U.S. Prosecutors Want Serious Jail Time For Ex-Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen. Special Counsel Documents On Paul Manafort Are Released

Daily Mail: Prosecutors demand Michael Cohen spend four to five YEARS in prison for trying to 'influence the election from the shadows' at the 'direction' of Trump - who insists report 'totally clears' him

* President's former lawyer should get 51-63 months, according to prosecutors, for a range of crimes including tax evasion and campaign finance violations
* Sentencing memo from New York prosecutor says Michael Cohen coordinated with the president to pay off two women so their stories of affairs were buried
* Says Cohen tried to 'influence the election from the shadows' and claims he didn't help Special Counsel Robert Mueller enough to justify leniency
* Mueller, though, spells out four ways Cohen was helpful and says a judge should sentence him to concurrent prison terms in two cases

A federal prosecutor told a judge on Friday that former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen should spend between 51 and 63 months in prison for a range of federal crimes including tax evasion and violating campaign finance laws.

He tried to 'influence the election from the shadows,' according to Robert Khuzami, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, by arranging payoffs to porn actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal in order to avoid October-surprise embarrassments for then-candidate Donald Trump.

Khuzami wrote that Trump was directly involved in the efforts. The president tweeted an hour after the document was filed in New York. that it '[t]otally clears the President. Thank you!'

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Aside from the revelation that a Russian contacted Michael Cohen offering ‘political synergy' .... there is nothing new from today's disclosures that we already know. As for Paul Manafort .... what the Special Counsel released tonight was heavily redacted, but we are told that he repeatedly lied to the Special Counsel. But both men .... by lying to investigators .... have broken the law. Serious jail time is what they deserve.

Update: Harvard Law Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz has provided IMHO the best analysis on today's Cohen-Manafort disclosures .... Dershowitz: Cohen's Harsh Sentencing Recommendation 'Doesn't Sound Like Good News for Mueller' (FOX News). Bottom line .... the case against President Trump is "weak". My prediction .... this case is far from over, and I do not see Robert Mueller ending anytime soon.

More News On Former Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen, And Special Counsel Documents On Paul Manafort Being Released

US: Trump lawyer met Russian who offered ‘political synergy -- AP
U.S. prosecutors name Trump in hush payments, detail Russian contacts -- Reuters
Feds recommend 'substantial term of imprisonment' for Michael Cohen, Trump's former fixer and attorney -- ABC News
Feds recommend ‘substantial’ prison time for ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen -- NYPost
Prosecutors Say Trump Directed Illegal Payments During Campaign -- NYT
Court filings present Trump as key figure in multiple federal investigations -- NBC
Mueller says Manafort told ‘discernible lies,’ including about contacts with employee alleged to have Russian intelligence ties -- Washington Post
Manafort Lied About Trump Administration Ties, Mueller Says -- Bloomberg
Top Takeaways: Prosecutors detail key pieces in Russia probe -- AP