,\rare these 18 counts settled or were they continued to be litigate inside thats one thing to watch. The second logistical thing to watch. After these convictions today on these eight Felony Charges<\/a>, how much better or worse does manaforts fate look for his next felony trial which after all, starts in less than a month in federal court in d. C. This was manaforts trial in virginia. He is about to go on trial in federal court in d. C. Less than a month from now. And believe it or not, tonight is the deadline for the prosecutors to submit their list of evidence that they are planning on using in that next case against Manafort Next<\/a> month. We are expecting over the course of this evening, sometime tonight to get access to that Evidence List<\/a>. Were expecting that it will contain well over 1,000 individual pieces of evidence that prosecutors will use in their case against Manafort Next<\/a> month. When we get that Evidence List<\/a> tonight, presumably it will land like an anvil on the manafort defense team. Right . It will come just hours after\rthat your client was convicted on eight Felony Counts<\/a> in a different federal court today. Is that case over . How does it affect the next case . Theres twos things to watch. Basically logistical but it be fascinating watch both of those. The third thing on watch here when it comes to manafort. With these eight felony quikszs convictions today, Trump Campaign<\/a> manager Paul Manafort<\/a> is the facing a maximum snchbs 0 years in prison. Hes probably looking at maybe seven to nine years. And he is about to face another felony trial against the same Special Counsel<\/a>s office who just got him convicted on eight felonies and thats coming up in less than a month. You see where this is going. The last thing to watch when it comes to Paul Manafort<\/a> is, whether being convicted today while staring down the evidence\rin the next trial hes about to face in d. C. , whether any of this is going to change Paul Manafort<\/a>s own calculus about whether or not he might want to help prosecutors now. Paul manafort, a lot of other people in the russia scandal have flipped and decided to help prosecutors. Not manafort. He has not cooperated with prosecutors at all. If he decided now to start cooperating, his future would look very different. Presumably, right . Depending on the deal he was able to cut. Depending on what he could offer information about. Depending on how valuable it might be to prosecutors and any other investigations they are pursuing. The years in prison that he is now looking at as of today for the felonies of which he was convicted today, those years conceivably in a deal with prosecutors, those years might go away, as might the charges hes about to face in his new trial in court in washington, d. C. Next month. Were going on get some expert advice on this. Another prosecution for perjury or making a Facility Statement<\/a> . Or making a false statement . Michael cohen, i do, your honor. The judge, very well. For the record, what is your full name . Michael cohen says, michael dean cohen. The judge, and at this time, mr. Cohen, you may be seated and i would ask that you pull the microphone close to you. The defendant, thank you, your honor. Mr. Cohen, how old are you, sir . The defendant, in four days ill be 52. The judge, how far did you go in school . Law. The judge. Are you able to read, white, speak and understand english. The defendant, yes, your honor. The judge. Are you now or have you recently been under the care of a doctor or psychiatrist . The defendant. No, your honor. Court, have you ever been treated or hospitalized for any Mental Illness<\/a> or hospitalized for any addiction . No. The judge, in the past 24 hours have you taken any drugs, medicine or pills or have you consumed any alcohol . Yes, your honor. The judge, what have you taken or consumed, sir . Last night at dinner, i had a\rglass of glenly vet 12 on the rocks. The judge, all right. Is it your custom to do that . No, your honor. The judge, all right. Have you had anything since that time . The defendant, no, your honor. Is your mind clear today . Yes. Are you feeling all right . Yes, sir. Are you represented by counsel . I am. Who are your attorneys . Guy pet trillo and amy lester. Mr. Pet trillo, do you have any doubt as to your clients competence to plead at this time . I do not, your honor. Judge, now, mr. Cohen, your attorney has informed me that you wish to enter a plea of guilty. Do you wish to enter a plea of guilty . Defendant, yes, sir. The judge, have you had a full opportunity to discuss your case with your attorney and to discuss the consequences of a plea of guilty . Yes, your honor. Judge, are you satisfied with your attorneys, mr. Petrillo in their representation of new this matter . The defendant, very much, sir. The judge, on the basis of mr. Cohens responses to my questions and my observations of his demeanor in the courtroom\rthis afternoon, i find that he is full competent and informed plea at this time. Warned that he will be prosecuted for perjury if he gives any false statements at this hearing today. They then go through it. There is a long back and forth at this point about cohen understanding the nature his plea deal and the charges against him and the clear mind with which he is pleading guilty. He pleads guilty to eight Felony Charges<\/a> today. Felony tax evasion in five separate charges. Making a false statement to a Financial Institution<\/a> to get a loan that he shouldnt have otherwise gotten and then last two charges that blew the Proverbial Lid<\/a> off the place today. As theyre going through all the charges between the judge and the attorneys and mike cohen, just saying yes, your honor a lot as theyre going through stuff, there comes this moment in todays hearing when the judge asks Michael Cohen<\/a> to explain in his own words the\rcrimes he has commit and to which he is pleading guilty. The judge. Mr. Cohen, would you please tell me what you did in connection to each of the crimes to which are you entering a plea of guilty . Michael cohen, yes, your honor. May i stand . The judge. You may. The defendant, thank you, sir. Michael cohen. I also just jotted down some notes so that i can keep my focus and address this court in proper fashion. As to counts one through five, i evaded paying substantial taxes on certain income i received that i knew was not reflected on the return and that i caused to be filed. And then i wont read all the details but cohen says he how he knowingly lied to a bank that you applied for a loan. We learned he used it to pay off Stormy Daniels<\/a>. Well have more only later. But then we get to the part that led to front pages like this. This is the front page of the New York Times<\/a>. Cohen pleads guilty implicating president. Thats the front page of the New York Times<\/a> tonight. Heres where that comes from in court today. Ready . Okay. Michael cohen. Thank you, your honor. As to count number seven, on or about the summer of 2016 in coordination with and at the direction of a candidate for federal office, i and the ceo of a Media Company<\/a>, at the request of the candidate, worked together to keep an individual with information that would be harmful to the candidate and to the campaign from publicly disclosing this information. After a number of discussions, we eventually accomplished the goal by the Media Company<\/a> entering into a contract with the individual under which she received compensation of 150,000. I participated in this conduct which on my part took place in manhattan for the principle purpose of influencing the election. The federal candidate in this case is the president of the United States<\/a>. The election in this case is the\relection that made him president of the United States<\/a>. And this is the president s attorney, saying under oath, under penalty of perjury, that the president directed this illegal payoff during the campaign for the purposes of influencing the election. This count, number seven, is the Karen Mcdougal<\/a> case. This is the woman who used to model forboy magazine who said she had a long Running Affair<\/a> with the president. Michael cohen said in court today that the president directed him, Michael Cohen<\/a>, and the ceo of a Media Company<\/a>, which appears to be david pecker, the ceo of american media, the owner of national enquirer, Michael Cohen<\/a> said the president directed two of them to arrange a payment of 150,000 to Karen Mcdougal<\/a> during the election. Specifically for the purpose of influencing the election. Now, that is something that has been reported in detail that you have heard about over months. That is now being charged as a felony. As an illegal corporate\rcontribution to the president s campaign. One that, according to this Court Proceeding<\/a> today, was directed by the president himself. Now, Michael Cohen<\/a> is pleading guilty to his own role in that but he is directly implicating both the president of the United States<\/a> and the executive david pecker in that same criminal act. So well have more on that in a second. But then heres the last count. And this part is probably even worse for the president at least the way i read it. Back to the print. Mike cohen. Your honor, as to count number eight, on or about october of 2016, the month before the election, in coordination with and at the direction of the same candidate, i arranged to make a payment to a second individual with information that would be harmful to the candidate and the campaign to keep the individual from disclosing the information. To accomplish this i used a company that was under my control to make a payment in the\rsum of 130,000. The moneys i advanced were later repaid to me by the candidate. I participated in this conduct which on my part took place in manhattan for the principal purpose of influencing the election. The reason he is saying, i did this in manhattan is because he is being charged by federal prosecutors. In the Southern District<\/a> of new york. Thats essentially establishing their jurisdiction to charge him with these felonies. When he says he participated in this conduct for the principal purpose of influencing the election, that is identifying this felony as a campaignrelated felony, a Campaign Finance<\/a> felony. So the president s lawyer has pled guilty. In so doing, he implicates the president personally in arranging Two Illegal Payoffs<\/a> during the campaign for the purpose of influencing the outcome confident campaign. Mr. Cohen, Michael Cohen<\/a>, will be going to jail for this conduct. But he has implicated the president in this criminal act as well. And then after did he that, federal prosecutors told the judge they have lots of evidence to prove this crime. The judge asked the prosecutors to summarize its evidence on these charges that cohen has just described. The prosecution goes through all the evidence. Ought barge charges all the bank charges and all the Felony Charges<\/a> on which Michael Cohen<\/a> implicates the president personally, he stands up and gives Bullet Points<\/a> that are a list of evidence that the government has collected to prove those charges. Quote, records obtained from a series of Search Warrants<\/a> on olympian cohens premises including hard copy documents, seized devices and Audio Recoveredings<\/a> made by mr. Cohen. We would also offer messages september and emails. Via subpoena including records\rfrom the reference and alsorenced in the information. Finally we would offer testimony of witnesses including witnesses involved in the transactions in question who communicated with the defendant. Now, thats the list of evidence that government says it has compiled to prove that case. They explain that theyve got all that evidence to the judge today in court. But the government is not going to put that evidence on display in a trial against Michael Cohen<\/a> because theres not going to be a trial because cohen has pled guilty. So cohens plea and the Court Filings<\/a> from prosecutors in this case, they implicate cohen. They also implicate the president in this same criminal behavior. Cohens guilty plea spelled it out, out loud in the transcript that i just read to you. Its also spelled out in even more detail in the criminal information document which the prosecutor was just referencing there in that quote that i just read. The criminal information document became public later this evening. It spells it out in even more detail. It describes one or more members of the Trump Campaign<\/a> coordinating with Michael Cohen<\/a> to make these illegal payoffs. And this is interesting to me. It hasnt received a lot of attention today but i think it is worth focusing on. The president s company, his business, the trump organization, also appears to be implicated in the description of this crime. Because it is the president s company that is apparently the entity that reimbursed Michael Cohen<\/a> for the illegal payoff. It was 130,000 illegal payoff to Stormy Daniels<\/a>. They not only reimbursed him for the payoff. They also paid him a lot more on top of the reimbursement. It is spelled out that Michael Cohen<\/a> put out this 130,000 as the payoff but then trump organization, the president s business, paid him back not 130,000. They paid him back over 420,000 for having provided that service. And that service, of course, was\ra felony for which mr. Cohen will now go to prison. They paid him a lot of money to do that. I dont know if you can indict a president but im pretty sure you can indict the president s company company. So a big day. The indicted congressman today, congressman Duncan Hunter<\/a> is very lucky to have had his criminal news land like a rain drop in this ocean of criminal news today about the president s Campaign Chair<\/a> and his long time personal lawyer. Both now as of today, convicted felons. The last day like this, march 1st, 1974, saw mr. Nixon named as an unindicted is coconspirator in criminal cases against his top aides. Today there was no grand jury to do that kind of naming. But in the Court Filings<\/a> around the Michael Cohen<\/a> guilty pleas the president is implicated just as overtly as nixon ever was. So now i have questions. Ive laid out my questions on manafort. Basically, how much time is manafort ultimately looking at . Will that change his mind on flipping and cooperating . Pretty simple. Watch this space for that. Including watch tonight for the publication of that list of evidence from the prosecution. Manafort. But on cohen, tell me this. Cohen and federal prosecutors in the southern Southern District<\/a> of new york, they implicate the president explicitly today in Campaign Violations<\/a> with the secret payoffs. Thats not the same thing as indicting the president for those charges. But whats the distance between implication by prosecutors, this explicit implication today, and indictment . Like how do you travel that distance . And can you travel that what happens now that the president is named as someone involved in the commission of multiple felonies . Where does that go . Second question, Michael Cohen<\/a> is not required to cooperate\rwith prosecutors as a condition of his Plea Agreement<\/a>. Why not . Did prosecutors not want that . Did Michael Cohen<\/a> not want that . What does that mean . And third, where is the Special Counsel<\/a> . Robert mueller and his prosecutors at the Special Counsel<\/a>s office reportedly initiated this investigation of Michael Cohen<\/a> but then handed it off to the regular public corruption prosecutors at the u. S. Attorneys office in the Southern District<\/a> of new york. The Special Counsel<\/a> and his team of prosecutors appear nowhere in the hearing or in any of the hearings about Michael Cohen<\/a>. Does the Special Counsel<\/a>s office want to talk to Michael Cohen<\/a> . Have they talked on Michael Cohen<\/a> . Does Michael Cohen<\/a> have now or did he ever have an option to reduce his prison by talking to the Special Counsel<\/a>s office about what he knows that might be helpful in their other ongoing investigations . I mean, cohen implicated the\rpresident in two felonies today. If cohen has more to say beyond implicating the president , in these two felonies today, has he said it to prosecutes . Should we expect that he will . I think we may be able to get an answer on that from a guest you will be surprised to see here. Next. We just got married. Were all under one roof now. Congratulations. Thank you. How many kids . My two. His three. Along with two dogs and jake, our new parrot. That is quite the family. Quite a lot of colleges to pay for though. A lot of colleges. You get any Financial Advice<\/a> . Yeah, but im pretty sure its the same plan they sold me before. Well your situations totally changed now. Right, right. How bout a plan that works for 5 kids, 2 dogs and jake over here . That would be great. That would be great. That okay with you, jake . Get a portfolio that works for you now and as your needs change from Td Ameritrade<\/a> investment management. At booking. Com, we cant guarantee youll good at that water jet thingy. But we can guarantee the best price on this hotel. Or any accommodation, from homes to yurts. S\ris is a commercial about insurance. Now i know youre thinking, i dont want to hear about insurance. Cause lets be honest, nobody likes dealing with insurance, right . Which is why esurance hired me, dennis quaid, as their spokesperson because apparently, im highly likable. I like dennis quaid. Awww. And they want me to let you know that, cue overdramatic music, theyre on a mission to make insurance painless. Excuse me, you dropped this. They know its confusing. I literally have no idea what im getting, dennis quaid. Thats why theyre making it simple, man in cafe. And they know its expensive. Yeah. So theyre making it affordable. Thank you. Youre welcome. Thats a prop apple. Now, you might not believe any of this since this is a television commercial, but thats why theyre being so transparent. Anyways. This is the end of the commercial where i walk off into a very dramatic sunset to reveal the new esurance tagline so that youll remember it. Esurance. Its surprisingly painless. So that youll remember it. Applebees to go. Order online and get 5 off 25. Now thats eatin good in the neighborhood. Its absolute confidence in 30,00or it isnt. Arts, its inspected by mercedesbenz factorytrained technicians, or it isnt. Its backed by an unlimited mileage warranty, or it isnt. For those who never settle, its either mercedesbenz certified preowned, or it isnt. The mercedesbenz certified preowned sales event, now through august 31st. Only at your authorized mercedesbenz dealer. Michael cohen did not sign a deal that obly guys him to cooperate with prosecutors today but he did plead guilty today in participation in two felonies related to the campaign. Two Campaign Finance<\/a> violations to when mr. Cohen looks like he will expect to do jail time. Is Michael Cohen<\/a> done . There was no mention of the Special Counsel<\/a> or the Special Counsel<\/a>s ongoing investigations in his case today. Is there any connection at all between the Special Counsel<\/a>s work and what just happened to mr. Cohen today . Joining us now is lanny davis, Michael Cohen<\/a>s personal attorney, former special white House Counsel<\/a> to bill clinton. Im really happy that youre joining us here today. Thank you for joining us. I want to say its a long time ive wanted to be on your show. I watch you all the time and i appreciate the invitation. Thank you for saying that. I appreciate you being here. I know that you have a lot of other things to be doing tonight. Your client pled guilty to eight counts today. It was a standard Plea Agreement<\/a> as far as we can tell. Not a Cooperation Agreement<\/a>. Was that an option for you and your client . Why wasnt there any cooperation deal . Well, there are certain things i can answer directly. So let me try to answer this indirectly. When i decided to represent mr. Cohen, it was because he committed to me early on in many conversations that he wanted to tell the truth about donald trump. And we talked about what he knew about donald trump. This was one of the subjects. So whether i used the word cooperation or not, and my colleague Guy Pet Trillo<\/a>, will note answer to your question, its truth that Michael Cohen<\/a> is committed to and its the truth that so threatens the president of the United States<\/a> who has\rconsistently lied in fact on this issue, denied knowing about these payments until rudolph giuliani, his lawyer, waiving attorneyclient privilege, said oh, he knew about the payments directly contrary to the lie on air force one. So to answer your question, mr. Cohen be dedicated to telling the truth. If that amounts to the word cooperation, ill leave that to my cohort, the great Criminal Defense Lawyer<\/a> Guy Pet Trillo<\/a> to explain. The Special Counsel<\/a>s office, Special Counsel<\/a>s Robert Mueller<\/a> and any of the prosecutors dont appear anywhere in the Court Filings<\/a> today. They werent discussed in court. That makes them a looming presence in this story and what we know about the future of your client. The future of Michael Cohen<\/a>. Is there anything to do with the Special Counsel<\/a> that was involved in this Plea Agreement<\/a> today . Has the Special Counsel<\/a> approached Michael Cohen<\/a> already\rabout whether he would like to speak some of that truth to their inquiry in addition to what hes just faced in sdny . So, i cant tell you the answer to that question about kaktz between mi about contacts between michael and the Special Counsel<\/a>. But i can tell you that mr. Cohen has knowledge on certain subjects that should be of interest to the Special Counsel<\/a> and is more than happy to tell the Special Counsel<\/a> all that he knows. Not just about the obvious possibility of a conspiracy to collude and corrupt the american democracy system in the 2016 election, which the Trump Tower Meeting<\/a> was all about. But also, knowledge about the Computer Crime<\/a> of hacking and whether or not mr. Trump knew ahead of time about that crime and even cheered it on. We know that he publicly cheered it on. Did he also have private information . One thing to say about Michael Cohen<\/a>, if i might, is that hes been through a very tough day. His wife and his two children and his family are, i would say, suffering from this type of event. So is michael. But in one very important respect, michael is relieved. He is a good man with a good heart that youve discovered. But he is relieved and liberated, is the word i would say to your audience. Because now he has no Shadow Hanging<\/a> over him. The uncertainty is gone. He has stepped up to the line and admitted what he did wrong but he is now liberated to tell the truth, everything about donald trump that he knows that led him to approach someone like me who he knows politically doesnt share anything with President Trump<\/a>. And from this point on, youre going to see liberated Michael Cohen<\/a> speaking truth to power. In terms of what you just said, i just want to underscore what you just referenced, that mr. Cohen has information about the president and his advance knowledge of the crime of hacking during the campaign. And youre saying that mr. Cohen, whether or not he has spoken to the Special Counsel<\/a>s office, he would be happy to discuss that with the Special Counsel<\/a>, separate and apart from everything that happened today in the Southern District<\/a> of new york . I hate to be overly legalistic with you, but im not going to confirm what Knowledge Michael<\/a> has. I will confirm that mr. Mueller, who i greatly respect, will have a lot of interest in what michael has to say. And by the way, on just the crime of directing somebody to commit a crime, as you pointed out in your opening, it was a crime for President Trump<\/a> to direct Michael Cohen<\/a> to the crime of a Campaign Finance<\/a> donation that exceeded the legal limitations. There is Something Else<\/a> interesting that isnt so\robvious. Why didnt President Trump<\/a> do this himself . Why didnt he write or sign the check himself . Was he covering up because he knew that there was something wrong in what he was doing so he directed his lawyer to do something that he didnt want anybody to know that he did . I think the answer to that question is obvious. So theres a coverup here by our now president of the United States<\/a> that is undeniable. He directed Michael Cohen<\/a> to make this payment of 130,000. He didnt have the courage, or at least, didnt want to expose himself politically so soon before the election. So he directed his lawyer to do that which he was not willing to do. Lanny davis, attorney for Michael Cohen<\/a>, mr. Davis, thank you for being here. I hope youll come back. Thank you for having me, rachel. Much appreciated. To that last point that he was making about President Trump<\/a> directing Michael Cohen<\/a> to make the payments instead of making\rthem himself, one of the things we learned is that when trump directed cohen to do it, it could not have been out of convenience. One of the other felonies to which Michael Cohen<\/a> pled today was lying to a bank in order to get 130,000 Home Equity Loan<\/a> which is what he tapped to make the payment to Stormy Daniels<\/a> which President Trump<\/a> had directed him to make. So it is not like Michael Cohen<\/a> was the easy choice. Michael cohen had to commit another felony in order to scratch the cash together to make that payment at the president s direction. He did get paid back handsomely for it but now he will go to jail for it. The question what will happen to the president for it . More to get to. Stay with us. [upbeat music]\rim not hearing the confidence. Okay, hold the name your price tool. Power of options based on your budget and well make heaven a place on earth yeah oh, my angels ooh, heaven is a place on earth [ sobs quietly ]\rhotel room and office. That the fbi agents treated him very fairly then and he felt they treated him very fairly again in this deliberation and these talks. I feel like when we sort of step back from the timeline weve all been living in, youve had so much interesting reporting over the weeks and months about cohen. Some others have had, reporting along the same lines about cohen. About his feelings about the president. About his likelihood that he would cooperate with prosecutors. That he would be willing to essentially flip after his longstanding relationship with donald trump. After reading all of that, and learning all of that over a period of months, youre now confirming today what seemed quite an apparent in court. Youve confirmed it tonight in the vanity fair that cohen and prosecutors didnt talk until this last week. So there havent been ongoing talks. There have been communications between his attorney and the government just basic communications, especially\rhis attorney receiving out and saying, hey. Were here. As youre going through documents, if you have any questions. But deliberations and specific discussions, from my reporting, i know they didnt really begin until last week. For weeks people have been saying, cohen is really quiet. Cohen is really quiet. Is it because there are conversations. He was out of the news cycle. Why put himself back in . Last week, thats when these conversations really began in earnest. And he pleads guilty today and there is no Cooperation Agreement<\/a> that goes along with the plea. If youre only talking for the first time last week, and over the weekend, the beginning of this week, we know from all the very smart lawyers on this network all the time, that a cooperating agreement takes a lot of time. It takes a long, weeks if not months to get the witness to a place where they trust the witness, to work out all the details that you want to work out. If youre only starting this last week isnt that fascinating . Prosecutors didnt want to start those conversations with him\rearlier, that they didnt want to develop him into a cooperating witness. As you read the transcript from the beginning of the show, the government went through each charge and what evidence they had for each of those charges. If they were intent on bringing those charges, they had what they needed. They took more than 3 million documents from him in april. It seems like they had testimony from people. They had empanelled a grand jury and people were witnesses if not already testified. Cohen today directly implicated the president in two felonies. To which he has pled guilty, to which serious jail time is attached. Lanny davis just suggested on our air live that mr. Cohen in addition to those remarkable statements today many court would be happy to speak with the Special Counsel<\/a> on matters potentially including the president having advance knowledge of the crime that took place during the campaign, which was the hacking of documents\rfrom the democratic party. That Michael Cohen<\/a> may have knowledge that the president had advance warning of that happening and he would be happy to talk to Special Counsel<\/a> about it. Im b bumbling that in the way i say it. Im still processing this. What can you add . Mike cohen had a Front Row Seat<\/a> to a lot that was happening in trump Taurg Durirump<\/a> tower d campaign and in the last decade. So that was the first time that i had heard that. The stuff about the Trump Tower Meeting<\/a>, about him knowing about the president having advance knowledge of the payments that he made. When i was on your show. I said to you the exact two things had come up in his initial interview with george stephanopoulos. And i said those arent bread crumbs. Those are loaves of bread. Those are things that i know to be true that Michael Cohen<\/a> had known. I had no advance knowledge of the hacking situation. Would it surprise me a person like Michael Cohen<\/a> who was in trump tower day in and day out\rand had almost daily access to the president during that time would know that kind of information . No. And it is your expectation, if he knows that information, he will happily provide that information to the Special Counsel<\/a> provided that they want it . From everything that i know, everything that i know from where Michael Cohen<\/a> is, state of mind, how he feels about the president and what he wants to do going forward. If there is information that he knows that he believes will be helpful to the Special Counsel<\/a>, there will be no hesitation in sharing it. Emily jane fox, Senior Reporter<\/a> for vanity fair. Mr. Cohen is out on 500,000 bail until his sentencing in early december. I imagine, if you keep talking to him, you will continue to have some amazing reporting on this story. Congratulations being first on so much of this. Thanks. Well be right back. Stay with us. The Doctors Office<\/a> just for a shot. But why go back there. When you can stay home with Neulasta Onpro<\/a> . Strong chemo can put you at risk of serious infection. In a key study neulasta reduced the risk of infection from 17 to 1 , a 94 decrease. Neulasta onpro is designed to deliver neulasta the day after chemo and is used by most patients today. Neulasta is for certain Cancer Patients<\/a> receiving strong chemotherapy. Do not take neulasta if youre allergic to it or Neupogen Filgrastim<\/a> . An incomplete dose could increase infection risk. Ruptured spleen, sometimes fatal as well as serious lung problems, allergic reactions, Kidney Injuries<\/a> and Capillary Leak Syndrome<\/a> have occurred. Report abdominal or shoulder tip pain, Trouble Breathing<\/a> or allergic reactions to your doctor right away. In patients with sickle cell disorders, serious, sometimes fatal crises can occur. The most common side effect is bone and muscle ache. If youd rather be home ask your doctor about Neulasta Onpro<\/a>. Pay no more than 5 per dose with copay card. Its a revolution in sleep. The new sleep number 360 smart bed is on sale now, from 899, during sleep numbers biggest sale of the year. It senses your movement, and automatically adjusts to keep you both comfortable. It even helps with this. So you wake up ready to put your pedal to the metal. And now, all beds are on sale. Save 50 on the new sleep number 360 limited Edition Smart<\/a> bed. Plus, 24month financing and free home delivery. Ends saturday. Sleep number. Proven, quality sleep. You shouldnt be rushed into booking a hotel. With expedias addon advantage, booking a Flight Unlocks<\/a> discounts on select hotels until the day you leave for your trip. Addon advantage. Only when you book with expedia. When Michael Cohen<\/a> In Open Court<\/a> today told the judge that he broke Campaign Finance<\/a> law in\rcoordinationing with and at the direction of a candidate for federal office, there is no Great Mystery<\/a> of who that candidate was. Just in case, in the criminal information document filed by prosecutors that we got access to tonight, there was this description which leaves no doubt. Quote, in or about january 2017, Michael Cohen<\/a> began holding himself out as the personal attorney to individual one who at that point had become the president of the United States<\/a>. So individual one, we can narrow it down. Joining us now, paul fishman from the great state of new jersey. Mr. Fish man, thank you very much for being here. Thank you for having me back. Michael cohen and federal prosecutors implicated the president today in felonies to which mr. Cohen has himself pled guilty and for which he expects to do jail time. Whats the difference between implicating somebody in a crime and charging them with a crime, otherwise holding them accountable for a crime . Oh look, before somebody gets charged you have to have proof\rbeyond a reasonable doubt to make that charge if youre a federal prosecutor. Thats the standard for convicting and federal prosecutors dont actually bring charges until they have enough evidence to convict. Michael cohen was obviously in that circumstance. If you read what happened in court, if you look at the detail of the criminal information which is beak a document that instead of indictment when somebodys pleading, if you look at that document, they had an enormous amount of evidence. An amount of detail about each of the crimes which he was charge and to which he pled guilty. They may not have the quite that much yet about the preds of the United States<\/a>. Thats one reason. The second is, they may be subscribing to the same view they cant indict the president of the United States<\/a> or maybe the Southern District<\/a> of new york office shouldnt be the one to make that decision. The fact that the president hasnt been charged doesnt mean theres not enough evidence. What Michael Cohen<\/a> aloe acuted to is not just his own crimes,\rhe effective lili admitted to a conspiracy. That makes the president an unindict coconspirator. What are the material implications of that . The reason the designation has to do with what statements by other people you can get into evidence under certain circumstances, the statement of unindicted coconspirators can come in trial against a defendant. It helps with the hearsay. Exactly. So thats why hes not named that way. It is Justice Department<\/a> policy not to give the names of people in charging documents like that who have not yet been charged which is why the president isnt named himself. Technically hes described within an inch of his life. Its interesting in the charges, it says that cohen was working with one or more members of the campaign which may not necessarily be just the president of the United States<\/a>. Maybe other people, as well. We may see other things coming\rout of this afterwards. We dont know yet. Am i right if the president is and defacto unindict coconspirator in these two felonies that might have implications legally if the president tried to pardon one of his alleged coconspirators . It certainly makes it look worse. If you have an interest in not having someone cooperate against you, if someone has evidence that would implicate you that makes the reasons for your pardon so much more suspicious. Thats why people are exercised about the idea he would do that here. Whats also interesting about what happened today is when cohen was asked what he did, he talked about the tax evasion and making false statement to the bank in order to get the loan. He talked about the two Campaign Violations<\/a>. The information the charging document doesnt say anything about the fact that he was directed to do there by the president. He said that on his own. He said it in what sounded to\rme, i wasnt there but reading at trupt like a prepared statement. Its very hard for me to believe that he made that prepared statement without his lawyers having shown it to the prosecutors so that they werent surprised by it. So my guess is they knew that was coming, too. A rackable set of charges today. Who the only for mr. Cohen but obviously because of what it means for the president what, it literally means for the president we have yet to find out. I dont think the fact that the Special Counsel<\/a> wasnt around doesnt mean hes not talked to them. Theres plenty of time for that. If it turns out later he does cooperate, the Special Counsel<\/a> can let the Sentencing Court<\/a> know about the extent of that cop of cooperation. A few minutes ago his lawyer offered he would like to talk to the Special Counsel<\/a> some important stuff. More ahead tonight. Stay with us. I should be in the shot now too. Try head and shoulders two in one. Get your groove on with one a day 50 . Get ready for the wild life complete multivitamins with key nutrients that address 6 concerns of aging, including heart health, supported by bvitamins. Your one a day is showing. Which they couldnt come to consensus that tells you about how the case against manafort went and was received by that jury . Its hard to know exactly what was going on. We know they convicted on all of the tax counts and so that suggests that you know, that was one where they were all in agreement and didnt have a problem with. They did not convict on most of the f bar accounts. This is the failure to identify foreign bank accounts. Only one of those counts. And then they acquitted on or were hung on a number of the bank fraud counts. They did convict on two of them. The one that the significant one they did not convict on was the one out of the Federal Savings Bank<\/a> out of chicago involving Steven Steven<\/a> calk, the one in discussions with Paul Manafort<\/a> asking to become secretary of the treasury or secretary of the army. One theory there is i wonder if they didnt consider that more of an inside job because steven\rcalk was involved and thats solely in the hands of Paul Manafort<\/a>. Hard to read whats going on. And again, it could be just one juror who was holding out on those. But nonetheless, Paul Manafort<\/a> was convicted of eight felonies and i would consider it a significant victory for the Special Counsel<\/a>. Do you expect on the ten counts on which there was a hung jury that the prosecution will try to bring those charges against manafort again . Will they go back and try again with a different jury . I dont know. But i would suspect not. I think they won significant convictions today with the eight. The sentence is likely to be significant with just those convictions. And the judge is permitted to impose a sentence that includes whats known as relevant conduct under the sentencing guidelines. So if he finds by a preponderance of the evidence, a much lower standard than the jury had to find, that manafort committed those additional crimes, then he is allowed to consider them in imposing sentence. So often that they have much to gain by retrying the case. So if it were me, i would not. They may have other reasons they want to go forward. And briefly, barb, do you\rthink that the Special Counsel<\/a>s office will go back to manaforts team now and talk to them again about whether he might want to flip and become a cooperating witness . Rather than face the second trial in d. C. And hopefully not have to face all those years in prison hes looking at after those ought convictions today . I do. In fact, if i were manaforts lawyer i would be advising manafort, this is your moment. I know you wanted to wait as long as possible, but this is it. This is your time. If you ever want to cooperate, now is your opportunity. Maybe you could work out a deal where the d. C. Case gets dismissed, you ask for a reduced sentence in this case and you agree to cooperate. And i think from Robert Mueller<\/a>s perspective it would be worth it because even if Paul Manafort<\/a> doesnt have anything incriminating i think Robert Mueller<\/a>s quest is to get to the truth and Paul Manafort<\/a> certainly knows a lot of what happened. He was present at that june 2016 meeting at trump tower. He has all the connections with the russians and the ukrainians and so it seems that hes in a position to know a lot of what was happening with regard to any connections with russia. So i think we might see that","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"archive.org","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","width":"800","height":"600","url":"https:\/\/vimarsana.com\/images\/vimarsana-bigimage.jpg"}},"autauthor":{"@type":"Organization"},"author":{"sameAs":"archive.org","name":"archive.org"}}],"coverageEndTime":"20240618T12:35:10+00:00"}