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Early in the long lead-up to the 2016 presidential campaign, Michael Cohen, then the personal attorney and longtime fixer for Donald Trump, had an odd request of a small tech firm,according to theWall Street Journal.
“Women who love and support Michael Cohen. Strong, pit bull, sex symbol, no nonsense, business oriented, and ready to make a difference!” reads the profile of the account, which remained active as of Thursday.
That wasn’t all.
According to theWSJreport, Cohen hired the same company to try and rig online polling in Trump’s favor prior to Trump announcing his presidential run — once in 2014, for a poll of top business leaders, and again in 2015, in a survey of potential candidates.
The plan was to essentially use a computer program to enter numerous dummy votes online in Trump’s favor. (It wasn’t successful: Trump won neither poll.)
John Gauger, the owner of the firm Cohen hired, RedFinch Solutions, and who also works for Liberty University, told theWSJthat Cohen paid him $12,000-$13,000 in cash placed in a blue Walmart bag — but contended it was much less than the $50,000 he was promised for his work.
Cohen told theJournalhe always paid Gauger with a check, not cash. He did not comment further to the paper.
Cohen was subsequently reimbursed $50,000 from Trump’s company, though most of it was personal funds from Trump,WSJreports.
According to the paper, citing “people familiar with the matter,” Cohen did not tell the Trump Organization what he was being reimbursed for, specifically, and was not asked.
On Twitter Thursday,Cohen appeared to confirm the articleand wrote that he regretted his actions, which he said were done “at the direction of and for the sole benefit of” the president.
Trump has not responded to this claim but has previously lambasted his former lawyer as “weak,” among other criticism. Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City and Trump’s new attorney, called Cohen’s statement “bulls—,” according toWSJ.
Giuliani has attested to Cohen’s honesty before but, after Cohen flipped on Trump,labeled him “a proven liar.”
TheWSJreport this week is the latest example of Cohen’s years of intense loyalty and sometimes shady dealings while in Trump’s employ.
It also illustrates this possible irony: that a Trump employee was involved in manipulating polls and social media while his boss was repeatedly denouncing “fake polls” and “fake news.”
The Trump Organization did not respond to a request for comment and declined to comment toWSJ.
Gauger’s lawyer, Charles E. James Jr., also declined to answer questions from PEOPLE or make Gauger available for an interview. Cohen’s attorney did not return a request for comment.
It was created to praise Cohen’s “looks and character, and promoted his appearances and statements boosting Mr. Trump’s candidacy,” theJournalreports.
One the account’s first entries describes Cohen as a “great looking guy! Always dressed to impress” along with a photo of him and Trump booster Sean Hannity.
Others note his character. A May 9, 2016, entry states what a “great guy” he is, one “who stands for honesty, integrity, and greatness!”
In December, Cohen wassentenced to 36 monthsin federal prison for crimes including tax evasion and illegal “hush money” he paid during the 2016 presidential election to buy the silence of adult film star Stormy Daniels and formerPlayboyplaymate Karen McDougal — whom both claim they had affairs with Trump, which the president denies. Cohen said the money was paid on Trump’s orders.
Cohen isexpected to testifybefore Congress on Feb. 7.According to CNN, he will talk about the hush money payments as well as Trump and his children.
A federal judge ordered him to report to prison the following month.
source: people.com
