I will now read for myself the #Mueller #CohenSentencingMemo and comment on it here in real-time like I previously did the one from the Feds.
Mueller says Cohen ADMITTED lying to Congress specifically to conceal the president's involvement in the Moscow business project, and give false impression matter was settled before the Iowa Caucuses.
The tone of Mueller's memo seems friendlier to the Feds, which was a 38-page verbal spanking (see my thoughts on that one posted here earlier).
Mueller says Cohen presented a "false narrative" to "deliberately" limit the investigations into Russian interference into the 2016 election. As well as the Moscow Project, described as "a lucrative business opportunity" which "required the assistance of the Russian government."
Mueller says Cohen continued to discuss this Moscow Project well into the 2016 campaign, contrary to his false statements to Congress.
Mueller says Cohen "has provided and continues to provide relevant information" assistant with the Special Counsel's investigation. He breaks that down into four categories.
1) Cohen has disclosed his own contacts with Russian interests during the election. Including an example of a "trusted person" in the Russian Federation who attempted to reach out to the campaign in 2015 on behalf of "political synergy." Mueller says Cohen didn't follow up.
So Cohen admits here now that Russian interests did attempt to "collude" with the Trump campaign during the 2016 campaign. However, what's missing from several reports on this admission is Cohen also saying he didn't take them up on their attempts to initiate.
2) Cohen supplied Mueller "useful information with certain discreet Russia-related matters" which are not specified by this filing.
3) Cohen supplied Mueller "relevant and useful information concerning his contacts with persons connected to the White House during the 2017-18 period." Again, this information is not specified by this filing, but sounds like some folks need to lawyer up.
4) Cohen supplied Mueller with "the circumstances of preparing and circulating his (false) response to the congressional inquiries." Translation: he told Mueller how he did it, why he did it, and whom he did it with.
I'm struck by the conclusions I have after reading each filing. After reading the one from the Feds, sounds like life is about to get a lot worse for Cohen. After reading Mueller's filing, sounds like life is about to get a lot worse for several other people.
