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Donald Trump's ex-lawyer Michael Cohen issued an ominous warning on Saturday about the real danger of the former president's potential prosecution just days after he was indicted in the Department of Justice's (DOJ) investigation into the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
On Tuesday, the DOJ issued its latest indictment against Trump, charging him with four counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights. The indictment came after months of speculation over whether he would be indicted over the riot, which saw a mob of his supporters, allegedly motivated by his unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud, violently protest at the U.S. Capitol building in a failed effort to block President Joe Biden's Electoral College certification.
Trump, however, has maintained his innocence in the case and pleaded not guilty on Thursday, arguing that he did nothing wrong on January 6, pointing to his tweet at the time that told the rioters to go home. He also maintains that the election was stolen, despite a lack of substantial proof, and has accused prosecutors of targeting him for political purposes as he runs again for president in 2024.
The latest indictment comes after the DOJ previously indicted him for allegedly mishandling classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago estate, with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg also charging him in March with falsifying business records in relation to an alleged hush money payment made during his 2016 presidential campaign to adult film star Stormy Daniels. In total, Trump is facing 78 charges and has maintained his innocence in each case.
Cohen, who served as Trump's longtime personal attorney, warned that the real danger in the indictment is how Trump and his Republican allies will react to a potential conviction, as his trials are expected to occur before the 2024 presidential election, during an appearance on MSNBC's The Katie Phang Show on Saturday morning.
Cohen flipped on the former president after pleading guilty to campaign finance violations in 2018 in relation to the alleged hush money payment.
"When he loses to Joe Biden again in 2024, the real danger again goes back to our previous conversation, which is how will Donald Trump and other members of the GOP react. Will they continue with the dog whistle? Will they continue to obstruct justice? Will they continue to threaten witnesses, judges, prosecutors and others?" Cohen asked.
He also warned that alleged threats against witnesses could make it more difficult for federal prosecutors to "put up a case."
"Witnesses really need to be included, myself included, from the dog whistle that Trump, [Florida Governor Ron] DeSantis and others are blowing right now," he said.
Newsweek reached out to Trump's campaign for comment via email.
Cohen predicted that Trump will be "held accountable for all of the allegations that are being raised against him" because they are "not difficult to prove." He said the question is whether Republicans who say they would not vote for him if he is found guilty will ultimately pull away.
"If in fact they do, it would make no difference. The numbers don't work for him. They don't work even right now. But they will work obviously even less if in fact the convictions come down," he said.
Despite Cohen's remarks, polls show a tight race in a potential rematch between Trump and Biden.
A Morning Consult poll conducted among 6,000 registered voters from July 28 to 30 showed Biden leading Trump by 3 percentage points, while an Insider Advantage poll conducted from July 31 to August 1 among 850 likely voters showed Biden leading by 1 percent. These polls had a margin of error of plus or minus 1 and 3.4 percentage points, respectively.
About the writer
Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more