Giuliani says Cohen's tapes prove Mueller's 'investigation is going nowhere'
The secret recordings of President Trump made by his former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, prove Special Counsel Robert Mueller's "investigation is going nowhere," Trump's current personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani, argued Sunday.
"Donald Trump didn't do anything wrong; he didn't commit a crime of any kind," Giuliani said on an early morning radio appearance on New York's AM 970. "This is exactly what the president has always said it is. Whether he meant it or not, this is turning out to be a witch hunt."
In a recording obtained by CNN, Trump and Cohen are heard in September 2016 discussing buying the rights to a former Playboy model's story of the affair she claims to have had with the president years prior. Cohen is under investigation for possible campaign finance violations for allegedly paying to keep the allegations quiet. At issue is whether Trump knew of the payment in advance. The recording audio is not entirely clear, but Trump at one point says to Cohen, "Pay with cash."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
On ABC News Saturday, Giuliani accused Cohen of violating attorney-client privilege and indicated he has ended the Trump-Cohen joint defense agreement. "The president was very disappointed in Michael Cohen, as he's tweeted, particularly because he was a friend, but also because he was a lawyer and acting as a lawyer during that conversation," Giuliani said.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.
-
Fast food is no longer affordable to low-income AmericansThe explainer Cheap meals are getting farther out of reach
-
‘The money to fix this problem already exists’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Magazine solutions - November 21, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - November 21, 2025
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
