Convicted perjurer Michael Cohen testified under oath that he was coerced into pleading guilty by threats from prosecutors aimed not just at him but at his family.
During a tense courtroom exchange, it became evident that the deep state’s tactics might have stooped to new lows in their relentless pursuit against Trump.
Thursday’s session in the ongoing trial saw Trump’s legal team cross-examine Cohen, following two days where the prosecution grilled him in an effort to link the former president to alleged criminal activities.
According to reports from The Gateway Pundit’s Paul Ingrassia, who is closely monitoring the proceedings, Cohen’s testimony painted a picture of a man pressured by an overzealous prosecution team.
Cohen admitted to committing federal tax evasion and making false statements related to a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) application from 2012-2017. However, the bombshell dropped when defense attorney Blanche questioned him about his 2018 guilty plea. Initially, Cohen had maintained that his plea was free of external pressures.
Today, however, he confessed that this was a lie crafted under duress—duress that involved direct threats to indict his wife if he refused to “flip” on Trump.
Paul Ingrassia reported earlier:
“Cohen testifies to having evaded substantial tax returns from 2012–2017. He also testified that he received an application form that did not reveal the full extent of his liabilities for a HELOC form, and submitted the form to the bank with full knowledge that it was inaccurate.
“Cohen testifies to being guilty of federal tax evasion and making false statements to a financial institution. When Blanche presses him if anybody induced him to plead guilty, Cohen defers and says he feels he shouldn’t have been indicted for underlying crimes.
“Claims he felt pressure to plead guilty, thinking his wife would be indicted, based on what his lawyer at the time told him. Cohen claims he pled guilty without outside pressure at the time, but now testifies that he lied and did feel such pressure,” Ingrassia wrote.
https://twitter.com/PaulIngrassia/status/1791115601521381863?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Cohen’s explosive testimony suggested that his previous guilty plea, which he had stated was made freely and without coercion, was influenced by dire threats against his family.
“I elected to protect my family,” Cohen said.
https://twitter.com/gregkellyusa/status/1791152955158089861?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
https://twitter.com/Travis_4_Trump/status/1791119955976454202?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Meanwhile, AP’s coverage of the event highlighted inconsistencies in Cohen’s accounts. During his guilty plea, Cohen had firmly stated that his decision was made without duress, a stance he now contradicts by admitting to lying under oath to protect his wife from legal peril.
The news outlet reported:
When Cohen entered his guilty plea, Blanche noted, he’d told the judge no one had induced or threatened him to plead guilty. Eventually, the defense lawyer compelled Cohen to admit that he’d lied when he said that.
Cohen has said that he was told that if he didn’t accept the plea, he and his wife would be indicted. “I elected to protect my family,” he testified.
Asked again if he felt like he’d been induced to plead guilty, Cohen said: “I never denied the underlying facts. I just did not believe I should have been criminally charged for either of those two — or six — offenses.”
So, Blanche asked, did he lie when he said during his guilty plea that no one pressured him to plead guilty?
“That was not true,” Cohen said.
Federal prosecutors told a judge in a court filing last year that Cohen’s claims to have been coerced into pleading guilty were false. “Cohen’s recent statements are belied by his under-oath statements when he pled guilty, which included that he was guilty of tax evasion and false statements to banks, and that he had not been threatened or forced to plead guilty.” In another filing in 2019, they called the story that they threatened to prosecute Cohen’s wife “patently false.”
It can be recalled that Cohen testified before Congress in February 2019, accusing Trump of various misdeeds, including lying about business interests in Russia.
In his opening remarks, Cohen said, “I have asked that my family be protected from presidential threats.”
This plea for his family’s safety, initially perceived as directed towards Trump, now appears more likely to have been aimed at the prosecutors themselves.
WATCH:
"I have asked this committee to ensure that my family be protected from presidential threats."
Michael Cohen delivers opening statement before House Oversight committee. pic.twitter.com/BtAcN9owSR
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) February 27, 2019
via thegatewaypundit