Michael Cohen is not overwhelmingly surprised by President Donald Trump’s latest round of pardons.
During an interview with CBS News, Cohen made it clear he had no interest in Trump’s pardons.
“I was not interested in Trump’s pardons before, nor am I interested in it now because I truly believe that those who are accepting Trump’s filth will have the stench of corruption following their name and their families’ names for decades to come,” Cohen said.
He added, “I think what he has done here by ignoring the way the process works, by ignoring the pardon office completely in order to feed his need and the needs of his supporters who have done wrong to this country for so long now, for the last four years, it’s just a disgraceful… it’s just another disgraceful Trump act.”
Watch his comments below:
.@MichaelCohen212 to CBS News: "I was not interested in Trump's pardons before, nor am I interested in it now because I truly believe that those who are accepting Trump's filth will have the stench of corruption following their name & their families' names for decades to come." pic.twitter.com/P5501DZ9yB
— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 24, 2020
Cohen, who spent years as Trump’s personal attorney, was sentenced to prison for three years in 2018 for financial crimes and lying to Congress.
Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) also released a statement on Wednesday to sound off on Trump’s pardons, as IJR previously reported.
He said Trump pardoned “another tranche of felons like Manafort and Stone who flagrantly and repeatedly violated the law and harmed Americans.”
Sasse continued, “This is rotten to the core.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) accused Trump of “trying to burn the house of justice down,” as IJR previously reported.
House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) tore into Trump on Twitter.
“Lie to cover up for the president? You get a pardon. Corrupt politician who endorsed Trump? You get a pardon. Murder innocent civilians? You get a pardon. Elect a corrupt man as president? You get a corrupt result,” Schiff wrote.
Lie to cover up for the president? You get a pardon.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) December 23, 2020
Corrupt politician who endorsed Trump? You get a pardon.
Murder innocent civilians? You get a pardon.
Elect a corrupt man as president?
You get a corrupt result.
Schiff went on to argue, “During the Mueller investigation, Trump’s lawyer floated a pardon to Manafort. Manafort withdrew his cooperation with prosecutors, lied, was convicted, and then Trump praised him for not ‘ratting.’ Trump’s pardon now completes the corrupt scheme. Lawless until the bitter end.”
During the Mueller investigation, Trump’s lawyer floated a pardon to Manafort.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) December 24, 2020
Manafort withdrew his cooperation with prosecutors, lied, was convicted, and then Trump praised him for not “ratting.”
Trump’s pardon now completes the corrupt scheme.
Lawless until the bitter end.
Trump pardoned 15 people and granted five commutations, in part or in full, of sentences.
He granted pardons to former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, associate Roger Stone, and father of Jared Kushner, Charles Kushner.
