Michael Cohen claims Donald Trump 'cheated' in 2016 Presidential Election in bombshell new book

Michael Cohen
Getty Images
Kit Heren14 August 2020

Donald Trump "cheated" in the 2016 US presidential election, his disgraced former lawyer Michael Cohen will claim in an upcoming bombshell book.

Mr Cohen promises to reveal the "skeletons" in the president's closet in Disloyal, A Memoir, which is due to be released in September.

A foreword published online on Thursday says: "Trump had cheated in the election, with Russian connivance, as you will discover in these pages, because doing anything - and I mean anything - to 'win' has always been his business model and way of life."

It adds: "My insatiable desire to please Trump to gain power for myself, the fatal flaw that led to my ruination, was a Faustian bargain: I would do anything to accumulate, wield, maintain, exert, exploit power.

"In this way, Donald Trump and I were the most alike; in this naked lust for power, the President and I were soul mates."

The foreword, which runs to some 3,700 words, does not reveal anything new about Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller found in 2019 that Russia made a concerted effort to help Trump secure the presidency four years ago.

But he found no evidence of any criminal conspiracy between Mr Trump's campaign and Russia - although he did reveal that the campaign was in extensive contact with various Russian operatives.

Mr Cohen, 53, worked closely with Trump for years as his "fixer" before turning against him, most publicly in testimony to Congress last year ahead of Mr Trump's impeachment.

He is serving a three-year sentence for tax evasion, false statements and campaign finance violations. The last charge was related to "hush money" to silence women who claimed affairs with Mr Trump before the 2016 presidential election.

Donald Trump
REUTERS

Mr Cohen was released to home confinement in May given the risks of catching Covid-19 in prison. He was then briefly imprisoned again in July.

A federal judge last month ruled Mr Cohen had been subjected to retaliation for planning to publish his book, and ordered him released again.

White House spokesman Brian Morgenstern slammed Mr Cohen for a supposed lack of credibility.

Mr Morgenstern said: "He readily admits to lying routinely but expects people to believe him now so that he can make money from book sales. It'€™s unfortunate that the media is exploiting this sad and desperate man to attack President Trump."

Mr Trump has previously called Mr Cohen "a rat," and a liar. Mr Cohen has said he faced repeated death threats from supporters of Mr Trump.

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