Attorney Michael Cohen allegedly said in a recorded conversation that evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr. asked him to prevent “personal” racy photos from leaking before endorsing then-candidate Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.
Comedian Tom Arnold allegedly recorded a conversation between himself and Cohen in secret March 25 in which Cohen told him Falwell had asked for help in dealing with personal photographs, reported Reuters. (RELATED: Michael Cohen Pleads Guilty To Charge In Mueller Probe)
“I actually have one of the photos,” Cohen allegedly told Arnold. “It’s terrible.”
Falwell, who is the president of Liberty University, allegedly told Cohen in 2015 the photos were of a personal nature usually kept between “husband and wife,” according to Reuters. Cohen was previously Trump’s personal lawyer.
Michael Cohen departs after he testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque.
The person who possessed the photos allegedly destroyed them after Cohen intervened on Falwell’s behalf.
A source “familiar with Cohen’s thinking” said Cohen then helped Falwell issue his endorsement of Trump immediately before the Iowa caucuses, Reuters reported, and that Falwell’s endorsement of Trump and Cohen’s alleged assistance with the photos were unrelated.
Cohen began serving his three-year prison sentence Monday for tax evasion, bank fraud and campaign finance violations over hush payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels, who claimed she had an affair with Trump in 2006.
Falwell did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Caller News Foundation.
Follow Mary Margaret on Twitter.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.