President Trump blasted his former attorney and fixer Michael Cohen on Monday, suggesting he should go to prison for as long as possible for lying to Congress.
“You mean he can do all of the TERRIBLE, unrelated to Trump, things having to do with fraud, big loans, Taxis, etc., and not serve a long prison term?” Trump tweeted. “He makes up stories to get a GREAT & ALREADY reduced deal for himself. He lied for this outcome and should, in my opinion, serve a full and complete sentence.”
[Opinion: Michael Cohen’s plea agreement is a reminder that Trump surrounded himself with liars]
“Michael Cohen asks judge for no Prison Time.” You mean he can do all of the TERRIBLE, unrelated to Trump, things having to do with fraud, big loans, Taxis, etc., and not serve a long prison term? He makes up stories to get a GREAT & ALREADY reduced deal for himself, and get…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2018
Cohen pleaded guilty in federal court in New York on Thursday to one count of lying to Congress about a real estate project the Trump Organization was pursuing in Moscow. Cohen’s guilty plea was the latest stemming from special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Trump responded to that news by calling Cohen a “very weak” person and lying to avoid a longer prison sentence.
On Friday, Cohen’s lawyers asked a federal judge that he receive no prison time in exchange for cooperating with authorities.
Senior legal figures say the plea deal could be damning for the president, based on their lengthy and intricate relationship. “At a minimum, how close Mr. Cohen has been to the president means that the special counsel will have insights and information at a level that breaks new ground for the investigation,” Jacob Frenkel, a former federal prosecutor and Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement lawyer, told the Washington Examiner.
Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion with Russian officials and has called Mueller’s inquiry illegal and a “witch hunt.”
