Trump says Michael Cohen is lying about lying to Congress

Donald Trump.
(Image credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

President Trump is asserting that his former lawyer Michael Cohen's admission that he lied to Congress is, itself, a lie.

Cohen on Thursday pleaded guilty to making false statements to Congress, saying he lied by claiming that talks of building a Trump Tower in Moscow ended in January 2016 when they actually continued until June, reports The Associated Press. Trump in response told reporters that Cohen, who was "convicted of various things unrelated to us," is trying to reduce his sentence by "making up a story" about "a project that everybody knew about." The potential deal with Russia, Trump insisted, was "a well known project." Although Trump did not go through with the deal, he argued that even if he did, "there would have been nothing wrong."

When Trump was asked why he employed Cohen for over a decade when he's supposedly so weak and dishonest, Trump said "a long time ago, he did me a favor," not offering any further explanation.

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Thursday's developments came after Cohen had previously pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and implicated Trump in court, after which Trump said on Twitter he would "strongly suggest" not retaining his former lawyer's services. Watch Trump's comments on Cohen below. Brendan Morrow

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.