Michael Cohen Thought President Trump Would Pardon Him, But Changed His Mind
Michael Cohen pleaded guilty on Thursday to lying to Congress about the Trump Tower Moscow project.
Andrew Kelly/REUTERS
Former President Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, now a main witness in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russian investigation, once thought that his former boss would pardon him if he stayed loyal, according to CNN. In March 2018, after returning to New York City from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in South Florida, Cohen thought the President would protect him from federal prosecutors if he stayed on message. In the wake of the April 2018 FBI raid on his office, Trump’s cronies promised Cohen he would be OK, one source told CNN. Cohen and Trump’s attorneys even had a “legal defense agreement.” The relationship deteriorated after Trump tried to put space between him and his longtime consigliere. “The President of the United States never indicated anything to Michael, or anyone else, about getting a pardon,” said Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s lawyer, in a statement. “Pardons are off the table, but it's not a limitation on his power in the future to pardon in any case.”
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.