Michael Cohen told MSNBC host Joy Reid on Wednesday he expects former President Donald Trump will turn on his family
He said he believes Trump only cares for himself and as criminal investigations continue, he will turn the blame on others
His adult children, Eric and Don Jr. run the Trump Organization, which is now facing criminal investigations from both state and city prosecutors
They are looking into the Trump Organization's finances and are investigating CFO Allen Weisselberg's role in the organization and his personal finances
Michael Cohen said on Wednesday he expects former President Donald Trump to flip on his own family, as the Trump Organization faces a criminal probe and its CFO Allen Weisselberg is being investigated for tax fraud.
'I think Donald Trump is going to flip on all of them,' he told Joy Reid. 'What do you think about that? Including his children.'
He explained: 'I really believe that Donald Trump cares for only himself, and he realizes that his goose is cooked,' so when he will be asked about the Trump Organization's finances he will blame everyone else.
In an interview with The ReidOut host Joy Reid on Wednesday former Trump Organization Vice President Michael Cohen, right, said that he believes former President Donald Trump would turn on his family in the criminal investigations into the organization, visibly surprising Reid
'I think Donald Trump is going to flip on all of them,' he told Joy Reid. 'What do you think about that? Including his children'
The Trump Organization is run by Trump's adult children, Eric (left), and Don Jr. (right)
'It’s never Donald,' Cohen, the former vice president of the Trump Organization, said. 'See, this is the problem. It’s never, ever Donald Trump. It’s always somebody else.'
'It wasn’t Donald Trump who had the affair,' he continued. 'It wasn’t Donald Trump who directed me to make the payments to Stormy Daniels. It wasn’t Donald Trump who got the benefit of the relationship and the actions. It was Michael Cohen. And I’m the bad guy into it. Why? Because I didn’t take the fall.'
So, he said, when 'all of a sudden they turn around and start asking him about his tax returns or about the devaluation of the assets or the way that he took deductions,' he will say, ‘I don’t do my taxes. It’s my accountant.’
'He’s going to turn on his accountant and point the finger,' Cohen said, visibly surprising The ReidOut host. 'He’s going to say "Don Jr. handled that, Ivanka handled that. Melania. Don’t take me. Take Melania!"’
'He’s going to tell them to take everyone except for himself.'
Trump's organization is facing criminal investigations from both state and New York City prosecutors.
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The building where the chief financial officer of The Trump Organization Allen Weisselberg owns an apartment is seen on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, Wednesday, May 19, 2021
The State Attorney General's Office is also investigating Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg and his personal finances
THE INVESTIGATIONS INTO TRUMP ORGANIZATION
New York State AG Civil - 2019
NY State AG Letitia James launched a civil probe into the Trump Organization in 2019, after Michael Cohen - Trump's former attorney - testified at Congress.
At first, the focus was whether or not the charity inflated the value of its assets while seeking loans and insurance coverage.
James campaigned on the promise that she would investigate Trump and his family, which some experts say may impact how credible any charges may be because it undermines her impartiality.
Manhattan DA criminal - 2018
Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance launched his investigation in 2018.
He wanted specifically to focus on hush money payments given to Stormy Daniels by Michael Cohen during the 2016 election.
In court filings, his office has indicated he has widened the scope of his investigation to also include tax evasion and fraud.
NY State AG Criminal - 2020
It's unclear what James' office will focus their investigation on but they say they're joining Vance's.
The NYAG has a more limited remit when it comes to what she can bring charges for.
'Although NYAG is best known for its civil enforcement work, it also has criminal enforcement authority in a number of areas, including securities fraud and tax fraud, ' former prosecutor Harry Sandick explained to The Washington Post.
'In addition, they should be able to prosecute those who make false statements in the course of their investigations.'
Some have suggested that the announcement may just be a tactic to get others who are on the cusp of cooperating to agree to.
'The timing of the announcement may serve to heighten the pressure on persons who may be on the cusp of cooperating, and who now see more clearly that a unified demonstration of coordination, pooling of resources and resolve by the two prosecutor offices intensifies the criminal probe.'
The State Attorney General's Office is looking into Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg's personal finances, while prosecutors in the district attorney's office are investigating Weisselberg's role at the Trump Organization, his personal finances, and benefits he gave to his son Barry, a long-time employee at the Trump Organization.
Prosecutors are hoping to find leverage that could sway Weisselberg into cooperating with authorities, according to CNN, potentially raising the legal stakes for Trump and his family.
He has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but on Tuesday, the state district attorney's office's announced that it was joining the Manhattan DA's criminal investigation into the Trump Organization and has informed the company that its investigation is no longer solely civil in nature.
The Attorney General's Office, led by Cyrus Vance, has been investigating possible criminal tax fraud since 2018.
The organization is run by Weisselberg and two of Trump's adult children, Donald Jr. and Eric.
Michael Cohen meets with Manhattan DA about Donald Trump's case
Who's who in New York criminal probe into Trump
New York state has opened a criminal investigation into former US president Donald Trump (pictured November 2020)
A Democratic prosecutor nearing the end of his term, a loyal lieutenant of the Trump family and a lawyer determined to sink his former boss: AFP details some of the players in New York's criminal probe into Donald Trump.
Cyrus Vance
The 66-year-old Democrat has been Manhattan District Attorney since 2010. He was the first to launch a criminal investigation into the Republican ex-president.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance (pictured May 2020) has doggedly pursued Donald Trump, winning a years-long battle to obtain his tax records and deploying significant human and financial resources to the politically sensitive investigation
Vance, whose father was US Secretary of State under President Jimmy Carter, has sometimes been accused of a reluctance to prosecute the rich and powerful.
He delayed filing charges against disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein before securing a landmark conviction last year.
Vance has doggedly pursued Trump, though, first by winning a years-long battle to obtain his tax records and secondly by deploying significant human and financial resources to the politically sensitive investigation.
He has announced that he will not run for a fourth term when his current one expires in December, and many observers expect him to go out with a bang by filing what would be the first indictment against a former US president.
Letitia James
The Democrat became the first Black woman to become New York state attorney general in 2018.
Since then, the 62-year-old has forged a reputation as a combative and independent prosecutor, filing countless civil actions against large companies, particularly tech giants, and the National Rifle Association (NRA).
In addition to Donald Trump, Letitia James (pictured August 2020) is also investigating New York's governor, Andrew Cuomo, over sexual harassment allegations and his response to the coronavirus pandemic
When Trump was in the White House, James launched dozens of civil actions against his government.
She is also investigating New York's powerful Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo, over sexual harassment allegations and his response to the coronavirus pandemic.
James has been cited as a possible successor to Cuomo, particularly if her investigation forces him to resign.
Allen Weisselberg
The 73-year-old is the Trump Organization's long-serving chief financial officer and one of the family's most loyal servants.
He began as an accountant for Trump's father's company before joining the Trump Organization as financial controller in the 1980s when Donald established himself as a Manhattan real estate mogul.
Allen Weisselberg, pictured standing behind former president Donald Trump and his son Donald Jr. in January 2017, has served as the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization since the 1980s
Weisselberg has been around for all of Trump's entrepreneurial adventures, including when his Atlantic City casinos went bust.
According to Barbara Res, a former executive vice president at the Trump Organization, Weisselberg 'thought Trump was a god,' she told the Daily News.
Investigators believe Weisselberg knows all of the Trump family secrets and have been putting pressure on him for months to cooperate with their investigation.
Observers are closely watching whether Weisselberg will turn against his former boss.
Michael Cohen
Trump's ex-personal lawyer was sentenced to three years in prison in 2018 for tax evasion and violating campaign finance laws relating to Trump's 2016 vote win.
Cohen was one of Trump's closest henchmen for a decade, once proudly boasting that he was prepared to 'take a bullet' for the real estate mogul-turned-president.
Michael Cohen, pictured March 2021, openly rejoices in former boss Donald Trump's legal troubles on Twitter and through his podcast
He turned against his former boss, though, deciding to collaborate with federal investigators in Manhattan.
During a Congressional hearing in February 2019, Cohen alleged -- among other things -- that Trump regularly undervalued or overvalued his assets, both with banks and insurance companies.
Cohen openly rejoices in Trump's legal troubles on Twitter and through his podcast 'Mea Culpa.'
Source: AFP
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