Michael Cohen Apologies To Melania For Lying About Stormy Daniels
On February 27, President Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, provided his testimony before Congress. Cohen was Trump’s longtime attorney, working to protect and guide Trump from 2006 until charges were brought against Cohen in May of 2018. The special counsel investigation had been underway for about a year at that point, and it was that investigation that resulted in Cohen’s guilty plea for committing eight counts of bank fraud, tax fraud, and campaign finance infringements. Cohen claims to have broken laws under Trump’s guidance, including violating campaign finance regulations to help Trump win the election.
However, perhaps the most interesting revelation in Cohen’s Congressional testimony was the remorse he feels about lying to first lady Melania Trump. Cohen kept the truth from Melania about her husband’s alleged affair with Stormy Daniels.
“Mr. Trump is a conman. He asked me to pay off an adult film star with whom he had an affair, and to lie to his wife about it, which I did. Lying to the First Lady is one of my biggest regrets. She is a kind, good person. I respect her greatly – and she did not deserve that,” Cohen said, according to Hollywood Life.
While Cohen’s apology toward Melania was certainly something she deserved to hear, the Stormy Daniels dalliance may now become a larger problem for Trump. The affair may prove that Trump broke the law while he was president, according to The Washington Post. Cohen claims Trump did pay Daniels off to keep her quiet while Trump was already in office. Cohen also states Daniels was paid $35,000 in 11 installments using Trump’s campaign money. Cohen himself paid for the first installment. Trump later reimbursed Cohen with a check written in August of 2017, which Cohen plans to share with Congress as evidence.
President Trump takes aim Michael Cohen in new tweetstorm https://t.co/rv9e9OtFBW pic.twitter.com/QHxd1YD8RB
— The Hill (@thehill) March 2, 2019
Melania’s response after learning about the affair was a potent, depressing mixture of humiliation and extreme disillusionment. Also, the timing of Trump’s affair with Daniels created even more distress for the first lady. In July, 2006, when Daniels claims the affair with Trump began, Melania was pregnant with Barron Trump, who is now 12-years-old.
Cohen admitted to the wrongdoing he committed while he was Trump’s attorney and takes blame for his crimes. While he states he broke the law because of Trump’s insistence, he knows he had the opportunity to make better choices. However, it surprised many to hear that his deepest regret was covering up the Daniels affair and deceiving Melania.
Following Cohen’s testimony, many people have taken time on Twitter to shoot down the idea that Melania is as kind a person as Cohen claims. However, for whatever reason, Cohen felt the need to deliver a very public apology to Melania as part of his testimony.
