Former personal attorney of President Donald Trump, Michael Cohen, said he isn't bent on receiving a presidential pardon and claims that the president himself will be facing legal issues of his own when he leaves the White House. More importantly, the disbarred lawyer said prosecutors have a considerable amount of evidence against the outgoing president.
During an interview with CBS News on Thursday, Cohen suggested that the legal issues the president is likely to face have to do with his finances, properties as well as tax returns. Moreover, it involves the personal financial statements that Trump made and provided to avail of loans, Cohen told the outlet.
A series of investigations could land Trump in legal trouble as soon as he leaves office next month, including potential congressional inquiries, probes by the attorneys general of Washington, D.C.and New York, and the Manhattan district attorney.
In his interview, Cohen revealed that he was on the state attorney general's team, and the district attorney's office questioned him. He went on to claim that investigators have ample evidence that will help them move relatively quickly in their investigations.
Cohen said he believes that there is a growing amount of evidence that they will be prosecuting upon. He explained that some of the aforesaid probes are civil, while other parts of it are criminal.
Cohen, who pleaded guilty two years ago to charges of lying to Congress and fraud, campaign violations, per a press release from the Department of Justice, was sentenced to 3 years in prison. He was later granted home confinement due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump has repeatedly accused Cohen of lying, but he claims he has documents to support his claims, MSN reported. At the moment, there is only one publicly known investigation that could trigger criminal charges against Trump, led by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.
The investigation originally targeted hush-money payments he made during the 2016 campaign to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Vance's office later revealed in court filings that it has expanded to investigate possible crimes as wide-ranging as tax evasion and even fraud.
This investigation's timeline is unclear, considering that Vance's seat is up for grabs next year. Moreover, the case is highly unlikely to be resolved until a new district attorney occupies the office.
Cohen refrained from divulging details about what he told investigators. However, he claimed that he knows what it is that they are looking for and confirmed that they already have ample evidence built up.