Manhattan D.A is continuing its investigation of Donald Trump's role into hush money payments to
adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Daniels met with prosecutors in the DA's office while key
witnesses Michael Cohen or witness Michael Cohen testified before the grand jury for
the second time this week, so joining us now for his first TV on TV or in-person interview since
those testimonies Donald Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen also the author of the book Revenge
how Donald Trump weaponized the U.S Department of Justice against his critics and he's also
the host of the Mia Copa podcast and political breakdown so political breakdown podcast thank
you for joining us I appreciate you just waking up early to see us and to do it in person. Your other
interviews have been just on the phone correct. No, my other interviews with the district. No, I
mean on television for television so this is your first time okay so thank you it has been 21 or
22 times so I met with the DA's office 20 times for interviews and then two times for grand jury
why are you cooperating so fully because that was the Pledge that I made when I stood before judge
William H Paulie and I said that I will cooperate and I didn't need a 5k one agreement I wasn't part
of any cooperation agreement democracy is more important than anything and I know it sounds
hokey but my goal is to ensure that truth comes out and that truth to power is told in as far as
um on the list of witnesses do you know where you are are you the last one or towards the end
I would presume that I am I know from reading the same reports that you have whether it's the
times or Wall Street Journal that there have been what seven or eight witnesses that have come in
and spoken before the grand jury I'm not aware that that's the one thing about this District
Attorney's Office they're really quiet about everything you don't get any information about
anything other than what pertains to you so let me ask you about the questions I know that you want
to protect the investigation you want to respect what Alvin Bragg and his office is doing here and
why ask me the question I just want to see what you can what what did prosecutors ask you what
can you tell us about I really can't talk about any of the topic obviously you know that one of
them deals with the hush money payments but I will tell you that one of the things I think that will
come out of this investigation other than the potential indictment of Donald Trump is a lot
of information about how the southern district of New York dealt with me in my specific case now
what's difficult for me to do is always to talk about my own case because people will say oh well
your part is into your own case and you're trying to make a point that's why you know like Lonnie
Davis my my attorney he's been with this uh with me in this journey since day number one and he has
so much information about the weaponization of the justice department against me that
there's nobody else that knows the story better okay so you can't really you don't want to talk
about the the specific questions I mean can you take us inside then and talk about the process
of the grand jury who is interviewing you what is it like are they each asking you questions so the
the there's a lead prosecutor in the district attorney's office who handled the questioning it
was like a um it was being on trial you're sitting in the front there were 23 Grand jurors and at the
end of the um Prosecutor's questioning then the grand jurors get an opportunity to ask you their
own specific questions did each of the 23 Grand jurors I can't say that each and every one but
for the most part yeah so okay so then what types of questions I know that specifically what types
again those questions all relate to the topics okay and it's really so much better if Lanny
Davis was sitting here and that way he can sit and talk to you about these sort of issues uh for me
I really do want to respect the process for two reasons one because that was a pledge that I made
to them but more importantly if I do get called as a witness at the trial I don't want anything that
I say now to impede upon that ability I understand that you're an attorney so you know how this works
so let me ask you then if you met with them 20 times and then uh for the grand jury twice so
they have met with other Witnesses including kellyanne Conway hope Hicks both who both of
whom were David pecker Dylan Howard um there was also uh Jeff mcconnie Deborah tarasoff okay so
two questions here as you go back to after they have spoken to these other Witnesses does that
inform them as to what they ask you the next time I don't know how they run their process
they're not asking you the same questions over and over no of course not you understand yes I
sure do they so again to respect their process what I can tell you is that they're questioning
of me started out at like 35 000 feet okay and by the time that I hit the 20th interview we
were down to like three feet ready to land the um Grand Jury was the actual takeoff back to
um we'll call it accountability bill so the the grand jury questions are different than the
questions that they initially asked you they're on the same points but they're not exactly the same
okay uh Stormy Daniels testified uh in front of the grand jury at least met with the grand
jury uh yesterday through I I don't know that you don't know that should be true what do you think
what do you think of the of Stormy Daniels being brought into the process because that's a surprise
to people does that change this investigations that show you that it's ratcheting up that an
indictment is is imminent it certainly doesn't benefit Donald for Stormy Daniels to be talking
about it so if that helps the District Attorney's case to go forward um so be it I do know and I'm
prepared to tell you they have a tremendous amount of information a lot of people have attacked my
credibility truth be told right at the end of the day they can attack me all they want this this man
this case is not going to be predicated on any one individual but rather it's going to be predicated
on the documents or the evidence the text messages the emails all right so that because Donald
Trump's attorney Joe takapina is also attacking your credibility if we can play that really
quickly before you do that can I just see this one second as you're I know you're talking about
that he did a joke that's how you end up asking somebody for a document let's play it real quick
Alan Bragg once said and I hope he remembers these words uh he can't see a world in which he would
base a prosecution of Donald Trump on the word of a convicted perjurer and felon like Michael Cohen
um he's still a convicted perjurer he's someone who's convicted of lying
um and it's not about vengeance it's about all about vengeance for him
I know that you're very sensitive and you take umbrage of that and you were
also recreating something that he did in an interview on another Network trying to take
some yeah I was I was just trying to poke fun at him what do you think of what he said well
I think he's a fool and worse than that what what's going to happen and again I've I've
been by Trump's side so long I could tell you the Playbook onto it Donald sent him out in order to
lie in order to continue with the narrative that only Donald wanted he's failed in that
and so soon he'll get cut off just like so many others when Rudy messed up or Alina Haba messed
up or Corcoran or Eastman or any of the other ones and he will just send them he'll just send
them on their way and takapina will be just one of many what do you who else can cooperate what
Michael Cohen is saying or what Michael clearly clearly everyone you see it's easy to turn around
and to say oh Michael Cohen's a convicted liar that happens to be true I did I pled guilty to
A Thousand and One violation I accepted that but what you need to do and so many pundits do this
and it's wrong you need to finish the sentence yes I could I I was convicted I pled guilty
to a thousand one violation but I did it at the direction of and for the benefit of Donald J Trump
and thank you to other stuff outside of Donald hold on hold on one second that's that's true
but we're talking about the the what takapino to call the perjury charge what I lied about was the
number of times that I spoke to Donald Trump about a failed real estate project in Moscow Trump Tower
Moscow I stated to Congress the number of times was three in fact the number of times was ten if
you think or anybody thinks that that's going to stop me from being a credible witness considering
everything that I've told Mueller seven different congressional committees the Attorney General
the district attorney and so many others has always been proven to be truthful and accurate
well so be it you can still have a point of view an opinion about this and without giving anything
up having spoken and met with them so many times do you believe that an indictment is imminent I do
okay and do you when do you think it could happen sooner rather than later let's all hope it's
sooner rather than later because everyone needs to be held accountable everyone needs to be held to
the same standard of the law and that includes former presidents thank you very much Michael
good to see you appreciate it come back please if any something does happen Donald Trump does
uh deny that those hush money payments of course he has denied it all along in any Affairs as well