>>> ARE YOU WORRIED THAT MICHAEL COHEN MIGHT FLIP?
>> LOOK, I DID NOTHING WRONG.
YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND, THIS
STUFF WOULD HAVE COME OUT A LONG
TIME AGO.
TIME AGO. I DID NOTHING WRONG.
>> IS MICHAEL COHEN STILL YOUR
FRIEND?
FRIEND? >> NEWS BREAKING JUST IN THE
LAST HOUR FROM ABC NEWS THAT
MICHAEL COHEN HAS PARTICIPATED
IN HOURS OF INTERVIEWS WITH
ROBERT MUELLER’S TEAM OVER THE
LAST MONTH.
LAST MONTH. FROM THAT REPORT, QUOTE, THE
SPECIAL COUNSEL’S QUESTIONING OF
COHEN, ONE OF THE PRESIDENT’S
CLOSEST ASSOCIATES OVER THE PAST
DECADE HAS FOCUSED ON TRUMP’S
DEALINGS WITH RUSSIA INCLUDING
FINANCIAL AND BUSINESS DEALINGS
AND THE INVESTIGATION INTO
ALLEGED COLLUSION WITH RUSSIA BY
THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN AND ITS
SURROGATES TO INFLUENCE THE
OUTCOME OF THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION.
ELECTION. SOURCES FAMILIAR WITH THE MATTER
TELL ABC NEWS.
INVESTIGATORS WERE ALSO
INTERESTED IN KNOWING THE
SOURCES SAY WHETHER TRUMP OR ANY
OF HIS ASSOCIATES DISCUSSED THE
POSSIBILITY OF A PARDON WITH
COHEN.
COHEN. JOINING THE CONVERSATION IS
FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY AND FORMER
DEPUTY ASSISTANT ATTORNEY
GENERAL HARRY LITMAN.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE FACT
THAT NOW THAT MICHAEL COHEN IS
AVAILING HIMSELF TO THE MUELLER
PROBE TO THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT
OF NEW YORK THAT THERE IS
BASICALLY AN OPEN FLOODGATE OF
ALL OF DONALD TRUMP’S BUSINESS
DEALINGS AND ALL AND ANYTHING
THAT MICHAEL COHEN MAY HAVE
WITNESSED ON THE CAMPAIGN WHEN
IT COMES TO INTERSECTIONS OR
EFFORTS TO COORDINATE WITH
RUSSIA.
RUSSIA. >> IT’S VERY SIGNIFICANT, THOUGH
I WOULDN’T SAY SURPRISING.
THERE HAD BEEN SOME SPECULATION
MAYBE MUELLER ISN’T INTERESTED
IN TALKING TO COHEN.
BUT HE, OBVIOUSLY, HAS THIS
WEALTH OF INFORMATION ON RUSSIA.
ALSO ON THE FINANCIAL SIDE WHERE
ABC ALSO REPORTS THAT HE’S
COOPERATING WITH THE NEW YORK
ATTORNEY GENERAL.
ATTORNEY GENERAL. IT’S PRETTY HUGE.
AND ALSO AS WITH MANAFORT,
MUELLER HAS -- HOLDS ALL THE
CARDS.
CARDS. RIGHT NOW HE’S MADE NO PROMISES
ABOUT WHETHER HE’LL GIVE HIM ANY
CREDIT FOR COOPERATING.
SAME AS WITH MANAFORT AND BOTH
MEN HAVE TO GIVE IT ALL UP AND
HOPE FOR THE BEST.
AND IN COHEN’S CASE, THAT IS
REALLY A WEALTH OF THINGS IN
RUSSIA.
RUSSIA. HE’S IN THE STEELE DOSSIER, HE’S
IN THE ATTEMPT TO FORM A TRUMP
TOWER IN MOSCOW AND ALSO DATING
BACK TEN MORE YEARS ON THE
FINANCIAL SIDE.
FINANCIAL SIDE. >> AND IT WOULD SEEM THIS IS THE
FIRST I’VE SEEN THAT MUELLER’S
TEAM IS INTERESTED IN TALKING TO
MICHAEL COHEN ABOUT PARDONS.
THAT SEEMS TO ME THAT MAYBE
THEY’RE LOOKING AT COHEN AS A
POTENTIAL WITNESS IN THE
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE.
>> I THINK AND MORE GENERALLY,
THEY ENDORSE THE PROPOSITION
THAT HOLDING OUT THE HOPE OF A
PARDON OR DANGLING THE PARDON IS
A POTENTIAL OBSTRUCTION OF
JUSTICE.
JUSTICE. THAT’S A THEORY THAT APPLIES TO
MULTIPLE WITNESSES STARTING WITH
STEELE AND MOVING FORWARD,
INCLUDING MANAFORT.
INCLUDING MANAFORT. IF THEY’VE ENDORSED THAT THEORY,
THAT’S GOING TO GET A LOT OF
PLAY PROBABLY IN THE REPORT.
>> NICK CONFISORE, WHAT DO YOU
THINK OF THIS ABC NEWS REPORT.
IT’S IMPORTANT TO GO BACK TO
TRUMP TELLS.
TRUMP TELLS. AND WE KNOW FROM DONALD TRUMP
THAT THE ORIGINAL RAID ON
COHEN’S OFFICES WAS PERHAPS THE
GRAVEST INJUSTICE THAT HE’S
PERCEIVED SO FAR.
HE CALLED IT AN ATTACK ON THE
NATION THE DAY HIS LAWYER AND
FIXER’S OFFICES AND HOMES WERE
RAIDED.
RAIDED. >> THEY’VE GOT TO BE SWEATING
OVER THERE.
OVER THERE. 12 HOURS IS A LONG TIME.
A LOT OF TESTIMONY.
I WAS THINKING ABOUT THE PRAGUE
MEETING THAT COHEN DENIED HAVING
BUT WHICH THERE’S SOME REASON TO
THINK HE MIGHT HAVE HAD.
IT’S CERTAINLY POSSIBLE TO KIND
OF EVADE PASSPORT STAMPING.
BUT, LOOK, WHAT’S FASCINATING IS
THE PRESIDENT IS BEING UNDONE BY
HIS OWN LACK OF LOYALTY TO
COHEN.
COHEN. AND THE QUESTION OF PARDONING
HIM IS BESIDE THE POINT.
COHEN IS ON TEAM AMERICA ON
THIS.
THIS. IF YOU’D JUST GIVEN HIM SOME
CHEESY WHITE HOUSE JOB AND MADE
HIM HAPPY.
HIM HAPPY. INSTEAD, HE’S TURNED.
HE’S NOT BEING PRESSURED
ANYMORE.
ANYMORE. HE IS READY TO COOPERATE.
HE IS GOING FOR IT.
AND THAT’S GOT TO BE TERRIFYING
TO THE WHITE HOUSE.
>> THAT’S AN INTERESTING POINT,
ELISE.
ELISE. HE HAS NOW AVAILED HIMSELF
THROUGH MEDIA REPORTS AND
THROUGH AN ATTORNEY AS HAS BEEN
REPORTED TO TRY TO HELP BRING
DOWN THE PRESIDENT IF HE HAS
PARTICIPATED IN A CONSPIRACY
WITH RUSSIA TO AFFECT THE
ELECTION AND HELP THEM MAKE
THEIR OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE
CASE.
CASE. >> I AGREE WITH NICK THAT A MAN
WHO IS REJECTED LIKE MICHAEL
COHEN IS FAR MORE DANGEROUS THAN
ONE WHO FEELS LIKE HE STILL HAS
SOMETHING TO GAIN FROM THIS
SITUATION.
SITUATION. HE SAW NOTHING LEFT TO GAIN FROM
DONALD TRUMP AND JUST THE
TOTALITY OF THE TERRIBLE
TREATMENT THAT TRUMP HAD HEAPED
UPON HIM AND ALSO JUST, WHY
COULDN’T DONALD TRUMP PAY HIS
LEGAL BILLS?
LEGAL BILLS? WHY COULDN’T HE AS A TRUMP INC
EMPLOYEE PAY THE LEGAL BILLS?
>> LET ME PUSH BACK ON YOU.
ISN’T BOB MUELLER SHOWING HE’S
THE GREAT EQUALIZER.
MANAFORT WAS WILLING TO STAY
LOYAL.
LOYAL. HERE’S THE DEAL.
IF YOU HAVE ANY EVIDENCE ABOUT
TRUMP COMMITTING CRIMES, MUELLER
IS COMING FOR YOU WHETHER YOU’RE
LOYAL OR NOT.
>> I’M NOT EVEN AS INTERESTED IN
MICHAEL COHEN AS I AM MICHAEL
FLYNN.
FLYNN. HIS SENTENCING DATE WAS SET FOR
DECEMBER 18th.
DECEMBER 18th. SOME ARE SPECULATING THAT HIS
PERIOD OF COOPERATION IS OVER
AND THE MUELLER INVESTIGATION
HAS ELICITED INFORMATION THEY
NEED FROM MICHAEL FLYNN.
WHAT DID MICHAEL FLYNN DO AND
WHAT WENT DOWN THAT HE OBSERVED
DURING THE TRANSITION AND DURING
THOSE, I THINK, 23 DAYS HE WAS
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER.
>> LET ME BRING HARRY BACK IN.
TWO QUESTIONS FOR YOU.
IS MUELLER SIMPLY TRADING UP?
HE’S NOW GOT COHEN AND MANAFORT
AND IS DONE WITH FLYNN.
IS THAT WHY HE’S READY FOR
SENTENCING?
SENTENCING? AND PICK UP THE THREAD ON THIS
QUESTION.
QUESTION. IT SEEMS LIKE WHETHER YOU’RE
LOYAL OR NOT.
IF YOU HAVE TESTIMONY MUELLER
WANTS, HE’S GOING TO GET IT.
>> HE IS GOING TO GET IT.
IT’S NOT SIMPLY THE DISLOYALTY,
THOUGH THAT’S REALLY BEEN VIVID,
BUT COHEN IS GOING TO BE
SENTENCED DECEMBER 12th.
HE HAS SERIES CHARGES HANGING
OVER HIM.
OVER HIM. ON FLYNN, IT DOES INDICATE HE’S
DONE WITH HIM.
USUALLY YOU’D KEEP HIM AROUND IF
HE MIGHT NEED TO TESTIFY.
BUT IN ALL OF THESE, WE’RE FIND
WITH MANAFORT, COHEN, ET CETERA,
MUELLER HAS BELT AND SUSPENDERED
EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING. WE HAVE THE TESTIMONY FROM
WEISSELBERG AND PECKER ON WHAT
COHEN HAS TO SAY IN GENERAL.
YOU HAVE A REALLY COMPREHENSIVE
AND DUPLICATIVE INVESTIGATION BY