Michael Cohen Reportedly Threatened CNBC After His Attempt to Rig Poll in Trump’s Favor Failed
Michael Cohen called CNBC to threaten legal action after his attempt to rig an online poll in Donald Trump‘s favor failed, according to a new report.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Cohen called CNBC in 2014 and threatened that Trump would sue if the network didn’t place the then-businessman higher on its list of the top business leaders, arguing it was “ignoring the will of the people.”
Per the Journal, CNBC never responded and Cohen never sued.
It was reported last week that Cohen paid tens of thousands to a tech firm to rig online polls in Trump’s favor, including the 2014 CNBC poll and a 2015 Drudge Report poll on presidential candidates. Both efforts failed.
Rigging aside, Trump made public efforts to drive his supporters to the CNBC poll too.
“Honored to be named as one of business’s ‘Top Leaders, Icons and Rebels’ by @CNBC,” he tweeted after making the shortlist. “Vote Trump!”
And then, when he didn’t make the official list: “Stupid poll should be canceled—no credibility.”
Other worthy people were taken off the @CNBC list as well. Stupid poll should be canceled—no credibility.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 10, 2014
Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, was sentenced last month to three years in prison for a series of crimes — including campaign finance violations, lying to congress, and tax fraud — but was not charged in relation to the poll rigging.
He wrote on Twitter in response that he paid for the rigging “at the direction of” Trump.
As for the @WSJ article on poll rigging, what I did was at the direction of and for the sole benefit of @realDonaldTrump @POTUS. I truly regret my blind loyalty to a man who doesn’t deserve it.
— Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) January 17, 2019
Read the Journal report here.
[Images via Getty]
