Michael Cohen, former personal attorney to Donald Trump, said time is running out for the 18 other defendants charged with the former president in the Georgia election interference case to cooperate and cut a deal with prosecutors.
“My recommendation for them would be ‘speak now,’ because as soon as the guy next to you, or the woman next to you, starts speaking and spilling the beans, your information is not as important, it’s not as significant,” he told CNN’s Abby Phillip. “So the person really who starts to speak first is the one that will get the benefit.”
Cohen said they should look to events in Washington as a warning, where Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was given 22 years for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, and another last week was sentenced to 17 years.
“These are real sentences,” Cohen said, noting that it could essentially mean life behind bars for some of the former president’s co-defendants.
Cohen said Trump will have no problem selling out any of his co-defendants in order to protect himself.
“He pointed the finger at his own son Eric, throwing Eric under the bus,” Cohen said, referring to a deposition in different case in New York. “If Eric can be thrown under the bus by Donald, what do you think Donald will do with someone like Mark Meadows or somebody like Rudy Giuliani? Or Sidney Powell or any of the other co-defendants? Donald doesn’t care about anyone or anything other than himself.”
Cohen was Trump’s longtime fixer, but eventually turned on his former boss and cooperated with investigators. He pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations, lying to Congress and other charges ― all of which, he said, was done for Trump ― and was sentenced to three years in prison.
See the full conversation below: