Trump reportedly rejected advice to admit to extramarital affairs, still wants to pardon Manafort
The amount of drama that happened in the White House last week was the equivalent of the last three years of Days of Our Lives and The Bold and the Beautiful, combined.
It started with President Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, pleading guilty to eight charges of bank and tax fraud and campaign finance law violations on Tuesday, the same day Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was convicted of eight counts of financial crimes. Trump was mad and vented on Twitter, and people with knowledge of the matter told Vanity Fair's Gabriel Sherman that White House advisers came up with a plan to bring some of Trump's real estate friends from New York City to D.C. to calm him down. "It was supposed to be a war council," one said, but Trump "hates being lectured to," and said no to the meeting.
Already feeling "cornered," he was reportedly further unnerved by reports later in the week that Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg and National Enquirer publisher David Pecker have received immunity and are speaking with federal prosecutors. One person told Sherman that Trump seemed "bummed" and "down and out," but by the weekend he was angry and spent much of his time "calling people and screaming." Sherman was told that Trump's lawyers have recommended he admit to having extramarital affairs and paying the women hush money so people know this was just something he did on Tuesdays rather than a campaign finance violation, but the president rejected this plan because of first lady Melania Trump.
Subscribe to 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.
Trump is also having problems with White House Counsel Don McGahn, who has advised Trump against pardoning Manafort. If McGahn won't draft a pardon, a former official told Sherman, Trump is prepared to bring in someone who will. "He really at this point does not care," the person said. Read more about this spectacle at Vanity Fair.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
What reclassifying cannabis could change
The Explainer The Biden administration's move to change marijuana from a Schedule I narcotic to Schedule III could reshape the pot landscape even if it doesn't mean full federal legalization
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: May 9, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku hard: May 9, 2024
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Ukraine cheers House approval of military aid
Speed Read Following a lengthy struggle, the House has approved $95 billion in aid for Ukraine and Israel
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Poland, Germany nab alleged anti-Ukraine spies
Speed Read A man was arrested over a supposed Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel hits Iran with retaliatory airstrike
Speed Read The attack comes after Iran's drone and missile barrage last weekend
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Peter Murrell: Sturgeon's husband charged over SNP 'embezzlement' claims
Speed Read SNP expresses 'shock' as former chief executive rearrested in long-running investigation into claims of mishandled campaign funds
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Mark Menzies: Tories investigate MP after 'bad people' cash claims
Speed Read Fylde MP will sit as an independent while party looks into allegations he misused campaign funds on medical expenses and blackmail pay-out
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Why Johnson won't just pass Ukraine aid
Speed Read The House Speaker could have sent $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine — but it would have split his caucus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Sudan on brink of collapse after a year of war
Speed Read 18 million people face famine as the country continues its bloody downward spiral
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump's first criminal trial starts with jury picks
Speed Read The former president faces charges related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published