COURTS/MICHAEL COHEN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Monday [12-9-18] encouraged the courts to give his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen the severest punishment possible, washing his hands of Cohen’s guilty pleas and practically erasing any possibility of a presidential pardon…CNN reported Saturday that Cohen believed earlier in the spring that Trump would pardon him, but has since abandoned the idea. Trump’s team has lambasted Cohen for cooperating with federal investigators and attempting to lessen his prison sentence…The disgraced lawyer pleaded guilty on Thursday of lying to Congress over Trump’s dealings on a possible property in Moscow. Cohen wrote to lawmakers last summer denying any collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign and claimed the business dealings around the Russian property ended before the campaign was in full swing. But in a guilty plea last week, Cohen admitted business dealings over the property continued for at least six months after he told Congress they had ended. The revelation has led some to believe that Russia may have financial leverage over Trump, though the president continues to deny any involvement with the Russians and dismissed explorations into a Russian property as a legal part of running his business.”
–Matthew Choi, “Trump urges court to throw the book at Michael Cohen,” Politico, December 3, 2018 12:15 pm