Michael Cohen dropped another bomb on the White House on Thursday night, claiming that Donald Trump knew in advance about the infamous 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russians.
According to CNN, not only did Trump know about the meeting, but he signed off on it and apparently couldn’t wait to get his hands on the Hillary Clinton dirt that the Russians promised his campaign.
It’s a jaw-dropping revelation, and Cohen reportedly plans to share the information with special counsel Robert Mueller.
More from CNN, who broke the news on Thursday:
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So here’s the news. Cohen says Trump knew in advance about Trump Tower meeting, was informed by Don Jr., signed off and looked forward to getting the dirt. pic.twitter.com/XI6gcd02Er
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) July 27, 2018
The bombshell CNN report:
Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, claims that then-candidate Trump knew in advance about the June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower in which Russians were expected to offer his campaign dirt on Hillary Clinton, sources with knowledge tell CNN. Cohen is willing to make that assertion to special counsel Robert Mueller, the sources said.
Cohen’s claim would contradict repeated denials by Trump, Donald Trump Jr., their lawyers and other administration officials who have said that the President knew nothing about the Trump Tower meeting until he was approached about it by The New York Times in July 2017.
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.
Michael Cohen is wrecking Trump’s world
With his back to the wall as he looks to save himself from more legal trouble, Michael Cohen is wrecking Donald Trump’s world.
The revelation that Trump gave the green light to a meeting between his campaign and the Russians meant to get dirt on Hillary Clinton is bad for the president on multiple levels.
First, it’s proof that Trump lied when he said he didn’t know anything about the meeting. As CNN pointed out, the administration previously said that Trump only found out about it last summer when The New York Times brought it to his attention.
Second and more importantly, Cohen’s assertion is further evidence not just that Trump’s campaign was colluding with Russia to take down Hillary Clinton, but that the president himself was directly involved.
It’s clear that Michael Cohen has flipped on the president. The man who was once his fixer is now prepared to bring the entire Trump presidency crashing down.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
