Does an ex-lawyer have dangerous arrows in his quiver?

Donald Trump simply can not get rid of the case of Russia. And now, there is a potential threat of a new corner. What his ex-lawyer Michael Cohen knows – and could he unpack?

Donald Trump would like to direct his eyes on the buoyant US economy nowadays – a success that he sticks to his own flag. But there is Michael Cohen, his ex-lawyer. For months, Trump's former confidant remained largely silent after the police confiscated mountains of documents about his work for the prominent client as part of the investigations against him.

But in recent days, Cohen has become aggressive. started the president and the White House. And he plans to work with the investigators – which could at least give him a punitive punishment.

What does Cohen have in his hand?

However, with his recent actions, Cohen is not just distracted from what Trump likes to call his achievements. would spread. The question of what strategy he pursues, to where he wants or can go, becomes more and more pressing. Specifically, does Cohen have arrows in his quiver that could really hurt Trump in the end?

The conflict between the president and the lawyer who was with him for many years in the business has intensified last week. Cohen's new lawyer, Lanny Davis, first released a secret recording of a potentially explosive conversation: Cohen and Trump are talking about money for former playmate Karen McDougal shortly before the presidential election of 2016. She claims to have had an affair with Trump in 2006.

Just three days later, CNN airs a report that Cohen is ready to "unpack" in the investigation into the Russian case of Special Investigator Robert Mueller. After that, Trump should have been informed in advance of a sensitive meeting of his son Donald Jr. and a Russian lawyer in the summer of 2016. This meeting concerned any incriminating information about his rival then, Hillary Clinton. Among other things, Mueller studies whether there was a collaboration of the Trump camp with Russia on the electoral control.

Why is Cohen so aggressive?

Trump denied any prior knowledge of the meeting, again last Friday. "NO", no, he tweets in uppercase. He had "PAS" known from the meeting. CNN s is based on anonymous sources in the report. Cohen camp says it's not behind. In one way or another, it is said that Trump's ex-lawyer has no evidence, such as audio tapes, that confirms Trump's credibility. But the question of what Cohen knows and blames in terms of the Russian affair is now in the limelight

And legal experts are in agreement: Regarding the potential damage to Trump, Mueller's investigations are more dangerous than those that have been going on for months. Investigations conducted by the New York Public Prosecutor against Cohen. Among other things, this represents about 130,000 dollars (about 110,000 euros), which gave the lawyer before the choice of porn actress Stormy Daniels for their silence on an alleged prior sexual relationship with Trump . This payment may have violated the admissibility laws, and here again the question of possible knowledge of Trump plays a role. In Cohen 's environment, it is said that the lawyer has not yet decided on a collaboration with the prosecutor.

Overall, however, this raises the mystery that Cohen has gone so aggressively to the public. Most people with similar legal problems communicate directly with the investigating authorities and not through the media, explains Robert Mintz, a former prosecutor. Cohen could cut himself in his own flesh if he really wanted to cooperate. "Prosecutors prefer to quietly negotiate cooperation agreements because they want to save the impact of any valuable testimony and information from a cooperating witness to a process," Mintz says.

Again, new questions

from other experts give considering also that Cohen might be late, he would like to work with Mueller's team. Because his investigations have been going on for more than a year, then the question arises as to whether Cohen would have to offer information that has not been dug up long ago by the investigators themselves. Anyone who wants to buy impunity or mitigation through cooperation usually has a better chance of acting early.

Another point: Cohen himself did not publicly say anything about Trump's meeting with the Russians. If he mentioned in his testimony at a hearing of the House of Representatives on the case of Russia, this certainly does not figure in the detailed final report of the group on its own investigations. Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, exploited this: he called Friday Cohen "an incredible liar who has a huge lie motive, because he has nothing to offer."

Trump himself also had Playmate McDougal repeatedly expressing anger and disgust at what Cohen calls lecherous betrayal. "It looks like someone is inventing stories to get out of business in a very different context (…)" Trump tweeted on Friday.

Cohen Davis' lawyer provided a new surprise. He told the AP news agency that he was now "totally forbidden to talk to the media". Which, of course, raises new questions.

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