CNN’s Jim Sciutto, Carl Bernstein and Marshall Cohen reported this evening that embattled attorney Michael Cohen, President Trump‘s former fixer and bagman, is ready to testify that Trump knew in advance about that June 2016 Russian dirt meeting in Trump Tower.
The idea before the meeting took place was that the Russians might supply good campaign dirt on Hillary Clinton. Wiki page: “On 6.9.16, a meeting was held in Trump Tower between Trump campaign honchos – Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort – and at least five other people, including Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.”
CNN is reporting that Cohen is ready and willing to make his “Trump knew” assertion to special counsel Robert Mueller.
“Cohen’s claim would contradict repeated denials by Trump, Donald Trump Jr., their lawyers and other administration officials who have said that the President knew nothing about the Trump Tower meeting until he was approached about it by the New York Times in July 2017,” the story reads. “Cohen alleges that he was present, along with several others, when Trump was informed of the Russians’ offer by Trump Jr. By Cohen’s account, Trump approved going ahead with the meeting with the Russians, according to sources.”
Cohen doesn’t have audio recordings to corroborate the claim, but he’s willing to testify to this effect.