Welcome back to The Red Letter.
Well… that was an interesting one. Lev Parnas says Michael Cohen has been trying to reach the White House to get a pardon from President Trump—and even considered asking George Santos for advice.
Santos denies it, but Parnas says he has receipts: text messages showing he passed Cohen’s contact information along to Santos. That could help explain Cohen’s claim last week that he was coerced by prosecutors Letitia James and Alvin Bragg into turning on Trump in the hush money trial. The timing is convenient: Trump’s case is on appeal, and if the star witness says he was pressured, that’s the kind of claim that can fuel an argument to toss the whole thing. The MeidasTouch network dropped Cohen after the admission.
When I asked about his relationship with Santos, Cohen texted back: “No relationship. Met him once.”
“Jesse Jackson Jr and I have forwarded a document called TEPO, Trump Emancipation Proclamation Order, that would ‘pardon’ 70 million non-violent felons who have completed their sentence pursuant to the order of the sentencing judge,” Cohen texted. “Lev would be one who would benefit if it gets signed.”
Asked whether he was lobbying Trump specifically on his own case, Cohen declined to comment.
Thank you Scott Dworkin, Evan Fields, J Dziak, Cat, Caro Henry, and many others for tuning into my live video with Lev Parnas! Join me for my next live video in the app.
