WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times local):
9:45 a.m.
Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, would probably be willing to testify before Congress without being granted immunity.
That’s the word from Lanny Davis, Cohen’s personal attorney, who tells CNN it’s his belief that Cohen would agree to testify again. He cautions that he has not spoken with Cohen about it.
The leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday said they want Cohen to appear again before their panel. They cited press reports that assert Cohen knew in advance about a meeting with a Russian lawyer in Trump Tower during the 2016 campaign. The senators said Cohen indicated otherwise during his testimony.
Davis says Cohen testified truthfully and was unable to correct the press reports due to the ongoing criminal investigation.
Cohen pleaded guilty Tuesday to campaign-finance violations and other charges.
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9:28 a.m.
President Donald Trump is accusing his personal attorney, Michael Cohen, of making up “stories in order to get a ‘deal.’”
The president’s tweet Wednesday comes after Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance charges in a case that poses a direct threat to Trump.
Trump says on Twitter that he feels “very badly” for former campaign chairman Paul Manafort who was convicted on financial crimes.
The president says in Manafort’s case, “Justice” took a 12-year-old tax case, among other things, applied tremendous pressure on him and, unlike Michael Cohen, he refused to “break” – make up stories in order to get a “deal.”
Trump says of Manafort, he has “Such respect for a brave man!”
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9 a.m.
President Donald Trump says he wouldn’t recommend his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.
Trump tweeted Wednesday: “If anyone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you don’t retain the services of Michael Cohen!”
Cohen pleaded guilty Tuesday to campaign-finance violations and other charges and implicated the president in his wrongdoing. Cohen said Trump directed him to arrange the payment of hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels and a former Playboy model to fend off damage to his White House bid.
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8 a.m.
Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, has information of interest to special counsel Robert Mueller handling the Russia probe. That’s according to Cohen’s lawyer, Lanny Davis.
Davis said the information could include whether Trump knew ahead of time about the hacking of Democratic emails during the 2016 presidential election, knowledge about a possible conspiracy to corrupt American democracy by the Russians and the failure to report that knowledge to the FBI.
Davis spoke in a series of television interviews Wednesday.
Cohen pleaded guilty Tuesday to campaign-finance violations and other charges. And he says Trump directed him to arrange the payment of hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels and a former Playboy model to fend off damage to his White House bid.
Davis also says Cohen wouldn’t want to be pardoned by Trump.
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12:30 a.m.
President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer has pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and his onetime campaign chairman has been convicted for financial fraud — and those developments are raising questions about Trump’s potential legal jeopardy.
Michael Cohen, who was Trump’s longtime attorney, has entered a guilty plea in New York, and says he and Trump arranged the payment of hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels and a former Playboy model in an effort to influence the 2016 presidential election.
And in a Virginia courtroom, onetime Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has been convicted of financial crimes.
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