- Michael Cohen speaks out over former United States President Donald Trump's indictment
- The Republican businessman's ex-counsel says the case is simply about accountability
- Cohen argues that Trump took advantage of former Attorney General Bill Barr to weaponize the Justice Department against his critics
Michael Cohen, the former "fixer" of former United States President Donald Trump, has spoken out regarding the indictment of the Republican businessman by the Manhattan grand jury.
During an interview, Trump's ex-counsel said that while the case was related to an alleged $130,000 hush payment he made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, the charges are simply about holding the former president accountable for his actions.
Michael Cohen's Take on Donald Trump's Indictment
Cohen added that the case was never about him specifically and was different from what many people wanted to make it seem like. He argued that it was not his vengeance against his former boss but to make Trump face the consequences of his "dirty deeds."
He added that people around Trump should also be held accountable, referring to former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr. Cohen argued that the Republican businessman used Bar to weaponize the Justice Department against the former president's critics, as per CBS News.
Cohen's interview comes as last week; the Manhattan grand jury decided to indict the former president over the hush money allegations. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been leading the probe into Trump's alleged falsified business records connected to the payment that was supposedly made to Daniels to keep her quiet about her affair with Trump.
A source familiar with the investigation said on Saturday that despite the charges not being revealed to the public yet, they include a felony charge against Trump. On the other hand, the former president has continued to deny that he had any sexual encounter with Daniels and any wrongdoing in the case.
On Friday, Barr, Trump's former attorney general, criticized the indictment, calling it the "archetypical abuse of the prosecutorial function to engage in a political hit job."
In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to eight federal charges of tax evasion, fraud, and campaign finance violations. These charges were all related to payments he made to the adult film star and another person, which he allegedly conducted through the Trump Organization.
Denying the Allegations
Following Trump's indictment, he got more than $5 million in donations in 48 hours, with his supporters $4 million in the first 24 hours after the news. The surge of donations suggests the reality of what the former president and his allies claimed that an indictment would only serve to further ingratiate him to his base, according to Fox News.
Cohen is now set up to be a key witness in the case against Trump over the hush money payment to Daniels. He previously testified twice before the Manhattan grand jury about the allegations.
Following the announcement of the indictment, Trump immediately released a statement claiming his innocence and saying that the jury's decision was "political persecution and election interference" and, specifically, Bragg, said Reuters.
Related Article : Stormy Daniels Speaks Out Over Donald Trump Indictment
