Trump blasts Cohen over tape disclosure
Washington, July 25 : US President Donald Trump blasted his former attorney Michael Cohen on Wednesday after a secret audio of a recording between the two about making a payment to Playboy playmate Karen McDougal was aired.
In the 2016 conversion aired on CNN's "Cuomo Prime Time" on Tuesday, Trump, then-US presidential candidate, and Cohen could be heard discussing how they would buy the rights to McDougal's story about an alleged affair she had with the leader years earlier.
Trump denies the affair and took to Twitter in the morning slamming Cohen. "What kind of a lawyer would tape a client? So sad! Is this a first, never heard of it before? Why was the tape so abruptly terminated (cut) while I was presumably saying positive things?
"I hear there are other clients and many reporters that are taped - can this be so? Too bad!" Trump tweeted.
Court filings said federal prosecutors have 12 recordings from Cohen and according to CNN, the recording with Trump was among those 12.
The tape's release made a further dent in the relationship between the President and Cohen, who was the former's previous steadfast supporter, personal attorney and long time confidant.
Cohen is under criminal investigation by the US attorney's office in Manhattan for his personal financial dealings, including the payment he made to porn actress Stormy Daniels on Trump's behalf before the election.
However, he has not been charged with any wrongdoing in Daniels case.
In the audio, Trump and Cohen discussed other matters, including an attempt by the New York Times to unseal the records from the President's first divorce and mentioning pastor Mark Burns, a Trump supporter.
Cohen's attorney Lanny Davis provided CNN the September 2016 recording and said Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani had been "falsely disparaging" Cohen.
Giuliani contended that the recording would not harm Trump after news came last week that the recording of Trump and Cohen was among those obtained by prosecutors.
trump, however, expressed anger over the recording last weekend on Twitter, calling both the seizure of the recording and Cohen's creation of it "inconceivable".
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Those rejected by people trying to control Parliament: PM Modi
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday slammed the opposition, saying those who were rejected by people 80-90 times were trying to control Parliament by resorting to hooliganism for their own political gains.
Addressing reporters ahead of the start of the Winter Session of Parliament, Modi said such handful of people did not succeed in their intentions but people of the country observed their actions and punished them at an appropriate time.
Modi's remarks came days after the BJP-led coalition won the Maharashtra Assembly elections by a landslide, bagging 235 seats and relegating the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi to a distant 49 seats in the 288-member House.
Earlier, the BJP registered a surprise third consecutive victory in the Haryana polls, trouncing the Congress, which was billed as a pre-poll favourite.
"There should be a healthy debate in the Parliament but, unfortunately, certain individuals are trying to control Parliament for their own political gains, resorting to disruptions and chaos," Modi said.
"Though their tactics ultimately fail, the people watch their behaviour closely and deliver justice when the time comes," he added.
Modi said he had been repeatedly urging opposition colleagues, and some also agreed that Parliament should function smoothly.
"But those who have been continuously rejected by the public ignore the words of their colleagues and disrespect their sentiments and that of democracy," the prime minister said.
The Winter Session of Parliament began on Monday and is scheduled to continue till December 20.
