Michael Cohen's lawyer denies that he 'personally' asked Trump for a pardon
Michael Cohen has clarified a portion of his congressional testimony and pushed back on President Trump's claim that he lied under oath.
Cohen's lawyer, Michael Monico, said in a letter to the House Oversight Committee that when Cohen testified that "I have never asked for, nor would I accept, a pardon from Mr. Trump," this statement "could have been clearer regarding the time frame," although it's still "true" and Cohen "stands by" it, per The Washington Post's Robert Costa.
Monico said that Cohen's sentence was "written in the context of Mr. Cohen's decision in June 2018 to leave the Trump Joint Defense Agreement" and to start telling the truth, and that prior to that time, he did ask his attorney "to discuss with another Trump attorney possible pardon options" since President Trump had "dangled the possibility." However, Monico says that "nothing ever happened."
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.
Cohen's lawyer also said that "at no time" did he ask Trump for one "personally." Trump had tweeted that his former attorney asked him for a pardon "directly," saying that "He lied!"
This was one of two statements Cohen made during his testimony that were called into question, with another being his claim that he did not want a job in the White House. Trump has accused Cohen of lying about this as well, and Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) have asked the Department of Justice to investigate Cohen for perjury for making this statement, which they called "demonstrably, materially, and intentionally false."
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
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.
-
Today's political cartoons - November 24, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - taped bananas, flying monkeys, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Spanish cop, 20 million euros and 13 tonnes of cocaine
In the Spotlight Óscar Sánchez Gil, Chief Inspector of Spain's Economic and Tax Crimes Unit, has been arrested for drug trafficking
By The Week UK Published
-
5 hilarious cartoons about the rise and fall of Matt Gaetz
Cartoons Artists take on age brackets, backbiting, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Judge blocks Louisiana 10 Commandments law
Speed Read U.S. District Judge John deGravelles ruled that a law ordering schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms was unconstitutional
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
ATF finalizes rule to close 'gun show loophole'
Speed Read Biden moves to expand background checks for gun buyers
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Hong Kong passes tough new security law
Speed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
France enshrines abortion rights in constitution
speed read It became the first country to make abortion a constitutional right
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Texas executes man despite contested evidence
Speed Read Texas rejected calls for a rehearing of Ivan Cantu's case amid recanted testimony and allegations of suppressed exculpatory evidence
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court wary of state social media regulations
Speed Read A majority of justices appeared skeptical that Texas and Florida were lawfully protecting the free speech rights of users
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Greece legalizes same-sex marriage
Speed Read Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump and his lawyer Alina Habba have a rough day in defamation court
Speed Read Trump's audible grousing as E. Jean Carroll testified earned him a warning he could be thrown out of court, and Habba showed she 'doesn't know what the hell she's doing'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published