Blanche just got Cohen to say that he handed over $20,000 in a paper bag to close end a financial dispute. There is something quintessentially Cohen about the scene...
...Weisselberg later paid Cohen for $60,000 rather than $20,000. Cohen admits that he stole from the Trump organization. He also told federal prosecutors about stealing the money but was never charged with larceny...
...These are hits below the waterline for Cohen but also the prosecutors. They had a man admitting to a major larceny but never charged Cohen. That made Cohen not only their man, but allowed him to keep stolen money...
...Blanche is now going in for the kill. He was that he lied to Weisselberg and "to this day you have never fixed that" and disclosed this to the District Attorney...
...Weisselberg told him to just treat the payments as a retainer. Cohen agreed even though he never had a retainer agreement...
...Blanche is noting that Cohen reached an agreement with Weisselberg that there would be no retainer agreement even though the retainer was not with the Trump org. It would have to be with Trump as an individual...
...Blanche showed an email that there would be ongoing monthly payments but noted that Cohen testified earlier that there would be no further payments because there was an effort to cover up payments...
...Blanche also showed that the payment plan for him was approved by Donald Jr. and Eric through the Trump trust. The first three months were signed by the trust and then the later months were signed by Trump himself...
...Blanche also noted that Cohen continued to sign his emails a counsel to Trump. He also told media that he was staying as counsel to Trump. He send an email in January 2017 that he was starting his new job as Trump's personal attorney...
...Blanche shows how Cohen was actively working as counsel in 2017. He then raises the Mueller investigation and how Cohen continued to serve as counsel...
...Blanche is saying that he continued to be paid for all 12 months under the agreement with Weisselberg. The court will not allow Blanche to refer to this as a retainer agreement even though it was originally referenced as such...
...Cohen admits that he made $4 million from four clients including AT&T. Blanche asked what work he actually did for AT&T and he said "consulting." Cohen said that he had only 20 communications with AT&T and was paid $600,000...
...Novartis hired him as a consultant and was paid $1.5 million for just six communications. I previously wrote about these retainers as Cohen sought to cash in on his relationship with Trump...
...It was classic Cohen and I criticized the contract as access and influence peddling with these companies... jonathanturley.org/2018/05/25/the…
...Cohen admits that he told reporters (on the record) that Trump did not know about the payments to Stormy Daniels. He told BBC for example that "there was no way" that he would have told Trump. Cohen recorded the interview with the BBC reporter without her knowledge...
...Up until April 2018 that Cohen continued to tell reporters, friends, and family that Trump had no knowledge or involvement in the payments. Then on April 9th the FBI raided his home...
...He is now getting into meeting with Robert Costello after the FBI raid...
...Cohen admits that he had roughly a dozen calls with Costello during this period...
...Blanche says that Cohen communicated with Costello not a dozen calls but 75 times. That is quite a discrepancy, particularly given Cohen's suggestion that he never trusted Costello. That is nine hours of calls...
...Cohen previously downplayed the relationship with Costello. Cohen admits that he met in person twice and had 75 calls and that these were privileged conversations...
...Cohen admitted that he sent Costello an email on a report that the Trump campaign was moving to discredit him and warned that it was a "bad path." Soon after he decided to cooperate with Mueller...
...On June 28, 2018, in response to a question from Cohen on what was going on with the Mueller investigation, Costello sent him an email. Cohen also wrote to Costello about his concern that the Trump people would stop paying his lawyers...
...Cohen admits that he repeatedly asked Costello to reach out to Giuliani on issues, including payment for his lawyers...
...Cohen admits that he made $4 million from consulting agreements with other groups in 2017. In 2018, Cohen said that he stopped making money after pleading guilty. Cohen admitted that he made no money until he published his book on Trump...
...Since the publication of the book and the start of his podcast around Sept./Oct. in 2020, Cohen admits that he had made $4 million. That includes roughly a million from his podcast...
...Cohen admits that he makes part of the money from his merchandise related to Trump. He also admits that he is also seeking a reality show...
...Cohen admits that no one has picked up the show. We are in recess.
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