Michael Cohen, convicted felon Donald Trump’s former fixer, has had quite the ride the past six years.
He went from Trump’s inner circle, to jail, to political commentator, to Democrat and permanent Trump hater. So how did he react to Trump’s 34 count guilty verdict? Let’s just say he wasn’t disappointed.
Right when the verdict came in, Cohen fired off a tweet with a short statement about the jury’s decision, saying, “Today is an important day for accountability and the rule of law. While it has been a difficult journey for me and my family, the truth always matters.” He also thanked his lawyer Danya Perry for her “invaluable guidance.”
Cohen then appeared on MSNBC and gave more of an emotional and in-the-moment response. When host Rachel Maddow asked Cohen how he was, Cohen exhaled heavily before saying, “I guess the word is relieved. This has been six years in the making. Remember, the very first time that I met with the district attorney’s office … was while I was an inmate in Otisville [prison].”
“Were you surprised by the verdict?” Maddow asked. “No,” Cohen said curtly. “I told you all along that the facts speak for themselves. The documents speak for themselves. … The facts are the facts and at the end of the day the facts prevailed.”
Maddow pointed out that up until the Trump convictions, he was the only one who ever got in trouble for the hush-money scheme to pay off porn star Stormy Daniels, so the affair they had wouldn’t affect Trump’s presidential campaign. “It’s accountability. It’s exactly what America needs. We need accountability to be had by all those that break the law. Because no one is above the law, and today’s verdict demonstrates that,” Cohen said.
Trump is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11.