CNN — The onetime personal attorney of President Trump, Michael Cohen, who is currently under investigation for financial crimes and possible election fraud, who on Wednesday through his lawyer, Lanny Davis, released an audio recording of a conversation between he and President Trump, is back in the news.
On Thursday, sources tell CNN, that Cohen claims “that then-candidate Trump knew in advance about the June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower,” the sources also state “Cohen is willing to make that assertion to special counsel Robert Mueller.”
The now infamous Trump Tower meeting, first reported by The New York Times in July of 2017 happened in June of 2016 was set-up between Donald Trump Jr and a publicist through emails, that made it clear that a senior Russian official “offered to provide the Trump campaign,” information that would damage Hillary Clinton. (CNN)
Cohen is alleging that he and several others were present when Don Jr informed his father, then-candidate Trump, about the offer from the Russian official and that candidate Trump approved the meeting.
CNN points out that the same sources made it clear, that Cohen has no evidence to corroborate his claim, such as “an audio recording,” but is willing to attest to his account.
If true that Trump knew in advance of the Trump Tower meeting it would contradict, not just press statements, but Donald Trump Jr’s, own testimony last year, to the Senate Judiciary Committee, “He wasn’t aware of it,” he told lawmakers at that time, he then added, “And, frankly, by the time anyone was aware of it, which was summer of this year, as I stated earlier, I wouldn’t have wanted to get him involved in it because it had nothing to do with him.”
Last year when Cohen testified privately to two Congressional committees, who were investigating Russian election meddling, “A source familiar with Cohen’s House testimony said he did not testify that Trump had advance knowledge.”
President Trump has maintained he had no prior knowledge about the meeting on Friday he took to twitter, in the hopes of fending off reporters questions and once again denied prior knowledge:
….,the only Collusion with Russia was with the Democrats, so now they are looking at my Tweets (along with 53 million other people) – the rigged Witch Hunt continues! How stupid and unfair to our Country….And so the Fake News doesn’t waste my time with dumb questions, NO,….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 27, 2018
…..I did NOT know of the meeting with my son, Don jr. Sounds to me like someone is trying to make up stories in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam (Taxi cabs maybe?). He even retained Bill and Crooked Hillary’s lawyer. Gee, I wonder if they helped him make the choice!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 27, 2018
For an in depth look at the Trump Tower meeting @ The News Blender
Authors note, unless otherwise stated, all links are from previous TNB articles.
2 Trackbacks / Pingbacks
Comments are closed.