Cohen: Falwell’s Endorsement Was Payoff For Photos

Reuters reports:

In “Disloyal: The Memoir,” Cohen describes thinking that his involvement in the Falwell photo matter would be a “catch and kill” — the practice of American tabloids to obtain and then suppress unfavorable stories about celebrities — “but in this case it was just going to be kill.”

He later writes: “In good time, I would call in this favor, not for me, but for the Boss, at a crucial moment on his journey to the presidency.”

Cohen has said that he helped persuade Falwell to endorse Trump just before Republican voters gathered in Iowa in February 2016 to nominate a presidential candidate. Falwell not only publicly vouched for Trump’s Christian virtues but also barnstormed with the candidate.

For those at the pressers, Trump was closely involved with the whole Falwell squeeze. They even brought up Giancarlo to meet with Trump during a service call. The President of the United States extorted an endorsement over sex pics. Think we need to hear from him about this.

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) September 8, 2020

So why did Jerry Falwell Jr endorse Trump for president in 2016 to everyone’s surprise, bringing him the Christian Right? Michael Cohen now links that to his quashing racy photos for Falwell. Our latest at @reutershttps://t.co/ABApM7YzA8

— Aram Roston (@AramRoston) September 8, 2020