- Lanny Davis, Michael Cohen's attorney, says his client has information "that should be of interest" to special counsel Robert Mueller, following his plea deal with federal prosecutors.
- "Mr. Cohen has knowledge on certain subjects that should be of interest to the special counsel, and is more than happy to tell the special counsel all that he knows," Davis said during an interview on MSNBC.
- In a later interview on CNN, Davis suggested Cohen's tenure under Trump's wing entitled him to details that have yet to be revealed to Mueller and his broader Russia probe.
Lanny Davis, Michael Cohen's attorney, says his client has information "that should be of interest" to special counsel Robert Mueller, following his plea deal with federal prosecutors on Tuesday.
Cohen pleaded guilty to five counts of tax evasion, one count of bank fraud, one count of making an unlawful corporate contribution, and one count of making an illegal campaign finance contribution.
Cohen claimed that his campaign finance violations, related to a $130,000 payment made to the porn star Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence — were made "at the direction of the candidate" with "the purpose of influencing the election." Davis confirmed that candidate was Trump.
"Mr. Cohen has knowledge on certain subjects that should be of interest to the special counsel, and is more than happy to tell the special counsel all that he knows," Davis said during an interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow.
In a later interview on CNN, Davis suggested Cohen's tenure in Trump's inner circle made him privy to details that have yet to be revealed to Mueller and the broader Russia probe.
"Michael Cohen, being a lawyer for Donald Trump for many, many years, knows almost everything about Mr. Trump," Davis said.
Cohen's plea deal with prosecutors does not so far include a cooperation agreement.
Legal experts say that could be for one of two reasons: either Cohen chose not to cooperate, or prosecutors do not feel that he has enough information to offer them in exchange for a further reduction in sentence.
The longtime former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Cramer said Tuesday that if Cohen chose not to cooperate, it may be because he is still holding out for a pardon from Trump.
"If Cohen flips on Trump, that pardon flies out the window," Cramer said.
But Davis's comments to Maddow suggest his client may still be angling for a better plea deal by making it clear he has information of value to Mueller.
Cohen is currently a subject of interest in several threads of the Russia investigation, including the Trump Organization's push to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, the creation of a Russia-friendly "peace plan" during the early days of Trump's presidency, and his potential involvement in an unconfirmed trip to Prague during the summer of 2016 to meet with Kremlin-linked officials.
Last month, it also emerged that Cohen said Trump knew in advance about a Russian lawyer's offer to the Trump campaign of dirt on then Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election.
CNN, citing sources with knowledge of the matter, reported that Cohen claims he was one of several people who were present when Donald Trump Jr. informed Trump of the offer. Cohen reportedly says that Trump greenlit the meeting after hearing about it from his son.
If Cohen gives Mueller information of value, the special counsel could then push for a reduction in his sentence.
Cohen was released on a $500,000 bond and is scheduled for sentencing on December 12.
SEE ALSO: Michael Cohen pleads guilty and says he broke campaign finance law at Trump's direction
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source https://www.businessinsider.com/cohen-lawyer-lanny-davis-my-client-has-info-about-trump-that-should-be-of-interest-to-mueller-2018-8
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