President Trump insisted on Friday evening that a sentencing memo filed by federal prosecutors in New York for his former personal attorney Michael Cohen “totally clears” him of wrongdoing. “Totally clears the President. Thank you!” Trump wrote shortly after the memo was filed. But the filing directly implicates Trump in Cohen’s hush-money payments to Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels, who alleged they’d had affairs with the president. “In particular, and as Cohen himself has now admitted, with respect to both payments, he acted in coordination with and at the direction of Individual-1,” the memo reads. Trump has been identified as “Individual-1.” In addition, a breach determination memo filed by special counsel Robert Mueller also mentions Trump, alleging that Cohen spoke to a Russian national who “proposed a meeting” between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The individual allegedly promised Cohen “political synergy” and “synergy on a government level” between the Trump campaign and Russia.
Later, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the Cohen filings had “nothing of value that wasn't already known.” Sanders continued, saying Cohen “repeatedly lied” and was “no hero.” She also addressed a breach determination memo filed by Mueller against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and wrote it “says absolutely nothing about the President.” Rather, she claimed the memo said “even less about collusion“ and was entirely devoted to “lobbying-related issues.” Mueller alleged in the Friday memo that Manafort kept in touch with the Trump administration after he signed his plea deal and lied about it.
