The paper’s story online included audio portions of that 36-minute call, which the Journal said Arnold had provided. Arnold told the paper he recorded Cohen, who is due to begin serving a three-year prison sentence on May 6, without his knowledge.
“I’m a man all alone, and I shouldn’t be alone anymore after more than 100 hours of testimony,” Cohen said, referring to his cooperation with special counsel Robert Mueller, other federal prosecutors and multiple congressional committees.
Cohen, 52, told Arnold on that call that he pleaded guilty to those charges because federal prosecutors in New York City “had me on campaign finance” — another crime that he had pleaded to — and because those prosecutors were targeting his wife.
“I love this woman, and I am not going to let her get dragged into the mud of this crap,” Cohen said. “And I never thought the judge was going to throw a three-year fricking sentence.”
The actor has produced a series of online videos entitled “Trump Tapes with Tom Arnold,” which offered viewers “the search for the truth behind the many rumored and potentially damaging recordings of President Donald Trump.”
Cohen, like other criminal defendants, told a judge last year when he pleaded guilty that he was doing so because he was actually guilty of the crimes.
Cohen’s lawyer Lanny Davis said Wednesday that “Michael has taken responsibility for his crimes and will report to prison to serve his sentence. While he cannot change the past, he is making every effort to reclaim his life and do right by his family and country. He meant no offense by his statements.”
Davis later issued another statement, saying, “Nothing said by Mr. Cohen to Tom Arnold contradicts Mr. Cohen’s previous defense attorney, Guy Petrillo, in his sentencing memorandum to the presiding federal US District Court Judge William H. Pauley III back in December.”
“I would also add the important words used by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and others, in describing Michael Cohen’s cooperation and testimony as “credible” addressing the “core” issues involved in his investigation,” Davis said.
Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to eight federal crimes, five of which were for evading personal income taxes, and one connected to his home equity line of credit.
from Viral News Reports http://bit.ly/2viDVTr
0 Comments