In further evidence that Donald Trump is panicking about the documents seized during the Michel Cohen raids, the president’s lawyers say Trump wants the ability to review the files himself.
As ABC News pointed out a short time ago, Trump’s lawyer Joanna Hendon wrote in a letter to U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood that the president “will make himself available, as needed, to aid in our privilege review on his behalf.”
According to the report, “Hendon’s letter came after Wood set a hearing for Thursday on the matter, asking lawyers for Trump and the president’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, to explain how they will review materials being turned over to them by prosecutors.”
The letter:
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#Cohen Docket: LETTER by Donald J. Trump as to In the Matter of Search Warrants Executed on April 9, 2018 addressed to Judge Kimba M. Wood from Joanna C. Hendon dated April 25, 2018 re: the Court’s Order of April 24, 2018 Document filed by Donald J. Trump. (Dysard, Christopher) pic.twitter.com/Q9scwkmJKN
— Tim Hogan (@TimInHonolulu) April 25, 2018
As Sen. Richard Blumenthal said on The Beat with Ari Melber on Wednesday, Trump’s repeated efforts to get his hands on the seized documents show that he is “joined at the hip” with Michael Cohen.
In other words, if Cohen goes down, Trump will go with him – and he knows it.
Video:
Sen. Blumenthal says Donald Trump and Michael Cohen are “joined at the hip legally,” and that terrifies the president. #ctl #p2 #Trump #Cohen pic.twitter.com/bvwiNDbBOc
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) April 25, 2018
When Ari Melber asked Sen. Blumenthal what Trump’s endgame is by getting involved in the Cohen investigation, the Democratic Senator said:
His motives are difficult to discern and the legal advice he’s getting here is even more obscure, but by involving himself personally, directly, hands-on, he is embarking on a course that is fraught with danger but it reflects a mentally on his part, apparently, that he and Cohen are joined at the hip legally and possibly practically in terms of where this investigation is going.
Trump is terrified of the crimes the FBI could find
If Trump knew he had nothing to worry about when it comes to the documents seized by the FBI, he would let this process play out without getting involved. Instead, he’s doing all he can to prevent investigators from reviewing the Cohen files.
That’s because, as I wrote several weeks ago, Donald Trump has no shortage of scandals and legal trouble nipping at his heels after just a year in the White House.
Whether it’s his efforts to thwart the Russia investigation, his extramarital affairs or his family’s shady business dealings, this president can’t afford another backbreaking scandal.
Donald Trump knows that he and Michael Cohen are inextricably linked – and that should terrify the president as federal investigators dig into all of Cohen’s skeletons.
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.
