Ken Delanian told the Morning Joe crew that Michael Cohen's open testimony to Congress this Wednesday should be "riveting."
"Before the intelligence committees, he's expected to address, first of all, his lies to those committees on the timing of the Trump Tower and Moscow deal, the fact that it was going on much longer than he admitted in public and much longer than Donald Trump acknowledged.
"And just to back up on this, this is a really important point. Michael Cohen in the plea documents exposed the fact that Donald Trump had lied during the campaign when he said he had no contacts, no dealings with Russia. There was a meeting Michael Cohen had with Donald trump about the Moscow deal.
"But in public on Wednesday, we could have an absolutely dramatic and riveting performance by Michael Cohen. Because while he's not allowed to talk about the Russia investigation before the House oversight committee on Wednesday, he is going to talk about those hush money payments to women. The president's compliance with financials disclosure requirements, the president's compliance with tax laws. The president's business practices, Trump International Hotel in DC. I'm told Cohen has been prepping with this for a long time and he knows he's got credibility issues, so he's coming with documents and what Lanny Davis describes as sordid and 'chilling' stories of how the president conducts himself behind closed doors. A Trump insider who has been with Donald Trump for more than ten years. telling these stories under the glare of the television lights."
"And of course last week he talked about the family business, information about the family business. What are the biggest concerns there and who's in his -- who possibly could legally be jeopardized by what he says about 'the family business'?" Joe Scarborough asked.
"We reported last week that he has provided new information to those prosecutors in Manhattan about the Trump family business and the Trump inaugural committee, two subjects that they are investigating. It seems likely some of those areas will be off limits in his public testimony on Wednesday but nonetheless, that is a very dangerous investigation for Donald Trump because unlike the Robert Mueller investigation, Southern District prosecutors have no restrictions. They can go anywhere and look at any crimes in their jurisdiction, as far back as the statute of limitations goes. The idea they poking around in President Trump's personal meetings going back 20 years must be very disquieting to President Trump."
Scarborough wanted to know if we know for certain the Mueller investigation is wrapping up very soon, "or is this just more of the same?"
"It's not more of the same," Delanian said. "Of course, we don't know anything for certain when it comes to Robert Mueller, but all signs are pointing to the notion that he is wrapping up. Pete Williams says that he's in the ninth inning. Justice Department officials and Congressional officials have all told us this.
He said it seemed likely that the reason they announced it's not being released this week is to avoid stepping on Trump's Vietnam and North Korea meetings.
"All signs are pointing to the idea. Mueller has reduced the number of attorneys in his office. He has brought in U.S. attorneys from Washington, D.C. on the Stone case from the beginning, which is the first time that has happened in a Robert Mueller case. We've -- our reporting is that he began writing his report back in August. So we believe that the report will be delivered.
"Now that doesn't mean that the investigation stops. Obviously, there are other cases that are pending that he will hand off to U.S. attorneys and there may have been things that he's farmed out to U.S. attorneys we don't even know about.
"But in terms of this main question of coordination with Russia, we believe that Robert Mueller is close to the end."
..
