Michael Cohen wouldn’t accept a pardon from “corrupt” Trump, his lawyer says

Michael Cohen’s guilty plea in a US federal court includes a detailed explanation of how Donald Trump directed him to break campaign finance laws, as well as the complicated way Cohen helped stifle allegations Trump had affairs before the 2016 election.

The next obvious question in DC political circles is: Will Trump try to pardon Cohen, who worked as Trump’s personal lawyer, and with the Trump Organization for more than a decade? US senators are already warning him not to do it.

And it doesn’t matter if he does, said Lanny Davis, Cohen’s lawyer.

“Not only is he not hoping for it, he would not accept a pardon,” Davis said on NBC’s Today show this morning (Aug. 22). “He considers a pardon from someone who has acted so corruptly as president to be something he would never accept.”

Davis’s statement indicates a high level of confidence that his client won’t ultimately face a long sentence. ”Lanny Davis is either the most ridiculous person on the planet, or he’s sure that Michael Cohen is going to do enough to cooperate that the government is going to give him a pass,” a veteran criminal defense lawyer told Quartz.

Trump was uncharacteristically quiet on Twitter after Cohen’s plea deal became public yesterday. After Davis’s appearance this morning, he found a moment to insult Cohen directly: