Cohen’s lawyer on Trump Tower meeting: Cohen was ‘present at a discussion with’ Trump and Trump Jr.
Unlike Giuliani’s phoney-baloney “perjury traps,” this one really is a trap for Trump. You see, he has already denied that this meeting took place. If he had never said anything, he could claim that Cohen was acting as his lawyer during that time and therefore any of their discussions were protected by attorney-client privilege. But the only way he can claim attorney-client privilege is by admitting that there really was a meeting between the attorney and his client. Since he has denied that, his only remaining recourse is to claim that Cohen is lying about the very existence of the meeting.
Which, given that it’s Cohen, he may well be.
Hey, I’m no fan of the President, but I’m guessing that on Cohen’s page on classmates.com, his school chums did not choose “honesty” and “candor” among the qualities they remember him for.
(SIDEBAR: It is my understanding that conversations between attorneys and clients would not be privileged if the two conspired to commit a criminal act, as Cohen claims in this instance. )
I’m sure Trump’s yearbook called him the second George Washington for his honesty. I’ll believe Cohen before Trump, thank you very much.