In the latest blockbuster – if true – revelation to emerge from Michael Cohen, president Trump’s former lawyer/fixer-turned-leaker for CNN/Mueller, we learned last night that Cohen had told CNN he was ready to tell Robert Mueller that Trump knew in advance about a June 9, 2016 meeting at Trump Tower between Donald Trump Jr. and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya – a Fusion GPS associate who is not a fan of Trump Sr.
Cohen alleges that he was present, along with several others, when Trump was informed of the Russians’ offer by Trump Jr. By Cohen’s account, Trump approved going ahead with the meeting with the Russians, according to sources. –CNN
Trump’s prior knowledge of the meeting would contradict his own denial, that of his son Trump Jr., and several administration officials who have previously said that the President was unaware of the meeting. On July 12 of last year, Trump said of the Tower meeting he “only heard about it two or three days ago,” while one week later repeating that he “didn’t know anything about the meeting” because “nobody told me” about it.
Keeping all that in mind, Cohen does not have evidence to support this claim according to CNN – but that he’s willing to attest to his account in a bid to “possibly lessen his legal troubles.”
Meanwhile, some were quick to point out that Cohen tends to change the narrative whenever it suits him:
Cohen’s tweet following initial Trump Tower meeting reports. https://t.co/yBVUbsh5bj
— Chuck Ross (@ChuckRossDC) July 27, 2018
But the real question is what the president himself would say about the meeting: would he confirm that Cohen is right, or dig in?
We got the answer today when in a series of tweet, Trump lashed out at yesterday’s two big political stories, that Mueller was digging through his tweets, and his alleged knowledge of the Trump tower meeting. This is what he said on the first:
Arrived back in Washington last night from a very emotional reopening of a major U.S. Steel plant in Granite City, Illinois, only to be greeted with the ridiculous news that the highly conflicted Robert Mueller and his gang of 13 Angry Democrats obviously cannot find Collusion 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.
As for the second, in which he denies knowledge of the meeting while taking an unnamed swipe at Cohen, calling him someone who “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”…
And so the Fake News doesn’t waste my time with dumb questions, NO,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!
Arrived back in Washington last night from a very emotional reopening of a major U.S. Steel plant in Granite City, Illinois, only to be greeted with the ridiculous news that the highly conflicted Robert Mueller and his gang of 13 Angry Democrats obviously cannot find Collusion…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 27, 2018
….,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
And while Trump may believe his denial will be enough to intercept the “fake news” asking more questions, if Cohen has proof of his claim – even though he has yet to disclose it – then the questions for Trump will only just begin.
Meanwhile, we await for more Cohen tapes and allegations to come in the days ahead, as Trump’s former lawyer “turns” fully against his former boss.
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