DAILY CALLER
The “stunning” admission that Michael Cohen stole from the Trump Organization visibly shocked CNN’s Jake Tapper on Monday.
Cohen, the lawyer who made out the $130,000 hush money to former porn actress Stormy Daniels, told defense attorney Todd Blanche that he stole $30,000 from former President Donald Trump’s company to get himself bonus money he believed he deserved relating to the reimbursement deal.
“It’s fascinating stuff, and I have to say, I’m still kind of reeling from the revelation that Michael Cohen stole money from the Trump Organization and that wasn’t, at least to my knowledge, that the prosecution didn’t get that out earlier because it’s not as though the prosecution is going to be helped by further evidence that Michael Cohen is a shady character … that was just kind of stunning,” Tapper said.
Chief legal analyst Laura Coates expressed surprise that the prosecution did not point to Cohen’s admission or his reputation as a liar.
“If they can establish Michael Cohen as somebody who is not to be trusted about the amount of money as well, then they might be able to suggest that Donald Trump had no idea what he was truly paying,” Coates said.
Cohen was paid an $150,000 bonus in 2015 and a $50,000 bonus the next year, according to The Guardian. Cohen admitted that he falsely told the Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg that he needed the company to pay him back with $50,000 to pay off IT company RedFinch, but only paid them $20,000, according to testimony. He also admitted he pocketed the remaining $30,000.
The “grossed up” payment led him to make $60,000, as the grossed up payment was doubled for tax purposes, according to The Guardian.
“So you stole from the Trump Organization?” Blanche asked.
“Yes sir,” Cohen answered.
Cohen asked for a reimbursement for the tech company along with the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels, which was intended to keep an alleged extramarital affair between her and Trump undisclosed ahead of the 2016 election.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Trump with 34-counts for allegedly falsifying business records to reimburse Cohen for the payment to Daniels through monthly installments of $35,000, labeled as payment for “legal services.”
The same CNN panel said earlier in the segment that Cohen’s admission could damage Bragg’s case against Trump with “reasonable doubt” given that he stole from Trump and lied about where the funds were being directed to.
