Michael Cohen's Tell-All Makes Damning Claims

He writes that Trump made 'overt and covert' efforts to get Russia's help in 2016 election
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 6, 2020 5:33 AM CDT
5 Takeaways From Michael Cohen's Tell-All
In this March 6, 2019 photo, Michael Cohen returns to testify on Capitol Hill in Washington.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Michael Cohen's tell-all memoir about President Trump is out Tuesday, but some media outlets have obtained advance copies. Among other things, he calls the president, his former legal client, “a cheat, a liar, a fraud, a bully, a racist, a predator, a con man.” Some highlights from the Washington Post and the AP from Disloyal: A Memoir.

  • Putin: Trump made “overt and covert attempts to get Russia to interfere in the 2016 election," writes Cohen, though the Post sees no new bombshells in regard to the Robert Mueller investigation. Trump likes Putin mainly because he is rich and was able to "take over an entire nation and run it like it was his personal company—like the Trump Organization, in fact," writes Cohen.
  • Anti-Hillary: Trump took advantage of the fact that Putin disliked Hillary Clinton, according to the book. “What appeared to be collusion was really a confluence of shared interests in harming Hillary Clinton in any way possible, up to and including interfering in the American election—a subject that caused Trump precisely zero unease."

  • Stormy: Trump was well aware of the hush money Cohen paid to former porn star Stormy Daniels in a bid to keep her quiet about an alleged affair with Trump. The AP notes this could yet lead to charges against Trump when he's out of office, and Cohen writes that his book is a "fundamental piece of evidence" toward that end. Cohen writes that Trump eventually paid him back through "fake legal fees." And he quotes Trump as saying: “It never pays to settle these things, but many, many friends have advised me to pay. If it comes out, I’m not sure how it would play with my supporters. But I bet they’d think it’s cool that I slept with a porn star.”
  • Racism: Cohen writes that Trump had a "low opinion of all black folks," and Barack Obama in particular. "Tell me one country run by a black person that isn’t a s---hole," he quotes Trump as saying. "They are all complete f---ing toilets.”
  • Evangelicals: Cohen recounts that evangelical leaders had a prayer meeting with Trump before the 2016 election, during which they prayed and laid their hands on him. Afterward, he quotes Trump as saying, “Can you believe that bulls--t? Can you believe people believe that bulls--t?”
The White House is dismissing all of the above. "Michael Cohen is a disgraced felon and disbarred lawyer, who lied to Congress," says White House press chief Kayleigh McEnany. "He has lost all credibility, and it’s unsurprising to see his latest attempt to profit off of lies.” (Cohen is serving his sentence at home because of COVID.)

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