David Schwartz, the attorney for Michael Cohen, told CNN Wednesday night that President Donald Trump did not know about the hush agreement Cohen pushed Stormy Daniels to sign in October 2016.
“The President was not aware of the agreement — at least Michael Cohen never told him about the agreement. I can tell you that,” Schwartz told CNN’s Erin Burnett, adding later that Trump was also unaware of Cohen’s $130,000 payment to Daniels.
Daniels filed a lawsuit against Trump and the company set up by his longtime attorney Cohen to pay her for her silence on her alleged affair with Trump. She argues that Trump never signed the agreement, making it invalid. However, Cohen has argued that Trump did not need to sign the agreement.
Watch Schwartz’s comment via CNN:
Here is Michael Cohen’s lawyer and spokesman saying categorically that Cohen negotiated agreement w/o ever telling his client DJT anything abt it and made him a party to the agreement w/o any intention of telling him abt it or having him sign it. @MichaelAvenatti @renato_mariotti pic.twitter.com/xqNLvcx1uX
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) March 29, 2018
So let me get this straight: Trump wasn’t aware of the agreement, even though he (under a threadbare alias) was a party to it? And the agreement provides that it will become effective only when signed by all parties? Is that your story for today?
Ok, IANAL, but, 1. I don’t think anybody believes this and 2. Can you do that? Negotiate an agreement on behalf of your client, but not actually inform your client?
Trump really doesn’t hire very good people, does he?
“She’d be running the VA right now if she had played her cards right,” he added.
No lawyer here, obviously. Would one weigh in please? I seem to remember commentary somewhere that it’s either illegal or against ABA canons for a lawyer to disburse money to someone on behalf of their client without their client’s knowledge or permission. Is that true?
So Cohen is out of 130K plus substantial legal fess, plus whatever he settles with Stormy. So much for the hot shot “fixer”.