Ex-lawyer reveals Trump's tax fraud, back channel to Vladimir Putin

LONDON: Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen has released a teaser of his tell-all book, in which he claims of helping the US President commit tax fraud and create a backchannel to Russia's Vladimir Putin, it was reported on Friday.

"I know where the skeletons are buried because I was the one who buried them," the Metro newspaper quoted an excerpt from Cohen's book, titled "Disloyal: A Memoir. The true story of the former personal attorney to President Donald J. Trump".

"In some ways, I knew him better than even his family did because I bore witness to the real man, in strip clubs, shady business meetings, and in the unguarded moments when he revealed who he really was: a cheat, a liar, a fraud, a bully, a racist, a predator, a con man."

Cohen, who is serving a three-year sentence for multiple crimes including lying to Congress, admitted to being a "demented follower" who acted as Trump's bully, fixer and a designated thug.

"I stiffed contractors on his behalf, ripped off his business partners, lied to his wife Melania to hide his sexual infidelities, and bullied and screamed at anyone who threatened Trump's path to power," the excerpt said.

"From golden showers in a sex club in Vegas to tax fraud, to deals with corrupt officials from the former Soviet Union, to catch and kill conspiracies to silence Trump's clandestine lovers, I wasn't just a witness to the President's rise—I was an active and eager participant."

Cohen also addressed the investigation by former special counsel Robert Mueller into Russia's interference in the 2016 election and his role on the Trump Tower Moscow project, the Metro newspaper reported.

When Cohen pleaded guilty, he admitted that he lied when he told Congress that the discussions about the project ended before Trump's campaign began in earnest.

In truth, he said, they continued well into the 2016 campaign. In his book, he claims Trump "cheated"' in the election with 'Russian connivance', though he does not say how.

He says Trump tried to "insinuate" himself into Putin's world and his "coterie of corrupt billionaire oligarchs".

In a court filing, Cohen also said that the book will provide "graphic and unflattering details about the President's behaviour behind closed doors".

He said the book will be based on personal anecdotes and "documentary evidence". (IANS) 

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