Advanced Search

The story appears on

Page A9

February 28, 2019

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

Home 禄 World

Ex-Trump lawyer 鈥榓shamed鈥 of actions

Source: AP | 00:00 UTC+8 February 28, 2019 | Print Edition

US President Donald Trump鈥檚 former personal lawyer told Congress yesterday that Trump knew ahead of time that WikiLeaks had e-mails damaging to Hillary Clinton鈥檚 presidential campaign, and he testified that Trump is a 鈥渞acist,鈥 a 鈥渃onman鈥 and a 鈥渃heat.鈥

Michael Cohen suggested that Trump also implicitly told him to lie about a Moscow real estate project. Cohen has pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about the project, which he said Trump knew about as Cohen was negotiating with Russia during the 2016 election campaign.

The hearing was expected to produce the most damning depiction to date of Trump鈥檚 campaign and business operations from a onetime member of the president鈥檚 inner circle. It is the latest step in Cohen鈥檚 evolution from legal fixer for the president 鈥 he once boasted he鈥檇 鈥渢ake a bullet鈥 for Trump 鈥 to a foe who has implicated him in federal campaign finance violations.

鈥淚 am ashamed of my weakness and misplaced loyalty, of the things I did for Mr Trump,鈥 Cohen said. 鈥淚 am ashamed that I chose to take part in concealing Mr Trump鈥檚 illicit acts rather than listening to my own conscience. I am ashamed because I know what Mr Trump is.鈥

The claims that Trump had advance knowledge of the e-mails contradict Trump鈥檚 assertions he was in the dark, but it was not clear what evidence Cohen had to support the allegation or even how legally problematic it would be for Trump.

Special counsel Robert Mueller has not suggested that mere awareness of WikiLeaks鈥 plans, as Trump confidant Roger Stone is purported to have had, is by itself a crime.

Underscoring the deeply partisan nature of the proceedings, Democrats on the House Oversight and Reform Committee lifted an earlier restriction that the hearing not delve into Russia, while Republicans tried unsuccessfully to block the hearing, on grounds that Cohen had not provided his opening statement long enough in advance.

World
锘

 

Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

娌叕缃戝畨澶 31010602000204鍙

Email this to your friend


锘