This is the most eye-popping part of Mueller's Cohen memo

Friday's sentencing recommendations for Michael Cohen, President Trump's former attorney, are chock-full of conclusions from federal prosecutors in New York and Special Counsel Robert Mueller that have shocking implications for the former fixer and for Trump himself.

Prosecutors for the Southern District of New York say Cohen committed "serious crimes worthy of meaningful punishment" when he orchestrated "secret and illegal payments to silence two women," and his lies to Congress and financial crimes were part of "a pattern of deception that permeated his professional life."

"Taken together, these offenses reveal a man who knowingly sought to undermine core institutions of our democracy," prosecutors wrote. "His motivation to do so was not borne from naiveté, carelessness, misplaced loyalty, or political ideology. Rather, these were knowing and calculated — acts Cohen executed in order to profit personally, build his own power, and enhance his level of influence."

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Mueller's team, meanwhile, recommended slightly more leniency, given Cohen's cooperation in the federal investigation. Despite his help, however, Mueller's office explained just how extensive Cohen's deception had been.

Cohen's lies about the Trump Tower project in Moscow, Mueller wrote, obscured key information, but his cooperation eventually led to several revelations. One eye-popping paragraph says Cohen was in touch with a Russian national who offered the Trump campaign "political synergy" and "synergy on a government level." This person repeatedly sought to set up a meeting between "Individual 1," widely understood to be Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.