Flashback: Rudy Giuliani Told ABC a Cohen Pardon ‘Would Just Confuse Everything’

Donald Trump claims his ex-lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen asked for a presidential pardon amid his legal trouble. But last June, the president’s current attorney, Rudy Giuliani, said he advised his client against such a pardon.

“I have advised the president, which he understands: no discussion of pardons,” Giuliani said on ABC News on July 8, 2018 — days after it was revealed Cohen would cooperate with federal prosecutors. “But he seemed not to rule out that the president might change his mind.”

“You can’t abridge your power to do it. That’s something you can decide down the road, one way or the other,” he added.

But Giuliani wasn’t totally opposed to the idea of letting Cohen off the hook, as he suggested it was a possibility after noting it “wouldn’t be fair to — to the president, wouldn’t be fair to Cohen, wouldn’t be fair to future presidents” to totally rule out a pardon.

“But the fact is there’s no reason for a pardon right now,” he continued. “Quite honestly, it would just confuse everything.”

As for the president’s comments now, ever since Cohen’s second testimony before Congress — during which he lobbed numerous accusations at Trump, from racism to criminal involvement in the 2016 hush money payments — Trump repeatedly suggested his ex-lawyer begged for a pardon.

“Bad lawyer and fraudster Michael Cohen said under sworn testimony that he never asked for a Pardon. His lawyers totally contradicted him,” Trump tweeted today. “He lied! Additionally, he directly asked me for a pardon. I said NO. He lied again! He also badly wanted to work at the White House. He lied!”

Bad lawyer and fraudster Michael Cohen said under sworn testimony that he never asked for a Pardon. His lawyers totally contradicted him. He lied! Additionally, he directly asked me for a pardon. I said NO. He lied again! He also badly wanted to work at the White House. He lied!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 8, 2019

Cohen replied by denying the claims and calling his old boss a liar.

Just another set of lies by @POTUS @realdonaldtrump. Mr. President…let me remind you that today is #InternationalWomensDay. You may want use today to apologize for your own #lies and #DirtyDeeds to women like Karen McDougal and Stephanie Clifford.

— Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) March 8, 2019

Watch the 2018 clip above, via ABC.

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