Michael Cohen Is 99% Certain To Flip: Trump Lawyer Warns President

Michael Cohen Image by Gettty Images

By Dave Goldiner April 19, 2018

A lawyer and close Jewish confidant of President Trump has warned him that Michael Cohen is virtually certain to cooperate with prosecutors if he faces a lengthy prison term.

Jay Goldberg, who did extensive legal work for the Donald, told Trump that on a loyalty scale of 1 to 100, Cohen is “less than 1,” the Wall Street Journal reported.

“Michael will never stand up (for you)” if he’s charged, Goldberg told the paper and CNN, recounting the phone conversation with Trump.

Goldberg, who represented Trump in his divorces from Ivana Trump and Marla Maples, told the president not to put stock in Cohen’s expressions of devotion, such as the time the lawyer claimed he would “take a bullet” for his boss.

All that bravado will melt away if and when Cohen starts staring at the prospect of spending most of the rest of his life behind bars, Goldberg warned.

“Anybody who is facing 30 years never stands up,” he told CNN. “Without exception, a person facing a prison term cooperates.”

Cohen was clearly shaken by last week’s dramatic raids on his home and law office, and was apparently unaware that he was under serious criminal scrutiny. He appeared chastened and has shelved his aggressive “pit bull” demeanor for the time being.

Trump may also fear that prosecutors now hold extensive incriminating material about him which legal analysts say would not be covered by attorney-client privilege claims.

Dave Goldiner is the Forward’s director of digital media. Dave is a veteran journalist who has spent two decades working at newspapers in the United States and Africa. A native New Yorker, Goldiner wrote for the New York Daily News, where he covered some of the biggest stories of our time, including the attacks of September 11, along with thousands of stories of hope and heartbreak. He also studied and worked in Southern Africa and has written for publications in South Africa and Zimbabwe. He holds masters degrees in journalism and public administration from Columbia University. Dave can be reached at [email protected], or follow him on Twitter @davegoldiner

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