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‘Individual-1 is you!’ Trump says memo means he’s ‘totally cleared,’ leaves everyone else scratching their heads

December 8, 2018 | | Print Article

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway’s husband, George Conway, criticized his wife’s boss, President Donald Trump, yet again in a tweet posted Friday night, only hours after sentencing documents for the president’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, were released.

In a tweet posted at 7:15 pm EST, he specifically took issue with a tweet the president himself had posted hours earlier in celebration of what appears to be Cohen’s upcoming prison sentence.

“Totally clears the President. Thank you!” Trump wrote.

Conway disagreed, writing, “Except for that little part where the US Attorney’s Office says that you directed and coordinated with Cohen to commit two felonies. Other than that, totally scot-free.”

Look:

In a sentencing memo released earlier, federal prosecutors in New York recommended Cohen be served with “[a] substantial term of imprisonment” for committing “four distinct federal crimes,” including violating campaign finance laws and attempting to influence the outcome of the 2016 election.

“During the campaign, Cohen played a central role in two similar schemes to purchase the right to stories –– each from women who claimed to have had an affair with Individual-1 –– so as to suppress the stories and thereby prevent them from influencing the election,” the memo reads.

“With respect to both payments, Cohen acted with the intent to influence the 2016 presidential election. Cohen coordinated his actions with one or more members of the campaign, including through meetings and phone calls, about the fact, nature, and timing of the payments.”

“In particular, and as Cohen himself has now admitted, with respect to both payments, he acted in coordination with and at the direction of Individual-1. As a result of Cohen’s actions, neither woman spoke to the press prior to the election,” it concludes.

The term “Individual-1” refers to the president, though it’s unclear whether his alleged role in Cohen’s crimes warrants criminal prosecution. The president clearly believes the answer is no.

Trump also believes his former attorney deserves to be hauled off to prison, albeit for different reasons: Last year Cohen lied to Congress about a real estate deal he’d sought out with Russian officials.

Between 2015 and 2016, he spoke with various Russian officials about building a Trump Tower in Moscow. During meetings with the House and Senate Intelligence Committees the following year, he lied about the specific timing and extent of these communications.

In a plea deal reached earlier this month with special counsel Robert Mueller, he fessed up to lying. The president responded angrily at the time by accusing Cohen of being a “weak person” who allegedly lied to Mueller “to get a reduced sentence for things that have nothing to do with me.”

Listen:

The president responded positively to the sentencing memo Friday because he believes it proves that his accusations about Cohen being a liar and fraud were accurate.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders echoed this in a statement, saying, “Mr. Cohen has repeatedly lied and as the prosecution has pointed out to the court, Mr. Cohen is no hero.”

What remains unclear to many, including even conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, is why Trump isn’t concerned about the reference to  “Individual-1” in Cohen’s sentencing memo.

Some suspect the president is simply unaware that “Individual-1” refers to him.

Look:

Reports suggest the president may also be in potential trouble in regard to Mueller’s investigation.  In a separate sentencing document filed Friday, the special counsel recommended Cohen not be given a prison term because of his cooperation.

“[T]he defendant has taken significant steps to mitigate his criminal conduct. He chose to accept responsibility for his false statements and admit to his conduct in open court. He also has gone to significant lengths to assist the Special Counsel’s investigation,” the memo reads.

Trump’s supporters worry that this assistance may have entailed providing information to Mueller — some or all of it that may have been lies — that may be damaging to the president.

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Vivek Saxena
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