Former president Donald Trump appeared to refer to his disgraced former attorney, Michael Cohen, without using his name during a press conference at Trump Tower in Manhattan on Friday morning.
The press conference came a day after Trump was found guilty in deep-blue Manhattan on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
WATCH — CNN’s Cooper: I Would “Absolutely” Doubt Michael Cohen’s Testimony If I Was a Juror:
“Now, I’m not allowed to use his name because of the gag order, but you know, he’s a sleaze bag; everybody knows that. Took me a while to find out, but he was effective. He did work, but he wasn’t a fixer. He was a lawyer,” Trump said, seemingly talking about Cohen.
As part of Judge Juan Merchan’s sweeping gag order against Trump, he is prohibited from discussing witnesses, including Cohen and Stormy Daniels, regarding their involvement in the trial. He reportedly faces the threat of potential jail time over future violations, but he did not explicitly say Cohen’s name during the presser.
Michael Cohen leaves his apartment building on his way to Manhattan criminal court, May 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Trump added, “They like to use the word ‘fixer,'” which has long been the mainstream and establishment framing for Cohen in his capacity as Trump’s former attorney.
WATCH — CNN’s Honig: Michael Cohen Stealing from Trump “More Serious of a Crime Than Falsifying Business Records”:
“He was a lawyer. At the time, he was a fully accredited lawyer. Now, he got into trouble, not because of me, he got into trouble because he made outside deals, and he had something to do with taxicabs and medallions, and he borrowed money,” Trump said, going on to contend this led to Cohen pleading guilty to election violations he does not believe Cohen actually committed.
“That’s why he went and then he pled to three election violations, and as soon as I saw that, I said, ‘I wonder why he did that.’ He pled; he took a deal,” Trump added. “He took a deal because he wanted to get off. In other words, ‘I’ll take a plea deal, and I want to get off.’
WATCH — Farah Griffin: “My Jaw Hit the Floor” When Michael Cohen Lied During Testimony:
Cohen pleaded guilty in August 2018 to five counts of willful tax evasion, one count of making a false statement to a bank, one count of causing an unlawful campaign contribution, and one count of making an excessive campaign contribution, the Department of Justice noted at the time.
Trump said the Southern District of New York “wrote the worst report I think I’ve ever seen on any human being other than” the inspector general report on former FBI Director James Comey.
However, he stated Merchan refused to let his defense use the southern district’s report on Cohen during the trial.
“He said, ‘It’s hearsay.’ I said, ‘It’s not hearsay.’ Wouldn’t let us use it,” he said.