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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump fixer Cohen says he helped Falwell handle racy photos
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Months before evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr.s game-changing presidential endorsement of Donald Trump in 2016, Falwell asked Trump fixer Michael Cohen for a personal favor, Cohen said in a recorded conversation reviewed by Reuters.
alwell, president of Liberty University, one of the worlds largest Christian universities, said someone had come into possession of what Cohen described as racy personal photographs the sort that would typically be kept between husband and wife, Cohen said in the taped conversation.
According to a source familiar with Cohens thinking, the person who possessed the photos destroyed them after Cohen intervened on the Falwells behalf.
The Falwells, through a lawyer, declined to comment for this article.
Cohen, who began a three-year prison sentence this week for federal campaign violations and lying to Congress, recounted his involvement in the matter in a recording made surreptitiously by comedian Tom Arnold on March 25. Portions of the recording in which Cohen appeared to disavow parts of his guilty plea were first reported April 24 by The Wall Street Journal.
The Falwells enlisted Cohens help in 2015, according to the source familiar with Cohens thinking, the year Trump announced his presidential candidacy. At the time, Cohen was Trumps confidant and personal lawyer, and he worked for the Trump Organization.
The Falwells wanted to keep a bunch of photographs, personal photographs from becoming public, Cohen told Arnold. I actually have one of the photos, he said, without going into specifics. Its terrible.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-politics-falwell-exclusive-idUSKCN1SD2JG
Chin music
(23,002 posts)A picture to be kept between husband and wife? Wth? Sounds like a picture kept in the safe deposit box for a divorce.
RandySF
(59,904 posts)Cohen reportedly went to Florida, which happens to be where the pool boy lives.
Not that theres anything wrong w that, unless you're a religio hypocrite and a fanatic rabid religio nutcase. Get seemy all ya want falwell...just dont criticize/lie when you get caught old boy.
Dawson Leery
(19,348 posts)the Evangelicals are no better. They just hide it better.
hedda_foil
(16,379 posts)Cohen negotiated with the pool boy's lawyer to buy him off in exchange for destroying the photos of Falwell/pool boy/Mrs F. (whoever did what with whom).
Then Cohen and photo "persuaded" Falwell to endorse Jesus Trump before the Iowa primary.
Seems logical to me. How about you?
malaise
(269,365 posts)his role in unearthing the pool boy story
hedda_foil
(16,379 posts)Makes perfect sense, doesn't it?
malaise
(269,365 posts)JDC
(10,152 posts)Chin music
(23,002 posts)milestogo
(16,829 posts)Usually somebody from the congregation, though.
demtenjeep
(31,997 posts)someone should make tv/mega preachers illegal
Ilsa
(61,721 posts)That music is so nasty!
calimary
(81,612 posts)Led with it, as a matter of fact!