Page 3 - ARUBA TODAY

A3
U.S. NEWS Thursday 28 February 2019

COHEN peatedly acknowledging lence of a porn actress and
Continued from Front his own failings. He called a Playboy model who said
In testimony that cut to the himself a "fool," warned they had sex with Trump.
heart of federal investiga- lawmakers of the perils of He described a February
tions encircling the White blind loyalty to a leader 2017 conversation with
House, Cohen said he ar- undeserving of it and pro- Trump in the Oval Office in
ranged hush money pay- nounced himself ashamed which the president reas-
ments to women on Trump's of what he'd done to pro- sured him that reimburse-
behalf and lied about tect Trump. ment checks sent through
them to the public and the "You make mistakes in life Federal Express were com-
first lady at the president's and I've owned them and ing but would take some
behest. He agreed to say I've taken responsibility for time to get through the
Trump was "not knowledge- them, and I'm paying a White House system.
able" about the transac- huge price, as is my family," He said the president
tions even though the pres- Cohen said during testimo- called him a year later to
ident directly reimbursed ny that spanned roughly discuss the public messag-
him, and said he was left seven hours. ing around the payments, A copy of a check from Donald Trump to Michael Cohen, his
with the unmistakable im- Cohen will soon report to and had even once put former personal lawyer, is displayed as he testifies before the
House Oversight and Reform Committee on Capitol Hill in Wash-
pression Trump wanted him prison for a three-year sen- his wife, Melania, on the ington, Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019.
to lie to Congress about a tence. At the same time, phone so that he could dis- Associated Press
Moscow real estate proj- he is seen as a vital witness avow knowledge.
ect, even if the president for federal prosecutors be- "Lying to the first lady is Cohen said. "She is a kind, greatly, and she did not
never directly told him so. cause of his proximity to one of my biggest regrets," good person. I respect her deserve that."q
In one revelation, Cohen the president during key
said prosecutors in New episodes under investiga-
York were investigating tion and their decade-long
conversations Trump or his professional relationship.
advisers had with him after The first of six Trump aides
his office and hotel room charged in the Trump-
was raided by the FBI last Russia investigation to tes-
April. Cohen said he could tify publicly about crimes
not discuss that conversa- committed during the
tion, the last contact he 2016 campaign and in the
said he has had with the months that followed, Co-
president or anyone acting hen also delivered biting
on his behalf, because it re- personal commentary on
mains under investigation. a president he said never
The appearance marked expected to win in the first
the latest step in Cohen's place.
evolution from legal fixer for He recalled how Trump
the president — he once made him threaten schools
boasted he'd "take a bul- he attended to not release
let" for Trump — to a foe his grades and SAT scores,
who has implicated him in mocked his own avoid-
federal campaign finance ance of the Vietnam War
violations. The hearing and denigrated blacks as
proceeded along paral- "too stupid" to vote for him.
lel tracks, with Democrats "He never expected to win
focusing on allegations the primary. He never ex-
against Trump while Repub- pected to win the general
licans sought to undermine election," Cohen said. "The
Cohen's credibility and the campaign - for him - was
proceeding itself. always a marketing oppor-
As Republicans blasted him tunity."
as a convicted liar, a most- Cohen gave lawmakers his
ly unrattled Cohen sought first-person account of how
to blunt the attacks by re- he arranged to buy the si-