Case of the white house making statements about what the president did and did not know. Senior Trump Officials have said the president didnt know anything about these payments. That turned out to be completely untrue based on the audiotape of the president himself talking about that payment were Michael Cohen before the election. But, again, here the white house refusing to talk about it. White house aides are now referring questions about this issue to the president s outside lawyers even though some of these issues involve the statements made by people who worked in the white house now or very recently. So, anderson, theyre hoping that we dont continue asking questions about this. There hasnt been a White House Press briefing in several days. There have only been three this month at all. They are clamping down on the opportunities that reporters get to ask both the president and also senior white house officials questions about all of these matters. Abby phillip, thanks very much. Needless to say, cnns scoop on Michael Cohen got a lot of people talking, especially among democratic members of the House Intelligence Committee who
believe their republican colleagues ended their investigation far too soon. Earlier tonight i spoke with congressman Eric Swalwell of california. Congressman swalwell, Michael Cohen testified in front of your committee back in october of last year. Did he say anything that indicated the president did, in fact, know about this meeting with the russians at trump tower . Good evening, anderson. Michael cohen was asked by our committee about the trump tower meeting. Were not allowed to go into what he said, but i do believe this is all the reason that the republicans should release the transcripts, not just for Michael Cohen but every witness who was interviewed around the trump tower meeting. I will say this, though. Michael cohen is being accused of being a liar, but all of the lies that he has told were on behalf of donald trump, and we have seen every day in america witnesses who come forward, testify in court, change their story because they want to Tell The Truth, and juries rely on that, and that is often persuasive if it can be corroborated. Thats what we have to do now is to see if his testimony can be corroborated. If it turns out donald trump
jr. Didnt Tell The Truth in front of congress, should he be held in contempt . Would there be any appetite from republicans obviously to do so . Right now, theres no appetite from the republicans. They closed our investigation. I think this revelation shows how premature and irresponsible it was that we ended our investigation because ideally with this new information, you would bring Michael Cohen back, give him an opportunity to come clean, and then youd also want to confront donald trump jr. With the new information. Thankfully bob mueller is able to pursue this, and thats all the more reason that his investigation should be protected. Is there any reason to take cohens word over the president s on this . I mean cohen certainly didnt make a career as the president s fixer of being guided, you know, it seems by truth and honesty . Well, the tough part here is theyve all lied from the president , when he tried to clean up his sons statement and when this was revealed, to donald trump when he first told
the public what this meeting was about. But in our investigation, we believe that the president did know for a number of reasons. One, he was just one floor above where this meeting took place when it took place. He had put out days before the meeting took place that new information about Hillary Clinton was coming. We also know that the president used a blocked number at that time, and donald trump jr. , before the meeting took place, talked to the russians in a onehour period, called the blocked number, and then talked to the russians again. And then finally, anderson, the family that asked donald trump jr. To arrange this meeting were very close to Candidate Trump, and its someone that Candidate Trump corresponded with just days after the meeting. All the Circumstantial Evidence suggests he did know. Just the common sense thing of the headline from that meeting, even from the email, is the russian government is supporting your campaign. If youre donald trump jr. , i find it almost impossible to believe that hes not going to say to his dad, hey, guess what, i dont know if this is true or not, but weve been told now by you know, by this prominent family and these people representing that the russian government is supporting
your campaign. Were going to meet with them, or we just met with them and nothing came of it. But they said they were supporting your campaign. And, anderson, because so much of our testimony came from selfserving deniers, the people, you know, who were at the meeting and said that donald trump never knew about it, we sought to build the closeness in relationship between donald trump jr. And his father. And what we established was that donald trump jr. Often relayed to his father the most minute information that was coming from the campaign. So, again, to suggest that he wouldnt bring to his father something as powerful as the russians seeking to help his campaign and hurt his opponent, its just it doesnt add up. Yeah. Congressman swalwell, thanks so much. Appreciate it. My pleasure. More now on the many legal implications for the president , his son, and Michael Cohen. Joining us are Carrie Cordero and asha rangappa. Carrie, the president has never been under oath about this. So i mean if Michael Cohen not only tells this to Robert Mueller but also has people who can corroborate it, legally
speaking is there any risk for the president . Well, theres risk in terms of the broader russia investigation. So a lot of times we talk about collusion. Right. But what that really means if we want to translate it into the Legal Framework is conspiracy. And its very clear that the Mueller Investigation is conducting a broad conspiracy investigation. Thats what they charged the russian Intelligence Officers with, Conspiracy To Defraud the United States. And then they did the hacking and the unauthorized access to Computer Systems to facilitate that conspiracy. So the closer we get to either the president or his inner circle having advance knowledge of any of those activities, coordinating in any way in those activities, then the closer we get to their legal exposure in the big overall investigation. In terms of donald trump jr. , if he lied to congress, there would be legal jeopardy for so they yeah, he could potentially face proceedings for, if he perjured himself in front of congress under oath. Any individuals who have been
interviewed certainly by the special counsels team, even if theyre not before the grand jury, but if theyre interviewed by federal agents, then they have exposure on false statements. So theres a lot of exposure at that lower level. But if were talking about the overall big investigation and major exposure both legally and of course politically if it turns out they were involved in this conspiracy in some way, thats the big, significant change. Asha, just in terms of the phone calls that donald trump jr. Made to the blocked phone number before and after the trump tower meeting, we dont know who was on the other line. If that was in fact donald trump on the other end of the line, would that be something that muellers investigators would be able to find out . Yes. They can subpoena those Phone Records and be able to see where those to whom those calls were being made, and that could corroborate the timing, for example, of Michael Cohens account. And just to complement what carrie just said, from the intelligence standpoint,
collusion doesnt have to be criminal to be a National Security threat. She mentioned the russians were hacking information, trying to weaponize it to promote candidates to help russia. And anyone who worked with them secretly to facilitate or encourage it is colluding, whether they meet the elements for conspiracy is a different story. But i think we have to remember that there is a National Security aspect to this as well as a criminal aspect. But that National Security aspect, i mean that doesnt i mean that would really only come into play in terms of impeachment proceedings, wouldnt it . Or are you saying that would have legal implications as well . Well t could have legal implications. We see there are tools that are used on the intelligence side like fisas and other techniques that have a lower threshold precisely because were looking at the security of the United States, not necessarily trying to pursue criminal charges. When what they see crosses into the criminal realm, youre going
to see the indictments that mueller is bringing. But theres a whole story behind the scenes, and i think we can just look at the things that weve seen in front of our faces that don junior happily accepted this meeting from Russia Offering Dirt on his opponent, which is a part of their covert action. And theres a lot of colluding behavior staring us right in the face that may not ever result in charges. Carrie, we also know what Michael Cohen has previously said in front of congress about this very issue. So if he didnt Tell The Truth then, theres obviously legal jeopardy for him there. He has some exposure in terms of whether he would have to go back and perhaps correct his testimony. So thats something that a witness before congress could do. They could go back and either write a letter or ask to reappear to correct their testimony. But i think the Bigger Picture whether or not its Michael Cohen who provides this information to the special counsels office, the more important point is whether or not its true. Right. Not so much that Michael Cohen provides the information that donald trump knew about this meeting if, in fact, he did and the purpose of it, but whether its true. So that goes to the bigger
question of whether or not individuals in the campaign knew in advance. So if we look, for example, at the russia indictment of the russian Intelligence Officers, there was a date that stood out to a lot of people including myself who read it, which was july 27th, 2016. And that was the date that donald trump as a candidate had stood up and said, you know, wikileaks, i hope that you hack into emails, and what the Indictment Shows is that very day, russian Intelligence Officers tried to access emails affiliated with Hillary Clinton he said russia, look into the 30,000 emails. Youll get a lot of praise from reporters. Exactly. So there were these activities that were taking place In Plain Sight. And what it may turn out to be is are those activities that took place In Plain Sight turn out to have been actual advance knowledge of things that were going on . Carrie cordero, asha rangappa, thanks so much. Coming up next, two political pros weigh in on whether they believe Michael Cohen and what they think this will mean to his former client and confidant. And later, a live report from the fire lines in Northern California where fastmoving flames are threatening tens of thousands of people. No sign yet of when conditions will improve. We have a question about your brokerage fees. Fees . What did you have in mind . I dont know. 4. 95 per trade . Uhhh and i was wondering if your brokerage offers some sort of guarantee . Guarantee . Where we can get our fees and commissions back if were not happy. So can you offer me what schwab is offering . Whats with all the questions . Ask your broker if theyre offering 4. 95 online Equity Trades and a satisfaction guarantee. If you dont like their answer, ask again at schwab. Our new, hot, fresh breakfast will get you the readiest. buzzer sound holiday inn express. Be the readiest. Its these new freshfx car Air Fresheners from armor all. Each scent can create a different mood in my car. Like tranquil skies. Armor all, its easy to smell good. Man are unpredictable crohns symptoms following you everywhere . Its time to take back control with stelara®. For adults with moderately to severely active crohns disease, stelara® works differently. Studies showed relief and remission with dosing every 8 weeks. Woman stelara® may lower the ability of your Immune System to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections and cancer. Some serious infections require hospitalization. Before treatment, get tested for tuberculosis. Before or during treatment, always tell your doctor if you think you have an infection or have flulike symptoms or sores, have had cancer, or develop any new skin growths, or if anyone in your house needs or recently had a vaccine. Alert your doctor of new or worsening problems, including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems. These may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. Some serious allergic reactions can occur. Do not take stelara® if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. Man are you fed up
with crohns symptoms following you . Talk to your doctor today, and learn how janssen can help you explore cost support options. Remission can start with stelara®. Sharper vision, without limits. Days that go from sun up to sun down. A whole world in all its beauty. Three Innovative Technologies for our ultimate in vision, clarity, and protection. Together in a single lens. Essilor ultimate lens package. Purchase the Essilor Ultimate Lens Package and get a second pair of qualifying lenses free. Essilor. Better sight. Better life. Man 1 this is my body of proof. Woman 1 proof of less joint pain. Woman 2 . And clearer skin. Woman 3 this is my body of proof. Man 2 proof that i can fight psoriatic arthritis. Woman 4 . With humira. Woman 5 humira targets and blocks a specific source of inflammation that contributes to both joint and skin symptoms. Its proven to help relieve pain,
stop further irreversible joint damage, and clear skin in many adults. Humira is the 1 prescribed biologic for psoriatic arthritis. Avo humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. Before treatment, get tested for tb. Tell your doctor if youve been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if youve had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flulike symptoms or sores. Dont start humira if you have an infection. Woman 6 need more proof . Woman 7 ask your rheumatologist about humira. Man 1 whats your body of proof . When shakespeare wrote in the tempest that misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows, he probably did not have Reagan National airport in mind. Take a look at the guy on the phone in the background at gate 35x. Thats donald trump jr. , and in the foreground with the
newspaper, thats Robert Mueller. The two apparently did not speak, but we hope our next two guests will. They are steve cortes. Always good to have you. And republican strategist rick wilson, author of everything trump touches dies. How much does it complicate things that neither cohen nor the president have the best track record with the truth . Well, i think the thing with cohen is hes got something that is called paper. And hes got records, and hes got documents. Hes got contracts. Hes got the record of the ndas that trump has had various women sign over the years. Hes got a variety of things where trump went out to make deals and to get financing over the years. So theres a pile of paper on top of Michael Cohens just assertion alone, and theres also Phone Records and there are Text Messages and obviously the guy records things. Im sure he screen capped tweets and texts and messages back and forth with trump. So he sought to protect himself for some time well before this. So i think its a bad bet to say that Michael Cohen doesnt have things beyond just his assertion. I also think its a bad bet to think Robert Mueller doesnt have those things. Right. And overlaps of those things. I think were going to end up in a situation where, you know, he said he said. Its going to redound to the darkhaired scuzzy guy rather than the blonde scuzzy guy. If it turns out to be true that President Trump knew about this meeting ahead of time and approved it, do you see that as a big problem for the president , if for no other reason obviously he would be caught in yet another lie . Right. Well, hold on. I wont say yet another lie because i dont concur with your opinion that hes some sort of serial liar. Well he lied about not knowing about the ami deal with Karen Mcdougal. We now know that. Rick, you can steve rick, you can cackle, but i just reject steve but you are admitting he lied about the ami deal, not knowing about the Karen Mcdougal ami
deal, yeah . Because we now have a tape of him talking about it seems as though. I have not heard a satisfactory explanation of that. Im not prepared to say he lied either. Im not. But this is important. I mean it really is, anderson. For you to just say matter of factly, well, the president is a serial liar and xyz, we cant proceed that way well, he lied about millions of Illegal Immigrants voting in california for Hillary Clinton, and thats why he didnt win the popular vote. He lied about and got, you know, sean spicer to lie about the crowd size. I mean those are just two demonstrably things on, what, the first day in office or second day. So its been a litany of things since then. Yeah. I not to put too fine a point on it, anderson, steve, look, brother, you are living in an entirely separate linguistic universe if you believe that donald trump does not lie out his ass every single day. He is infamous. These are not just lies of omission. These are lies of assertion. This is a guy who lies about everything constantly. Heres the lie. Its not just some heres the lie. [ Overlapping Voices ] steve, its not some deep conspiracy. Heres the real lie. He makes factual misstatements every single day. Every single day. Heres the real lie. The real lie one at a time. [ Overlapping Voices ] steve. Heres the real lie. The real lie is that russia somehow won this election for donald trump, that russia somehow convinced voters in wisconsin and ohio and michigan that they were duped somehow into voting for donald trump. That is the actual grand lie that is being told in washington, d. C. And in Mainstream Media all day, every day. Its a damnable lie. Steve, i think the grander lie has to do with total hypocrisy. And is the birtherism of the left. This is the new birtherism. Because we want
the Old Birtherism was by the guy he said doesnt lie. Steve, the difference between birtherism and russia [ Overlapping Voices ] the difference between birtherism and russia, steve, is that russia actually helped donald trump, and barack obama was never born in kenya. Really . Theres smoke and theres fire. How did russia help rick, heres the thing. Oh, im sorry, steve. I know you dont believe our intelligence services, every single one of them. Asserted not only did russia interfere in our election, have a meaningful impact on our election. Thats a lie. Thats a lie. You live in a separate fact bubble. It is not a lie, steve. Hold on. Hold on. [ Overlapping Voices ] nobody can hear when everybody is talking over. Steve, you brought up birtherism. That was a donald trump lie. You said you dont see him lying. You just compared birtherism as kind of a bad thing as being kind of a not genuine thing. That was a thing of the president s. An incredibly bad thing. That was a thing of the president s. Much to his discredit. And the president wont can i answer, rick . Will you for one second be quiet . Much to his discredit by the way, and he repudiated it during the 2016 campaign. Im very glad he didnt. He didnt repudiate it. He never apologized or yes, he did. He said president was born in the United States and the case is closed. He did. Yes, he did. Well, he said that. He didnt say, i lied about it and ive been making it up. I didnt send investigators to hawaii like i claimed because theres never been any evidence of that. I mean there was none of okay. Heres the thing. Here we are two years later. Okay. Two years beyond that point. And rick wilson and a lot of people in Mainstream Media and a lot of leftists still cannot accept the verdict of the American People in 2016. And they werent hoodwinked by russia. Russia did not hack our election. They decided on their own volition and on their own smarts that we needed to go a different direction. So far theyre reaping the benefits of that with massive
economic growth. What we should be talking about today, what we should be celebrating and having a parade about is gdp above 4 in this country. The trump boom is real. The trump russia mania, fixation is not real. Its a mania. Its a new birtherism. Sadly, steve, and i hate to bring this back, steve, but youre going to have to live with the fact that russia played a meaningful role in influencing our election. They played a meaningful role in targeted states where donald trump won by a narrow margin. They played a meaningful role in selecting and attempting to maneuver those states and to maneuver Public Opinion in those states in a protrump direction. Youre going to have to also accept that Donald Trumps cam wayne was in direct youre going to have to accept the fact that donald trump has continually lied about the fact that he has no business with
russia, no financial ties with russia when all these things are facts. They are coming forward. Those not already exposed will be exposed. You can pretend all you want it didnt happen, steve, but it happened. Listen, if you believe all that by the way, i honestly feel sorry for you. Yeah, steve, you know why i believe it . Because i can read. Okay. Well, i read pretty well too. By the way, the Intelligence Community in the United States has made many massive mistakes over the years. They are not always correct. Their word is not infallible. But regarding the 2016 election, i think heres whats important too. If donald trump were somehow beholden to russia, if he were an agent of russia as has been claimed constantly by Mainstream Media and by a lot of formerly respectable people, for instance, former heads of the cia. If he were an agent of russia, hes doing a really terrible job of it because all he has done is
counter their interests, including by the way in terms of the most forceful counter to them, annihilating, literally slaughtering Russian Troops in the field, american to russia combat in the field in syria. That would not be happening if he were somehow a compromised manchurian candidate. Steve, listen, i think that the American People saw very clearly in helsinki that donald trump did everything but strap on his kneepads, drop to his knees and polish Vladimir Putins shoes, that this is a man who is influenced and under the control of this of the russians. He is absolutely, completely compromised. His behavior proves it. Youve lot your mind. Youre a birther. Why is it he wont come out youre al jones of the right. And assertively or of the left, i mean. Discuss the invasion of crimea . Why is it he wont doesnt the president like alex jones . Say that the president engages in activities such as assassination. I get it, steve. Youre part of the cult. Youre part of the trump votaries, and no matter what he
says, youre going to say hes the greatest hero in the history of this country. Thats not true. I criticized him on this network after the helsinki presser because i thought it was a poor performance. I said so very clearly. I wrote about it on real clear politics. I thought it was the worst performance of his presidency so far. If thats his worst day, ill take it. Glad you made it a Shoe Reference by the way. Speaking of Intelligence Agencies and the people who are in the position to have answers to the question of interference, we have the former director of National Intelligence next. Stadium pa all military members stand and be recognized. Sometimes fans cheer for those who wear a different uniform. No matter where or when you served, tmobile stands ready to serve you. Thats why were providing half off family lines to all military. If you have moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, Little Things can be a big deal. Thats why theres otezla. Otezla is not an injection or a cream. Its a pill that treats psoriasis differently. With otezla, 75 clearer skin is achievable after just 4 months,. With reduced redness, thickness, and scaliness of plaques. And the otezla Prescribing Information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. Dont use if youre allergic to otezla. Otezla may cause severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. Tell your doctor if these occur. Otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. Tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts, or if these feelings develop. Some people taking otezla reported weight loss. Your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. Other side effects include Upper Respiratory Tract Infection and headache. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if youre pregnant or planning to be. Otezla. Show more of you. Any paint can change the way a room looks. But only one can change how it feels. Century, from benjamin moore, is the firstever soft touch matte finish paint. Its revolutionary Texture Unlocks 75 unprecedented colors, each with exquisite depth and richness. Its a difference you can see, touch, and feel. Thats proudly particular. Century. Only at select local paint and hardware stores. Century. Does your Business Internet provider promise a lot . Lets see who delivers more. Comcast business gives you gigspeed in more places. The others dont. We offer up to 6 hours of 4g Wireless Network backup. Everyone else, no way. We let calls from any of your devices come from your business number. Them, not so much. We let you keep an eye on your business from anywhere. The others . Nope get internet on our gigspeed network and add voice and tv for 34. 90 more per month. Call or go online today. A book that youre ready to share with the world . Get published now, call for your free publisher kit today president Vladimir Putin says hes invited President Trump to moscow but theres, quote, has to be necessary conditions. White house secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement that the president is open to the visit but hasnt yet received a formal invitation. All this after President Trump tweeted that his National Security adviser had invited putin To Washington for a visit later this fall. Only to have that possible visit pushed back until early next year. Joined now by the former director of National Intelligence, james clapper, the author of facts and fears hard truths from a life in intelligence. Director clapper, the invite to
moscow under, quote, necessary conditions, im wondering what you suppose those necessary conditions are. Well, actually, you know, i dont know. But i just found that very interesting that putin, who i think emerged as the alpha dog after the helsinki press conference, it seems to me hes gotten a bit cavalier about the fact that he doesnt have to kowtow to the u. S. Or to President Trump. And so now hes going to lay out conditions, which normally heads of state dont do when theyre going to meet with the president of the United States. Now, it could be any number of things. Its been alluded to the referendum in the ukraine, which would be bad and certainly go against the wishes of the ukrainian government. A de facto or De Jure Recognition Of Assad In Syria and basically an evacuation. I dont know what those conditions might be. I know one thing, hed probably prefer not to be exposed to a free press that can ask him
questions. I spoke to Lieutenant Colonel ralph peters, who made the point that from putins perspective, a meeting in moscow would be a far more attractive idea. Putin could avoid pushback from congress, he would be able to receive President Trump with a lot of pomp and circumstance that certainly we know President Trump responds favorably to. I think hes right. I think its always better on your home turf anyway in these home and away exchanges or on neutral ground. I think certainly putin would be the russian government would be much more in control of things, probably be more organized, and certainly putin could play to the president s ego with all the pomp and circumstance that the russians are good at. Also today about President Trump, putin said, you can criticize him for what hes doing. Some people do criticize him. However one thing remains absolutely clear. Hes committed to fulfilling his campaign promises. You would think that if President Trump were as tough on russia as he claims to be, putin wouldnt have nearly as flattering words to say about him. The president is saying now russia wants to interfere to help the democrats in the next election. Well, thats i dont know where he got that. I dont know what evidence there is of that, you know. I think the interference the hacking of senator mccaskills office, case in point that sort of contradicts that. Of course this whole Invitation Thing back and forth kind of reminds me of the french characters alphonse and gaston. Sir, you go first. No, you go first. Its almost gotten to, you know, comical proportions here. The president and his top National Security advisers met today to discuss election security. How dedicated do you actually think the president is to making sure meddling doesnt take place again this fall because there was all this reporting months ago that there hadnt been any cabinetlevel meeting really to
kind of orchestrate. You and i have talked about this before. The importance of a topdown approach in terms of the president , you know, pulling all the levers of government to prevent and make sure everybody is working on the same page. Well, you know, what are we . Over a year and a half into this administration, and now were finally having a cabinetlevel meeting to address this problem. And in the meantime, there really isnt anybody in charge the best i can tell. I think individual agencies and departments, notably dhs, the Intelligence Community, fbi, et cetera are doing what they can within their scope of responsibilities to prepare for the midterm elections. The bigger issue, though, apart from, you know, getting the government on the same page, this needs to be not just an intergovernmental thing. It needs to be an intersociety thing. There needs to be leadership across our country about the threat posed by the russians in their continued efforts to meddle in our political processes. Appreciate your time. Thank you. President trump and his onetime personal lawyer Michael Cohen certainly seemed to come apart at the seams this week. Just ahead, a look into their long relationship and whats now happening. What about him . Lets do it. Come on. This summer, add a new member to the family. At the mercedesbenz summer event. Lease the glc300 for 429 a month at your local mercedesbenz dealer. Mercedesbenz. The best or nothing. With preexisting health conditions. Woman puts a womans right to choose gravely at risk. Man and threatens to continue selling out america to powerful corporate interests. Woman we hold these truths to be selfevident. Man and we will hold our senators accountable. End Citizens United is responsible for the content of this advertising. Claims that he knew in advance about that Infamous Trump tower meeting in 2016. That was the meeting attended by his son don junior and its alleged purpose was to dig up dirt on Hillary Clinton, dirt provided by russians who claimed to have relationships with the russian government. The relationship between donald trump and his onetime personal attorney Michael Cohen, of course, has endured for years. Its one thats built on loyalty but that all seems to be changing. Heres cnns chief political analyst gloria borger. This is some turnout, huh . Reporter in the private conversations between thencandidate donald trump and Michael Cohen, it turns out there was a tape. When if comes time for the financing, which will be what financing . Well have to pay with cash . No, no, no. Reporter when cohen decided to release his secret recording in which the two men talked about buying a playboy models story about her alleged affair with trump, it was seen as cohens Declaration Of War against his former mentor, boss,
and hero. A shakespearean turnaround. This man has come to a moment in his life, and i wont talk about what he did in the past for donald trump other than being a loyal defender as an attorney. But i will tell you my own personal view. This man has turned a corner in his life, has hit a reset button, and hes now dedicated to telling the truth. Reporter but after more than a decade spent fixing trumps problems, cohen is facing a criminal investigation that led to fbi searches of his office, hotel, and home. Michael was, id always like to say, the ray donovan of the office. Ill take care of it. He took care of what had to be taken care of. I dont know what had to be taken care of, but all i know is that michael was taking care of it. Hes the guy that you could call at 3 00 in the morning when you have a problem. Reporter do you know stories of donald trump calling him at 3 00 in the morning . Donald trump has called him at all hours of the night. Every dinner ive been at with michael, the boss has called. Reporter but cohen did not call the boss, he says, when he decided to pay stormy daniels
out of his own pocket 11 days before the election. I think its ludicrous. So you believe 100 donald trump knew . 100 . Reporter but Rudy Giuliani says trump did know. Im giving you a fact now that you dont know. Its not campaign money. No Campaign Finance violation. They funneled it through the law firm. Funneled through a law firm, and the president repaid it. Oh, i didnt he did . Yeah. Reporter Cohen Wouldnt Go On The Record for this piece, but his friends claim this was all part of his job in trump world, giving the boss deniability and protection. If you know the relationship between the two people, he took care of a lot of things for mr. Trump without mr. Trump knowing about it. Thats part of the overall structure is that michael had great latitude to take care of matters. Reporter in 2011, michael
cohen described his job this way. My job is i protect mr. Trump. Thats what it is. If theres an issue that relates to mr. Trump that is of concern to him, its of course of concern to me. And i will use my legal skills within which to protect mr. Trump to the best of my ability. Its going to be my absolute pleasure to serve you with a 500 million lawsuit. Reporter often with threats as in this 2015 conversation with a reporter. Im warning you. Tread very [ bleep ] lightly because what im going to do to you is going to be [ bleep ] disgusting. Do you understand me . This is also part of the trumpcohen method is you skate on the edge of whats reasonable. Everyone else walks up to it as if theyre walking up to an electric fence, and they back off before they get shocked. Michael has that quality. He is a person that will risk getting electrocuted if it means that he could gain something in the moment. Reporter cohen, a sometimes democrat, first came to trumps attention after buying apartments in trump developments. Then went to the mat for trump against one of his condo boards and won. Trump loved him for it. I mean that was the beginning of it. And then after that, they became close. It was much more than an attorneyclient relationship. It was something much deeper, almost father and son kind of thing. Reporter for trump, hiring cohen wasnt about pedigree. Cohen, who was 51, got his degree from western michigans Cooley Law School and had some initial success in the less than gentile world of new york taxicab medallions. If you look where michael came from in his legal career, before he started working for trump org, it wasnt like he
came from a whiteshoe law firm. He came from, you know, a hardnosed new york trial firm. You can almost say this is Donald Trumps mini me. For a guy who started really in the middle class on long island to now be quite wealthy himself, known internationally, and, yes, hes in a bit of a jam with the russia scandal. Reporter with continued interest from the special counsel and congress. I look forward to getting all the information that theyre looking for. Reporter during the campaign, when trump said he had no contact with russia, cohen was privately trying to cut a deal for a trump tower moscow. It never happened, but mueller has asked about it. The sad reality is that michael pursuing that trump tower deal in december is just another factor that goes into this whole russia narrative. I will faithfully execute reporter when trump became president , he did not bring his
brash wingman To Washington. Do you think he wanted to be in the white house, be white House Counsel or there must have been a part of him that was dreaming of a great job at 1600 pennsylvania avenue. But hes also the guy who not only knows where all the bodies are buried, he buried a lot of them himself. And that ironically disqualified him. They say im mr. Trumps pit bull, that i am his im his righthand man. I mean theres ive been called many Different Things around here. Reporter because if youre Michael Cohen, at least until now, youve always been called the ultimate loyalist. The words the media should be using to describe mr. Trump are generous reporter Michael Cohen, it seems. Passionate, principled. Reporter has changed his mind. With that change of heart, the question now is what exactly Michael Cohen has that he can tell prosecutors. Anderson . Up next, breaking news, at least two people dead, thousands of homes threatened. Well get a live update on a fastmoving wildfire burning Out Of Control tonight in
california. Before treatment, get tested for tuberculosis. Before or during treatment, always tell your doctor if you think you have an infection or have flulike symptoms or sores, have had cancer, or develop any new skin growths, or if anyone in your house needs or recently had a vaccine. Alert your doctor of new or worsening problems, including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems. These may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. Some serious allergic reactions can occur. Do not take stelara® if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. Man are you fed up with crohns symptoms following you . Talk to your doctor today, and learn how janssen can help you explore cost support options. Remission can start with stelara®. We have breaking news. A giant fast moving wildfire in Northern California threatening 5,000 homes and killed at least two people so far. The fire has left one neighborhood in ruins. Tonight massive evacuations are in effect as the flames move towards the city of redding. Reporter flames swirling and high winds and hot temperatures wreaking havoc on the Northern California landscape. The aptly named carr fire which Officials Say was first sparked by a vehicle has ravaged the region since monday doubling in size over the course of the week and its still growing. Deadly and Out Of Control its charred some 45,000 acres and dozens of structures as firefighters try to contain it. Neighborhoods scorched as smoke and fire climb through hills fueled by the dried landscape. No idea what were going to do tomorrow. Hell, we dont know what were going to do tonight. Reporter they never imagined theyd see their house like this. We didnt think the fire was going to come here so we didnt take things out like Everybody Else that was scrambling like at the last minute to take things out when they saw the fire on the ridge. Reporter its one of several major blazes burning across the state and one of some 89 across the country. This is that new normal, that unpredictability, the large explosive growth fires. Reporter leaving firefighters to control the flames and limit the damage as residents race against the clock to evacuate their homes. And here in redding it is just an hour and a half before sunset but eerie and ominous. You can see the devastation. The orangey glow from this fire. They say 110 homes damaged or destroyed but a number thats sure to go up. We now know that two firefighters lost their lives. One of them earlier in the week on a bulldozer and another lost his life battling this now lethal blaze that continues to burn Out Of Control. Anderson, back to you. Paul, thanks so much. Devastating to see whats happening there. Well be right back. L you discor with a lens made by essilor . Sharper vision, without limits. Days that go from sun up to sun down. A whole world in all its beauty. Three Innovative Technologies for our ultimate in vision, clarity, and protection. Together in a single lens. Essilor ultimate lens package. Purchase the Essilor Ultimate Lens Package and get a second pair of qualifying lenses free. Essilor. Better sight. Better life. As long as Soccer Players celebrate with a slide, you can count on geico saving folks money. Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. Pressure, what pressure . The players on the. Pressure, what pressure . If your adventure. Keeps turning into unexpected bathroom trips. You may have overactive bladder, or oab. Ohhhh. Enough already we need to see a doctor. Ask your doctor about myrbetriq® mirabegron . It treats oab symptoms of urgency, frequency, and leakage. Its the first and only Oab Treatment in its class. Myrbetriq may increase blood pressure. Tell your doctor right away if you have trouble emptying your bladder or have a weak urine stream. Myrbetriq may cause serious allergic reactions. Like swelling of the face, lips, throat or tongue, or trouble breathing. If experienced, stop taking and tell your doctor right away. Myrbetriq may interact with other medicines. Tell your doctor if you have liver or kidney problems. Common side effects include increased blood pressure, common cold or flu symptoms,. Sinus irritation, dry mouth, urinary tract infection, bladder inflammation,