Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen threw his former boss under the bus on Monday, appearing to contradict claims that the former president does not possess the documents New York Attorney General Letitia James is after.
Cohen claimed that he gave some of the material James wants to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, as well as congressional investigators, and praised the New York judge who held former President Donald Trump in civil contempt of court on Monday for failing to turn over the documents.
“Thank God for this judge who is now finally holding Donald Trump accountable for something,” he said in a reaction video posted to Meidas Touch’s YouTube page. “Rest assured, he’ll let it go for a day, he’ll let it go for a day or two, but when the numbers start piling up after like seven days, and he’s at $70,000, he’ll realize that this is going to accumulate, very, very quickly.”
TRUMP WAS HELD IN CIVIL CONTEMPT OF COURT, ORDERED TO PAY $10,000 A DAY
New York Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Trump to pay $10,000 each day he fails to comply with James’s request. Trump had been ordered in a prior ruling to turn over documents she requested by March 31. But on deadline day, his lawyer raised a fresh set of objections and failed to comply. His lawyer, Alina Habba, claimed Trump didn’t have the material James sought and referred her office to the Trump Organization.
James’s office wanted three mobile devices Trump used and documents in filing cabinets near his office, according to court documents. Habba insisted the documents in the filing cabinets were not relevant because Trump was not involved in the preparation of his financial statements.
Cohen, who sparked the investigation in 2019 with testimony before Congress that the Trump Organization routinely manipulated its asset valuations for business and tax benefits, claimed he turned over some of the key financial documents to the House Oversight Committee.
“First and foremost, all documents and communications concerning any statement of financial condition. Well, folks, you already know that they exist because I showed it. I showed it to the entire world before the House Oversight Committee,” he said.
He then claimed he had already turned over supporting documents such as appraisals to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
“I know for a fact that document exists because I gave it to Mark Pomerantz. I gave it to Carey Dunne. I gave it to the district attorney. Everybody has seen that document,” he said. “When I sat down with Allen Weisselberg and Donald, and we decided how we were going to answer these questions in order to prove that Donald was worth what Donald was worth.”
Weisselberg, who had served as the CFO of the Trump Organization, was indicted on a tax evasion scheme last year and subsequently left his leadership role at the company. Bragg is currently conducting a separate criminal investigation into Trump and the Trump Organization’s business dealings with some participation from James’s office. Pomerantz and Dunne were part of Bragg’s team but announced their resignation in February. Pomerantz claimed Trump “is guilty of numerous felony violations.”
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The Washington Examiner reached out to the attorney general’s office to ask whether it had the documents Cohen claims to have seen but did not receive a response. James’s office has also subpoenaed the Trump Organization and sought documents from firms that have done accounting work for the company, so it’s not fully clear what documents her team has.
Part of what Engoron appeared to want from Trump was confirmation that his team conducted a thorough search. If Trump’s lawyers turn over a sworn statement detailing the steps his team took to find the documents, the judge might be content, lawyers close to the case told the New York Times.
“I feel like there’s an 800-pound gorilla in the room, and that is, why don’t we have an affidavit from him?” Engoron asked, per CBS News. “There is a difference between saying something and saying something under oath.”
