Michael Cohen's lawyer sent this memo days ahead of the SDNY's shakedown: new book
Michael Cohen's lawyer Guy Petrillo penned a letter to Deputy U.S. Attorney Robert Khuzami that is featured at the end of Cohen's new book, asking for a meeting to discuss the Cohen case and the grand jury.
The book, Revenge: How Donald Trump Weaponized the US Department of Justice Against His Criticswalks through what Cohen describes as the dogged way in which Donald Trump used the government to make his life miserable, attack him, threaten his family and ultimately land him in prison for a number of crimes Cohen explains he never committed.
Petrillo is a beloved former member of the SDNY, former federal prosecutor Preet Bharara said on Twitter when he took up Cohen's case in 2018.
His letter says that on Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2018, they were "told by the Assistants assigned to the case that the Office would only accept a meeting on or before Friday of this week, and in substance that we should already know what the charges will be based on the public nature of the investigation."
Despite all of the court documents in the case, Petrillo said that they had no idea, and none of the documents "manifestly announce the charge(s) the Office is actually prepared to seek."
His example was that the search warrant specifics talk about financial institutions and loans, but "no financial institution that has dealt with Mr. Cohen has lost any money as a result."
Cohen's lawyer explained that his client already came in for a full day of interviews by the Office of the Special Counsel and was happy to continue cooperating.
"In the circumstances, and so that we, as counsel, may consider options including available alternatives to indictment, we request a confidential explanation of the charge(s) to be sought from the grand jury, and an opportunity, on a short but reasonable schedule, to discuss the same with the Office," wrote Petrillo.
So, from Tuesday, Aug. 14 until Friday, Aug. 17, Cohen and his lawyers were somehow supposed to guess what the DOJ was going to charge him with. On Friday, Aug. 17, Cohen was told he had 48 hours to plead guilty or they were filing a 58-page indictment that would include Cohen and his family. By Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2018, the Justice Department published a press release announcing the guilty plea in Manhattan Federal Court on eight counts of tax evasion and campaign finance fraud.
As evidenced by Donald Trump's many legal problems, or the Jan. 6 attackers, prosecutions, court appearances, and court pleas don't generally happen that quickly.
Cohen's book claims that there was some serious impropriety happening in the Southern District of New York under the leadership of US District Attorney Geoffrey Berman.
"I don’t suspect our founding fathers ever foresaw this kind of 'justice,'" wrote Cohen.
"On 'plea day,' I was fully prepared, as I was a well-rehearsed actor, knew my lines well, and had the script laid in front of me to ensure full compliance to their demands," he continued. "I was so angry that, while reading this letter of lies, I actually bit my inner cheek, causing blood to fill my mouth. As I stumbled through my reading, I was queasy—not from the blood, but from being helpless, and powerless, against a corrupt system. Despite Judge Pauley’s extensive legal background and knowledge of the process, he nevertheless ignored the facts completely. He just moved on."
IN OTHER NEWS: Michael Cohen claims Trump took Stormy Daniels' hush-money payment as a tax deduction
Cohen said he ultimately went to jail for paying off Donald Trump's mistress. "The irony here is I’m actually the one who got screwed."
Cohen's book is on sale now and Raw Story will feature full coverage.
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