Trump’s former attorney on the hush money trial, how he’s preparing for life as the key witness and who he expects Trump will choose as a 2024 running mate.
Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former attorney, at the New York State Supreme Court on October 25, 2023 in New York City. | Getty ImagesMichael Cohen may be the only person standing between Donald Trump and jail.
I will concede right now that the January 6th insurrection is more grotesque in terms of illegal behavior than this specific case — campaign finance, hush money, we’ll call it business record fraud. That’s what I prefer to call it: the “business record fraud” case. In fact, most people don’t really know anything. They only know what the headlines have been. And as you know very, very well, headlines do not necessarily tell the story.
It’s a heavy weight. It’s a weight that is difficult, on a daily basis, to carry around. I wish I wasn’t involved in this at all. Not that I don’t want to see accountability; it is incredibly taxing on your heart, on your mind and on your soul. I can tell you from a physical and a health standpoint, since this all started coming down, I’m down 22 pounds.I look horrible.
On the flip side of that, if this prosecution is successful and ends with jail time, what do you think that would do to the country? And do you think that’s a real possibility — that Donald Trump could end up in jail based on this case? He’d be a horrible witness. You guys would all enjoy it because it would give you so much to talk about. “Saturday Night Live” would pay Donald to get up on the witness stand; they wouldn’t have to write anything for then maybe the next three, four episodes.
Will you be asking the court for sanctions and for the judge to enforce his gag order, which does allow for sanctions?I don’t want to testify. I have been extremely clear about it. I have already testified before the Mueller team. I’ve testified before seven congressional committees. I’ve testified to the New York attorney general. I’ve been part of grand jury indictments. You know, now I’m supposed to again testify before the Manhattan D.A. case.
She did do a tarot card reading for me when she was on my “Mea Culpa” podcast. I don’t specifically remember all of the things that she said, but she turned around and she said that the cards show that Donald will be held accountable. I can’t tell you the number of fellow inmates that would say to me all the time: “Why didn’t you just keep your fucking mouth shut? Keep your mouth shut, you’d be the first one pardoned. You would be working right now making millions of dollars with the Republican Party. Instead, you keep fighting him.”I think about everything. I think about the day that Donald asked me to come to work for him. I didn’t need to work for him. I was semi-retired. I was 39. I was set; I got lucky early on.
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