Michael Cohen spent Monday night bracing himself to face Judge William Pauley the following morning, with the prospect of years in prison for dirty work he said he did to assist US President Donald Trump.
This was the man who once said he would take a bullet for the president. Instead, standing in the dock at the United States District Court in Manhattan, President Trump’s longtime fixer fired a volley of allegations at his former client.
Reading from a prepared note, he admitted that Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels, who alleged they were involved in affairs with President Trump, had been paid off “in-coordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office”.
He added: “I participated in this conduct...for the principal purpose of influencing the election”.
Mr Cohen had just pleaded guilty to five counts of tax evasion, one of making a false statement to a financial institution, one of an illegal campaign contribution and one of an excessive campaign contribution.
Meanwhile, around 250 miles away in Alexandria, Virginia, a jury was convicting Paul Manafort, who once headed the Trump election campaign, of five counts of tax fraud, two of bank fraud and one of failing to disclose a foreign bank account.
Even by the standards of the surreal Trump presidency, Tuesday’s events were extraordinary. Within minutes, two of his closest associates had either admitted to or had been convicted of serious crimes.
It brought the total of convicted Trump allies to five. MSNBC, in a sarcastic nod to Watergate, referred to “all the President’s felons”.
For years, it was Michael Cohen’s job to act as President Trump’s shield, beating off stories which would damage his client and, so we are led to believe, his friend.
But loyalty clearly had its limits and having “flipped,” Mr Cohen will be hoping for leniency when sentence is passed in December.
The wheels of justice have turned relentlessly in recent months, culminating in Mr Cohen’s court appearance on Tuesday. A few hours later, a defiant President Trump dismissed everything as “fake news” when he appeared before adoring supporters at a rally in West Virginia.
On Wednesday morning Mr Trump turned to his weapon of choice, Twitter, to renew his attack.
“If anyone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you don’t retain the services of Michael Cohen!” he tweeted.
Team Cohen, inevitably, has put a different spin on events. In a string of media appearances on Wednesday, his lawyer Lanny Davis said the president’s direction of the hush payments amounted to impeachable offenses and that his client did not want to be “dirtied” by a presidential pardon.
He said Mr Cohen’s decision to flip came after President Trump’s widely ridiculed performance next to Russian President Vladimir Putin at their July summit in Helsinki. The lawyer said Cohen is now committed to “the truth, his family and his country”.
“He certainly found Donald Trump as president to be unsuitable to hold the office after Helsinki,” Mr Davis said on NBC’s “Today” show. “He worried about the future of our country with somebody who was aligning himself with Mr. Putin”.
The sorry saga dates back to August 2016 when the National Enquirer was preparing to run a story alleging a decade-old affair between Donald Trump and Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model.
Even though candidate Trump was on his third marriage, it was feared that the story would deal a fatal blow to his chances of winning the White House.
_______________
Read more:
Prosecutors “preparing charges” against Michael Cohen
Michael Cohen says US president knew about Trump Tower meeting with Russians
_______________
It fell to Mr Cohen, who joined the Trump organisation in 2006, to sort the mess out. He did so by cutting a deal with the National Enquirer and Ms McDougal, Playboy’s 1998 “playmate of the year”.
The Enquirer, a salacious supermarket tabloid whose chairman David Pecker is a friend of Mr Trump, bought the story and sat on it.
A couple of months later the “Access Hollywood” video emerged. Dating back to 2005, it laid bare Mr Trump’s attitude toward women.
If the recording of the candidate’s lewd comments was not bad enough, another alleged mistress was preparing to sell her story: Stephanie Clifford – a porn actress known to her fans as “Stormy Daniels”.
The candidate’s loyal lieutenant stepped in again, arranging a $130,000 payment to buy her silence. He later admitted to using a home equity loan to provide the necessary cash.
Given that the damaging Access Hollywood tapes were in the public domain, it is hard to avoid asking the question why Mr Cohen even bothered.
Things began to unravel eight days before Mr Trump's inauguration when the Wall Street Journal published a story disclosing details about the Stormy Daniels payment.
A month later Mr Cohen, who was then still loyal to Mr Trump, admitted that the payment had taken place, but insisted the money was his own.
The revelations, which started as a drip feed, became a flood. On March 6, Stormy Daniels sued Mr Cohen and the president, asking a California court to invalidate the non-disclosure agreement she had signed.
Nine days later, the Journal ran a piece tying the Trump Organisation to the Daniels hush money payment. On the same day, the Organisation was issued with a subpoena by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating the Trump campaign's possible collusion with the Russian government in its alleged interference in 2016 presidential election.
Throughout the spring, as the pace of legal actions intensified, Mr Cohen remained loyal to Mr Trump – even as the president appeared to be distancing himself from his former fixer.
Then, in June, Mr Cohen flipped. He changed his legal team and resigned from the Republican National Committee.
The baton of defending the president was passed on to Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor, who has spent months bouncing between TV stations giving a series of contradictory and often chaotic interviews.
As things stand, Mr Trump has been accused of a raft of serious offences, from illegal payments to criminal conspiracy.
Given the lengthy charge sheet, one would have expected the Democrats, who hope to recapture the House of Representatives, to be making hay and pushing for impeachment.
But they are not. Nancy Pelosi, the current minority leader, regards the issue as divisive and fears that campaigning to turf Mr Trump out of office could backfire badly and galvanise his base.
Far better, many believe, is to leave him weakened and discredited before delivering the coup de grace in the 2020 presidential election.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
SPECS
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000
On sale: now
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MORE ON TURKEY'S SYRIA OFFENCE
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
