One of President Trump’s former attorneys predicted Thursday that Michael Cohen may flip and begin cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation against Trump over his fears of being sentenced to prison.
Jay Goldberg, who told the president not to trust Cohen during a phone call last Friday, told CNN in an interview that Cohen’s character would not stand up to threats of imprisonment.
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Goldberg sees Cohen “as someone not suited to stand up to the rigors of jail life,” he told CNN’s Erin Burnett.
“You think he’s of weak character?” Burnett responded.
“I do,” he added. “Prison has a racial overtone … and someone like Michael doesn’t see himself walking down Broadway while people are clamoring, ‘you’re going to be my wife.’ “
“A witness in Michael’s position is able to glean what it would take to get a letter of cooperation from the government,” he added. “And thereby avoid a lengthy prison term.”
Goldberg represented Trump during his divorce proceedings from both Ivana Trump and Marla Maples. During a phone call with the president last Friday, in which Trump reportedly asked for advice on the Mueller investigation, Goldberg says he told Trump that Cohen would not protect him under duress.
“Michael will never stand up [for you],” Goldberg said he told Trump.
Cohen was revealed to be under criminal investigation last week after FBI agents conducted a raid on his home and offices. The president and his allies responded to the raid calling it a “disgrace” and a violation of attorney-client privilege.
Earlier this week a federal judge blocked an attempt by Cohen and Trump to stop prosecutors from reviewing the materials that the FBI seized during the raid, instead allowing a “taint team” to view the materials before they are provided to prosecutors.