Michael Cohen, the former Trump attorney who warned Congress two years ago that a transition of power would not be peaceful if President Donald Trump lost the election, said Friday he has agreed to cooperate with "multiple government agencies" on alleged wrongdoing by Trump and his family.
"I have been asked and have agreed to cooperate with multiple government agencies to provide testimony on the wrongdoing by #Trump and the #TrumpFamily," Cohen tweeted. "I am doing this in large part as #Trump and family have tried, and thankfully failed, to destroy America’s democracy."
Cohen didn't specify which agencies he was speaking to or about what potential crimes.
Trump has reportedly been talking to White House aides since the election about the possibility of pardoning himself and members of his family. But a presidential pardon covers federal crimes, not state crimes. And, it's not clear whether a self-pardon can survive legal muster because it's never been tried before.
Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 for lying to Congress and for campaign finance crimes related to his efforts to buy the silence of women who said they had sexual relationships with Trump. He was sentenced to three years in prison, but is spending the remainder of it on house arrest due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His release is set for November.
Trump is under significant fire this week following the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. After weeks of falsely claiming there was widespread fraud that cost him the election to President-elect Joe Biden, Trump encouraged loyalists at a rally to march on the Capitol where Congress was certifying the Electoral College tally. Five people were killed due to the riot.
Cohen testified to a House committee in 2019 that he feared Trump would not go quietly if he lost the election.
"Given my experience working for Mr. Trump, I fear that if he loses the election in 2020, there will never be a peaceful transition of power," Cohen said.