U.S. Department of Justice
Attorney Work Product // May Contain Material Protected Under Fed. R. Crim. P. 6(e)
the decision.[1] The Office also again asked for the timing of the President's discussions with Cohen about Trump Tower Moscow and asked him to specify "what period of the campaign" he was involved in discussions concerning the project.[2] In response, the President's personal counsel declined to provide additional information from the President and stated that "the President has fully answered the questions at issue."[3]
In the weeks following Cohen's plea and agreement to provide assistance to this Office, the President repeatedly implied that Cohen's family members were guilty of crimes. On December 3, 2018, after Cohen had filed his sentencing memorandum, the President tweeted, "'Michael Cohen asks judge for no Prison Time.' You mean he can do all of the TERRIBLE, unrelated to Trump, things having to do with fraud, big loans, Taxis, etc., and not serve a long prison term? He makes up stories to get a GREAT & ALREADY reduced deal for himself, and get his wife and father-in-law (who has the money?) off Scott Free. He lied for this outcome and should, in my opinion, serve a full and complete sentence."[4] Harm to Ongoing Matter[5]
On December 12, 2018, Cohen was sentenced to three years of imprisonment.[6] The next day, the President sent a series of tweets that said:
I never directed Michael Cohen to break the law. . . . Those charges were just agreed to by him in order to embarrass the president and get a much reduced prison sentence, which he did—including the fact that his family was temporarily let off the hook. As a lawyer, Michael has great liability to me![7]
On December 16, 2018, the President tweeted, "Remember, Michael Cohen only became a 'Rat' after the FBI did something which was absolutely unthinkable & unheard of until the Witch Hunt was illegally started. They BROKE INTO AN ATTORNEY'S OFFICE! Why didn't they break into the DNC to get the Server, or Crooked's office?"[8]
In January 2019, after the media reported that Cohen would provide public testimony in a congressional hearing, the President made additional public comments suggesting that Cohen's
- ↑ 4/23/19 Letter, Special Counsel's Office to President's Personal Counsel.
- ↑ 1/23/19 Letter, Special Counsel's Office to President's Personal Counsel.
- ↑ 9/6/19 Letter, President's Personal Counsel to Special Counsel's Office.
- ↑ @realDonaldTrump 12/3/18 (10:24 a.m. ET and 10:29 a.m. ET) Tweets (emphasis added).
- ↑ @realDonaldTrump 12/3/18 (10:48 a.m. ET) Tweet.
- ↑ Cohen 12/12/18 Transcript.
- ↑ @realDonaldTrump 12/13/18 (8:17 a.m. ET, 8:25 a.m. ET, and 8:39 a.m. ET) Tweets (emphasis added).
- ↑ @realDonaldTrump 12/16/18 (9:39 a.m. ET) Tweet.
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