Attorneys for president Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen asked a Manhattan court not to give him any jail time in a document submitted last night (Nov. 30), following his guilty plea for lying to Congress about a planned Trump Tower Moscow.
Cohen’s lawyers say that Trump directed him to pay off porn star Stormy Daniels—something Trump has denied, insisting he heard about the payments after they had been made. “Michael felt obligated to assist [Trump], on [Trump’s] instruction, to attempt to prevent Woman-1 and Woman-2 from disseminating narratives that would adversely affect the campaign,” the filing says.
They refer to the payments as “campaign finance violations centered on extramarital affairs of a presidential candidate.” Trump has denied having affairs with Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, but the lawyers seemingly describe the women’s allegations as fact.
Written in flowery language, with Cohen referred to throughout as “Michael,” the sentencing submission says Cohen has resolved “to re-point his internal compass true north,” shown “fortitude and fundamental character,” and should be allowed to return to his children, whom he describes as his “heart” and “soul.” They argue he should be sentenced to time already served.
Cohen is cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia.
Read the document in full.