Thread by @twoodiac

tinyurl.com/y8mg4dwk

1/ There is nothing in today’s VF piece by Emily Jane Fox about #MichaelCohen’s motives in holding the interview that couldn’t have been predicted, but it should help to dispel some of the confusion and errors that have been circulating today on Twitter.

2/ According to Vanity Fair, Cohen had been contemplating holding such an interview as part of a media cum legal strategy for MONTHS. Normally such interviews are planned by media savvy attorneys well in advance, but this one was precipitated

3/ by concerns that Trump and his defenders would act to damage Cohen’s cred as a witness before *he* had had a chance to shape the narrative.

4/ VF emphasizes that Cohen did have the advice of his new criminal defense attorney Guy Petrillo, not only to hold the interview, but about the details. (According to Fox, Petrillo didn’t want any *theatrics,* so the interview was only audiotaped instead of videotaped.)

5/ So much for the claim made by .@SethAbramson in a thread that has received a lot of attention today. Abramson has made the astonishing claim that “no criminal defense attorney would let Michael Cohen give the interview he gave today”

6/ WTF? Guy Petrillo is the former head of the criminal division of the US attorney’s office in SDNY--the very office that is currently investigating Cohen. He is also an experienced trial lawyer.

Is .@SethAbramson claiming that Petrillo is an incompetent defense attorney?

7/ Abramson’s thread is all the more puzzling because SA himself gives a compelling reason why Cohen would try to refurbish his image now: i.e., that he will not have the same freedom of action once he becomes a cooperating witness.

8/ Nor is it surprising that Cohen tried in the interview to exculpate himself. Every target and potential defendant in Cohen’s position does THAT.

9/ Cohen is up to his eyeballs in deep sh*t, and there’s no reason to think that his desire to refurbish his image will be successful. But it certainly isn’t surprising that he is trying (with the advice and likely encouragement of Petrillo) to do just that.

10/ There have been no contacts between Cohen and the feds yet. As I’ve argued in a previous thread, the feds (and Mueller) will not be interested in talking to Cohen until they have had a chance to thoroughly review all the materials collected in the raids.

11/ As we have learned from all those who have reported on their own interviews with Team Trump (e.g., Nunberg, Caputo), the Team does not hold interviews to learn anything. When they interview someone, they already KNOW the answers.

12/ When Mueller and the feds are ready, they will call Cohen and Petrillo, not the other way around. All we learned today is that Cohen and Petrillo have sent a clear signal that they are waiting for the call. #michaelcohen #mueller

13/ There can be no doubt that Cohen is flipping. This is terrible news for Trump.

14/ Quite uncharacteristically, Trump was completely silent today about Cohen--no doubt on the advice of his attorneys. This must be very hard on Trump, who will want to reassure his base. But that is no longer possible. Sad!