Michael Cohen: Trump Moscow

Michael Cohen Money Quote saying during congressional testimony on February 27 that President Trump lied about involvement in the Russian real estate plans so he could proceed once he lost the election. PR was the only goal. Michael Cohen said:
 

 

“Mr. Trump knew of and directed the Trump Moscow negotiations throughout the campaign and lied about it. He lied about it because he never expected to win the election. He also lied about it because he stood to make hundreds of millions of dollars on the Moscow real estate project” — Michael Cohen

In this quote, Michael Cohen is making two key claims about Donald Trump’s involvement in efforts to build a Trump Tower in Moscow during the 2016 presidential campaign:

1. Cohen states that Trump was aware of and personally directed the negotiations over the Moscow project throughout the campaign period, despite Trump denying being involved.
2. Cohen asserts that Trump lied publicly about these negotiations because he never actually expected to win the election, so the potential deal posed no conflict of interest. Cohen also suggests Trump lied because he stood to make hundreds of millions of dollars personally from the project if successful.

In summary, Cohen is directly accusing Trump of being dishonest about the extent and nature of his company’s pursuit of business interests in Russia during the campaign, claiming Trump misled the public because he didn’t consider the Moscow project a real risk since he didn’t believe he would win the presidency.

Michael Cohen: Millions Tax Refund

Michael Cohen Money Quote saying during congressional testimony on February 27 that President Trump told him in 2008 that the government was stupid for refunding him $10 Million on his taxes. Michael Cohen said:
 

 

“When telling me in 2008 that he was cutting employees’ salaries in half – including mine – he showed me what he claimed was a $10 million IRS tax refund, and he said that he could not believe how stupid the government was for giving “someone like him” that much money back” — Michael Cohen

In this quote, Michael Cohen is describing an interaction he had with Donald Trump in 2008. Some key points:

• Trump was cutting the salaries of his employees, including Cohen’s, in half due to financial difficulties at the time.
• Trump then showed Cohen what Trump claimed was a $10 million tax refund he had received from the IRS.
• Trump expressed disbelief and contempt and called the government “stupid” for giving “someone like him” such a large tax refund.
• This implies Trump felt he did not deserve the refund or that it was too generous, even as he was reducing his employees’ pay.

Cohen’s anecdote portrays Trump as a boss who was willing to cut his workers’ salaries deeply but also critical of and benefited greatly from tax policies that returned millions to him personally at the same time. It provides Cohen’s perspective on Trump’s attitude toward his own wealth versus that of his employees during a challenging economic period.

Michael Cohen: Inflated Assets

Michael Cohen Money Quote saying during his congressional testimony on February 27 that President Trump claimed greater wealth when it suited his purpose and lesser wealth when it saved him on taxes. Michael Cohen said:
 

 

“Mr. Trump inflated his total assets when it served his purposes, such as trying to be listed among the wealthiest people in Forbes, and deflated his assets to reduce his real estate taxes” — Michael Cohen

In this quote, Michael Cohen is accusing Donald Trump of strategically and deliberately misrepresenting his true net worth and assets depending on the situation. Some key points:

• Cohen states that Trump would inflate or exaggerate the total value of his assets/wealth when it served a purpose like trying to be ranked on the Forbes list of richest people.
• However, Cohen claims that in other cases like when paying real estate taxes, Trump would do the opposite and downplay the value of his assets/net worth to reduce his tax liability.
• In essence, Cohen is asserting that Trump was not honest and would adjust his estimates of his wealth higher or lower based on whether overstating or understating values was more personally advantageous at that particular time.

So in summary, Cohen accuses Trump of being purposely deceptive and flexible with the truth about his financial situation and worth depending on what provided maximum benefit in each scenario, rather than providing accurate assessments consistently.