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U.S. NEWS Saturday 28 July 2018

Pressure mounting, former Trump ‘fixer’ turns aggressive

By JONATHAN LEMIRE, MI- of Mueller’s probe, tweet- ocrat once known as a
CHAEL R. SISAK and ERIC ing “NO,” he “did NOT fierce defender of Presi-
TUCKER know of the meeting with dent Bill Clinton, would not
Associated Press my son, Don jr.” comment on whether Co-
WASHINGTON (AP) — The CNN cited anonymous hen was fishing for a deal.
hiring of a Washington in- sources saying Cohen was “My observation is that
sider to be a public attack willing to share his informa- it was an evolution that
dog. Tantalizing leaks to the tion with Mueller, who is caused him to decide
media. Puzzling allegations investigating possible col- once Donald Trump was
of actions that could fell a lusion between Trump’s president that he had to
president. Talk of more to campaign and Russia. Co- tell truth and change his
come. hen does not have any evi- life,” Davis told the AP. “He
What is Michael Cohen up dence such as audiotapes hit the reset button on his
to? verifying his claims, CNN’s life and what he had done
President Donald Trump’s sources said. previously.”
ex-lawyer has largely Cohen’s camp has denied Those close to Cohen de-
stayed out of the spotlight being the source of the scribe the lawyer, who has
in the months since fed- CNN report, the basic sub- been holed up in a Man-
eral agents raided his of- stance of which The Associ- hattan hotel after a pipe In this Sept. 19, 2017, file photo, Michael Cohen arrives on
fice and hotel room and ated Press independently burst in his apartment, as Capitol Hill in Washington.
seized scores of records confirmed. bewildered at the fast- Associated Press
about his work for Trump. The specter of the poten- moving events around him “Prosecutors prefer to strike May, has made a sport out
But this week, he has taken tially damaging informa- as he tries to look out for his cooperation deals quietly of bashing Cohen in recent
a sharply more aggressive tion, which would run coun- family and make decisions and in private because days. On Friday he called
and public turn, seem- ter to months of denials and about their future. Cohen they want to save the im- Cohen “an incredible liar
ing to wage open warfare point toward a willingness has also been badly hurt pact of any valuable testi- who’s got a tremendous
with the White House while to collude with a foreign by the president’s public mony and information that motive to lie now because
weighing whether to co- power by Trump himself, anger and is determined to a cooperating witness can he’s got nothing to give.”
operate with investigators. again raised the possibility hit back, according to two offer until trial,” he said. Cohen frequently record-
The moves suggest Cohen of what Cohen could de- people familiar with this Moreover, should Cohen ed his conversations, and
is looking for a way out of liver to prosecutors if he de- thinking. choose to cooperate with prosecutors are believed
looming trouble. But his be- cides to cooperate. There has been some spec- investigators, including to have dozens of them,
havior doesn’t quite line up Cohen has not yet decid- ulation that Cohen may be Mueller, it’s not clear what including discussions with
with a clear strategy, legal ed to work with the federal angling for a pardon from information he has that journalists, according to
experts say. And if his sig- prosecutors from the South- Trump, who has begun they could not gather for Davis.
nals are aimed at Trump, ern District of New York, wielding — and discussing themselves or have not al- Trump has been seething
they’ve largely served to according to two people — the presidential power ready learned on their own. at Cohen since the recent
infuriate the president. familiar with his thinking but frequently of late. But a The Mueller team has been tape’s release, raging to
Three days after Cohen’s not authorized to discuss person close to Cohen at work for 14 months. De- confidants that he could
new lawyer, Lanny Davis, private conversations. downplayed the possibility. fendants looking for lenient not believe he was being
released a tape of Cohen The Justice Department Most people in compara- deals through their coop- betrayed by someone he
and Trump talking about has been investigating ble legal peril would be en- eration usually have better worked with for a decade,
paying for Playboy model Cohen for months, raiding couraged to stay out of the luck if they come through according to a person fa-
Karen McDougal’s silence, his home, office and ho- spotlight and communi- the government’s door miliar with the situation but
the relationship splintered tel room in April in search cate directly with prosecu- earlier in an investigation. not authorized to discuss
further Friday. That was after of documents related to a tors, not through the press, Additionally, Cohen has private conversations.
a CNN report that Cohen $130,000 payment the at- experts said. made no public mention of The president publicly aired
was willing to tell special torney facilitated before Robert Mintz, a former fed- Trump’s knowledge of the his grievances with a Fri-
counsel Robert Mueller that the 2016 election to Stormy eral prosecutor now in pri- Trump Tower meeting. If he day tweet about Cohen,
Trump knew in advance of Daniels, an adult-film ac- vate practice, said Cohen mentioned the crucial de- though he did not name
a 2016 meeting at Trump tress who says she had sex “seems to be taking a page tail to House investigators him:
Tower in which the Republi- with Trump in 2006. If Co- out of President Trump’s it was not included in their “Sounds to me like someone
can candidate’s eldest son hen, who specialized in playbook by having his law- massive report on the mat- is trying to make up stories
sought damaging informa- making deals and making yers aggressively respond in ter. in order to get himself out
tion from a Russian lawyer Trump’s problems go away, the media to attacks on his That inconsistency was of an unrelated jam (Taxi
about Hillary Clinton. were to cut a deal, he credibility and reputation.” seized upon by Rudy Giu- cabs maybe?). He even re-
Trump on Friday vehement- would do so with an eye to- It’s a “high stakes gambit” liani, the president’s attor- tained Bill and Crooked Hill-
ly repeated his denial that ward eliminating or cutting that could backfire if he’s ney. Giuliani, who called ary’s lawyer. Gee, I wonder
he knew about the meet- his potential punishment. angling to become a co- Cohen “an honest, honor- if they helped him make
ing, which is at the center His lawyer, Davis, a Dem- operator, Mintz said. able lawyer” as recently as the choice!”q