Michael Cohen has information that could prove useful to special counsel Robert Mueller’s team of federal prosecutors and he is willing to divulge details, says the lawyer representing President Trump’s former longtime personal attorney and fixer.
“Mr. Cohen has knowledge on certain subjects that should be of interest to the special counsel and is more than happy to tell the special counsel all that he knows,” Lanny Davis, who worked for former President Bill Clinton, said during an interview with MSNBC.
WATCH: Lanny Davis, attorney for Michael Cohen, tells @maddow that his client has information that should be of interest to the special counsel and is “more than happy to tell the special counsel all that he knows.” pic.twitter.com/zHfHkmj5dU
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) August 22, 2018
Davis’ hint came shortly before he told CNN Cohen “not only implicated, he specifically under oath stated that Donald Trump directed him to commit a crime, making Donald Trump as much guilty of that felony as my client Mr. Cohen.”
But Davis wouldn’t specify whether a cooperation agreement had been made as part of Cohen’s plea deal with federal prosecutors in New York.
“It was about telling the truth and about telling the truth about Donald Trump,” Davis added.
Michael Cohen’s attorney @LannyDavis tells @ChrisCuomo his client pleaded guilty today because “he had a very difficult decision to make and decided to take responsibility.”
“It was about telling the truth and about telling the truth about Donald Trump.” https://t.co/uWTQw05siE pic.twitter.com/BgqVHD6Fwt
— Cuomo Prime Time (@CuomoPrimeTime) August 22, 2018
Cohen pleaded guilty in a New York federal district court on Tuesday to five tax evasion charges for failing to report $4 million in income from 2012 to 2016 and one count of making a false statement to a bank from 2015 to 2016 when applying for a home equity line of credit. He also pleaded guilty to charges associated with willfully causing an unlawful corporate contribution in 2016 and one count of making an excessive campaign contribution in 2016.
Cohen’s contribution charges are believed to be tied to nondisclosure agreements he brokered before the 2016 election for porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who both claim to have had extramarital affairs with Trump. He told the court Tuesday he had been directed to make a $130,000 payment to a woman by an unnamed federal candidate in exchange for her silence, but did not name Trump. The figure matches the hush money allegedly given to Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.
Cohen’s charges emanated from an investigation led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York after it received a referral from Mueller’s team, who are investigating Russian meddling in U.S. elections.
His sentencing date has been set for Dec. 12.
