WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A day after Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison for a variety of crimes, President Donald Trump claimed in a post on Twitter on Thursday that he never directed his longtime personal lawyer to break the law.
'I never directed Michael Cohen to break the law,' Trump tweeted. 'He was a lawyer and he is supposed to know the law. It is called 'advice of counsel,' and a lawyer has great liability if a mistake is made. That is why they get paid.'
Cohen pleaded guilty to several crimes, including violating campaign finance laws by making 'hush money' payments to silence two women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump.
Recent court filings by federal prosecutors stated Trump directed Cohen to pay off the two women just weeks before the 2016 election.
Suggesting Cohen was not guilty of campaign finance violations, Trump claimed his former lawyer only agreed to plead guilty to the charges to 'embarrass the president and get a much reduced prison sentence.'
Cohen took full responsibility for his actions ahead of his sentencing, claiming he felt it was his duty to cover up Trump's 'dirty deeds.'
Despite being sentenced to prison, Cohen argued he was being freed from the 'personal and mental incarceration' he has lived in since accepting an offer to work for Trump.
Federal prosecutors had recommended Cohen serve a 'substantial' prison sentence of 51 to 63 months despite his cooperation with special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.
In a subsequent post to Twitter, Trump claimed former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn got a 'great deal' from Mueller because of the 'way he was treated.'
'They gave General Flynn a great deal because they were embarrassed by the way he was treated - the FBI said he didn't lie and they overrode the FBI,' Trump tweeted.
He added, 'They want to scare everybody into making up stories that are not true by catching them in the smallest of misstatements. Sad!'
Flynn has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia, but Mueller recommended no prison time for the retired Army lieutenant general due to his 'substantial assistance' in the investigation.
(Photo: Michael Vadon)
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