ABC News has just reported that Trump attorney/fixer Michael Cohen’s lawyers have quit and he will now start cooperating with federal prosecutors in New York, and possibly with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.
At 10:26 a.m. today ABC posted the following news item:
“As attorneys for Michael Cohen rush to meet Judge Kimba Wood’s Friday deadline to complete a privilege review of over 3.7 million documents seized in the April 9 raids of Cohen’s New York properties and law office, a source representing this matter has disclosed to ABC News that the law firm handling the case for Cohen is not expected to represent him going forward.”
“To date, Cohen has been represented by Stephen Ryan and Todd Harrison of the Washington and New York firm, McDermott, Will & Emery LLP. No replacement counsel has been identified as of this time.”
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“Cohen, now with no legal representation, is likely to cooperate with federal prosecutors in New York, sources said. This development, which is believed to be imminent, will likely hit the White House, family members, staffers and counsels hard.”
On a day when he is still basking in what he believes was a triumphant summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, President Donald Trump will no doubt be very upset if it is indeed true that Cohen has flipped and is cooperating with the special counsel’s probe.
Ultimately the news is not a surprise in that we have previously reported that not only is Cohen likely to flip but he also probably has tapes of his private conversations with President Trump. When the FBI raided Cohen‘s offices and hotel room it was expected that they had obtained mountains of evidence, and much of it might incriminate both Cohen and Trump since they had worked closely together on Trump’s shady deals for decades.
If the FBI and Department of Justice have in their files documentary evidence proving that Cohen has committed numerous federal and state crimes, then there is very little doubt that they have already held discussions with Cohen’s lawyers about cutting a deal with the prosecutors.
This is a developing story, and it is not clear what will happen next. But the fact the Cohen’s lawyers have quit and he is currently without counsel is an indication that there will soon be some very big announcements in this case. And if events play out as anticipated, these announcements will be very bad news for the President of the United States
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
