Trump Claims Michael Cohen ‘Manuscript’ That Doesn’t Exist Was ‘Just Released’

On Saturday, President Donald Trump insisted on Twitter that a manuscript by Michael Cohen was “just released.”

He also suggested that the same manuscript would show Cohen’s “testimony was a total lie.”

“Virtually everything failed lawyer Michael Cohen said in his sworn testimony last week is totally contradicted in his just released manuscript for a book about me,” Trump tweeted out. “It’s a total new love letter to ‘Trump’ and the pols must now use it rather than his lies for sentence reduction!”

He followed up: “The brand new manuscript for a new book by failed lawyer Michael Cohen shows his testimony was a total lie! Pundits should only use it.”

Yet, here’s the rub. It seems the manuscript that Trump wants politicians and pundits to believe over Cohen’s testimony may not even exist and certainly was not just released.

Politico reported on Friday, when Trump first started talking about the manuscript that Cohen’s lawyer denied there was a manuscript.

“Sometime in early 2018, Mr. Cohen was offered a substantial advance for a proposal regarding a book on understanding Donald Trump. Mr. Cohen ultimately elected not to proceed,” Politico quotes Lanny Davis as saying. “In other words, POTUS has yet lied again … but what’s the difference between 9,000 or 9,001 lies?”

It also appears that while Cohen did shop around a manuscript, a book does not seem to be in the works and is not clear if a manuscript — in any form — was ever submitted.

[image via screengrab]