Trump calls Cohen 'a weak person' after Mueller plea

On Thursday, President Trump described Michael Cohen as a "weak person" after his former personal and restaurateur lawyer reached an agreement with special lawyer Robert Mueller.

"He's a weak person," Trump told reporters at South Lawn before heading to the G-20 summit in Argentina. "Unlike other people you see," Trump said, all Cohen tries to do is get a reduced sentence, so he's lying. "

When a reporter asked him why Trump had been using Cohen for so many years if he did not trust him, Trump said that Cohen had done him a favor "a long time ago".

In a surprise appearance on Thursday in a federal court in New York, Mr. Cohen pleaded guilty to making false statements to Congress in his testimony about his contacts with Russia on behalf of Trump's real estate during the 2016 presidential campaign .

Upon entering into your plea agreement, filed in the US District Court. UU In Manhattan, Cohen said he lied to congressional investigators about the timing of a Trump brand real estate project in Moscow "out of loyalty to Trump" and "

"It's not a surprise if Cohen lied in Congress," said Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer, in a separate statement. "He is a proven liar who is doing everything possible to escape a long prison sentence for serious crimes related to banking and tax fraud that has nothing to do with the Trump organization."

President Trump speaks to reporters; Michael Cohen leaves the federal court on Thursday.

"It was a project that we had not done, not me," Trump said. "There would be nothing wrong if I did it."

The president said that even if Cohen were telling the truth about the Moscow project, it would not matter "because I was allowed to do what I wanted during the campaign."

During and after his campaign, Trump insisted that he had no "transaction" related to Russia. On Thursday he said he had continued the Moscow project, but had abandoned it to focus on his candidacy for the presidency. But the question of exactly when he left it was found in Mueller's research. Yahoo News reported earlier this year that investigators had found evidence that the project was still alive until May 2016, approximately when Trump won the tender.

The president announced on Wednesday in the New York Post that he was considering granting a pardon to his former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, whose defense contract with the special defender was canceled after prosecutors said he had lied to federal agents and lawyers Government in interviews. (Manafort lawyers question the accusations).

"This has never been discussed, but I would not like to remove it from the table," Trumps said of a pardon for Manafort. "Why should I remove it from the table?"

Earlier this year, Cohen pleaded guilty to eight counts of personal financial crimes, including charges of tax evasion and bank fraud. But he also directly involved the president in two programs related to financing the campaign in the 2016 general elections, linked to the income of women who said they had relations with Trump.

President Trump walks with First Lady Melania Trump on her departure at the White House on Thursday.

According to ABC News, since the conclusion of this agreement, Cohen has spent more than 70 hours in interviews with Mueller's team.

"The interrogation focused on contacts with the Russians by Trump's associates during the campaign, Trump's trade links with Russia, obstruction of justice and possible clemency talks," ABC News said.

Cohen, who once said he would "get a bullet" for the president, walked out of court without talking to reporters. His lawyer, Guy Petrillo, said his client "cooperated" and "will continue to cooperate."

Cohen must be sentenced on December 12.


Read the full length of Mueller's accusation:

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