Michael Cohen says Trump "can't be trusted" in new ad
25 August 2020
PAC American Bridge 21st Century released an ad Monday featuring President Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen ahead of the Republican National Convention in which he says Trump "can't be trusted."
Why it matters: Cohen was part of Trump's inner circle for years, calling himself a "fixer" for the president. He is now telling Americans to not vote for Trump in the fall. Other Republicans have come out campaigning against Trump, including former Ohio Gov. John Kasich and former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
The people who know Donald Trump best are sounding the alarm: our country cannot survive four more years of a Trump presidency.
— American Bridge 21st Century (@American_Bridge) August 24, 2020
In our latest ad, a former member of his inner circle & "fixer" — @MichaelCohen212 — has a dire warning for us all. #RNC2020pic.twitter.com/suPUODOdwz
- The ad was paid for by the PAC and is set to air during the RNC.
What he's saying: "Later this week, [Trump] is going to stand up and blatantly lie to you. I'm here to tell you he can't be trusted and you shouldn't believe a word he utters," Cohen said. "So when you watch the president this week, remember this: if he says something is huge, it's probably small. If he says something will work, it probably won't. And if he says he cares about you and your family, he certainly does not.
- "He is going to tell you if you elect him, the economy will bounce back. that only he can get us out of this economic crisis. Maybe for those like him. But if you think he cares about working-class Americans, you're dead wrong."
"The president is going to talk to you about law and order. That's laughable. Virtually everyone who worked for his campaign has been convicted of a crime or is under indictment. Myself included."
"So when the president gets in front of the cameras this week, remember that he thinks we are all gullible, a bunch of fools. I was a part of it and I fell for it. You don't have to like me, but please listen to me."
Of note: Cohen was sentenced in a New York federal court in 2018 to three years in prison on Wednesday on charges involving campaign finance violations, tax evasion and lying to Congress.
- He was released to home confinement in July after a federal judge ruled that the Justice Department retaliated against him over his planned tell-all book about the president.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.