On the latest episode of his Mea Culpa podcast, Michael Cohen said former President Donald Trump could soon face a fifth set of felony charges.
Cohen, Trump's former "fixer," opened the podcast by citing the recent report by The Detroit News, which released excerpts of a November 17, 2020, call by Trump and Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel pressuring two canvassers in Michigan into not certifying the 2020 election results.
About the call, Cohen said: "It's not a surprise, but it's a win, and I'll take it. Once again, Donald Trump has been caught red-handed committing election fraud."
During the conversation, Trump told the canvassers they would look "terrible" if they certified Michigan as a win for Joe Biden. The then-president added: "We've got to fight for our country. We can't let these people take our country away from us."
McDaniel told the canvassers not to sign Wayne County's official statement of votes that day, commenting: "If you can go home tonight, do not sign it....We will get you attorneys."
Biden won Michigan, a key swing state, by about 150,000 votes.
"To this very day, they're still pushing the 'Big Lie.' Nonetheless, Trump might be looking at a fifth set of felony charges," Cohen said on his podcast.
He added that McDaniel could potentially face a bribery charge for her phone calls.
Trump faces four criminal indictments, including two that stem from alleged 2020 election interference. The federal indictment and the indictment in Georgia reference actions in Michigan and other states.
When reached by Newsweek via email, Cohen said he believes there are parallels between Trump's call to the Michigan canvassers and the one to Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
"Donald's actions in Michigan mirror his 'perfect call' with Raffensperger. To the same extent that Donald has been indicted for that behavior, I suspect the same will be forthcoming from Michigan," Cohen said. "Each of the four indictments have the potential and probability of costing Donald his freedom. The only deciding factor is which of the four cases proceeds first."
Cohen isn't alone in his prediction about future charges in Michigan. One attorney recently said the Michigan calls presented "perfect evidence" against the former president.
The claim was made by attorney Joe Gallina, an activist with the pro-Democratic campaign group Call to Activism, who said the recordings showed "the great lengths Donald Trump went to try to overturn the election.
"Now here's why this is so significant because there is nothing, and as an attorney, I'm telling you, there is nothing more persuasive than a defendant himself being recorded committing a crime. There is nothing more persuasive in the eyes of the law."
In a recent statement to Newsweek, a Trump campaign spokesperson said: "All of President Trump's actions were taken in furtherance of his duty as President of the United States to faithfully take care of the laws and ensure election integrity, including investigating the rigged and stolen 2020 Presidential Election.
"President Trump and the American people have the Constitutional right to free and fair elections. Crooked Joe Biden and the Democrats are spinning their wheels in the face of devastating polling numbers and desperately leaking misleading information to interfere in the election."
In July, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced felony charges against 16 Republicans "for their role in the alleged false electors' scheme," accusing them of submitting false certificates that portrayed them as legitimate electors in the 2020 election.
The first major hearings against six of the 16 were held on December 14. According to USA Today, the hearings are expected to continue into January.
Despite facing 91 criminal charges across four indictments, Trump remains the front-runner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
"I remain shocked on a daily basis that more Americans haven't defected already, as the country gets more tired of the rhetoric, chaos and divisiveness Donald sows," Cohen said via email.
Update 12/25/23, 6:44 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to add comments from Michael Cohen.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Gabe Whisnant is Deputy Weekend Editor at Newsweek based in South Carolina. Prior to joining Newsweek in 2023, he directed ... Read more
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