Prompt impeachment

Cuomo: Pardoning Cohen should prompt impeachment

By JIMMY VIELKIND

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Congress should impeach President Donald Trump if he pardons his attorney, Michael Cohen.

“Pardoning of Michael Cohen would be one of the grossest injustices we’ve ever seen. I think it would make Nixon — President Nixon — look like a juvenile offender,” Cuomo told reporters after opening the New York State Fair. “The concept that Michael Cohen is now implicating the president in a felony — Cohen is saying, ‘I committed a crime … at the direction of the president’ … he is also saying he will be fully cooperative with any law enforcement agent.”

Cohen pleaded guilty Tuesday to eight felony counts, and said he made payments in 2016 to porn actress Stormy Daniels to influence the election “at the direction” of Trump.

The Democratic governor noted that on “Cuomo Prime Time,” which is hosted by his younger brother Chris, Cohen’s attorney Lanny Davis said Cohen had information “that would be of interest” to state prosecutors and “putting aside the word cooperation … will tell the truth.”

The state Department of Taxation and Finance is probing the now-defunct Trump Foundation, which could lead to a criminal case brought by New York State Attorney General Barbara Underwood.

This makes a pardon particularly insidious, Andrew Cuomo said.

“If the president were now to come in and pardon Cohen, I think it would be a de facto silencing of a witness against him, and I think that would be an impeachable offense,” said Cuomo, who is positioning himself for a possible 2020 presidential bid. “Because it’s not just a pardon because of extenuating circumstances — it’s a pardon to stop a person from testifying against you. To me, that is tantamount to obstruction of justice.”

In addition to Cohen’s plea, former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort was found guilty on Tuesday of eight felonies, including tax fraud. In tweets on Wednesday morning, Trump praised Manafort but faulted Cohen.

“If anyone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you don’t retain the services of Michael Cohen!” the president said.

Cuomo’s reaction was similar to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who also invoked Richard Nixon. But Cynthia Nixon, who is challenging the governor in a Democratic primary next month, responded to the Trump news by trying to tie him to her opponent.

In a Wednesday afternoon press conference outside a Trump skyscraper on Wall Street where she pushed Cuomo to return $64,000 in campaign contributions he received from the developer since 2001.

Nixon also noted that Cuomo’s former campaign manager, Joe Percoco, and former SUNY Polytechnic Institute President Alain Kaloyeros were convicted this year in parallel bribery and bid-rigging schemes.

“Cuomo’s campaign manager is also headed to prison this year, along with the governor’s top economic aide and several top donors. And much like how Trump fired Comey, the governor dissolved the Moreland Commission when it came too close to him and started looking into his own ethics,” Nixon said. “The fact that governor is even considering keeping a cent from a man like this is telling us everything we need to know about our current governor.”

The governor was never accused of wrongdoing, nor was he implicated in the charged schemes. He has distanced himself from both men and said he was unaware of their actions.

But he has been stubborn about returning the campaign contributions, which are a small fraction of the more than $90 million he has raised since 2010, mostly in large contributions from people with pending interests before the state.

At the fair, Cuomo defended his campaign fundraising practices.

“It’s the law of the state of New York. I’ve tried to change it many times,” he said. “And look: I don’t care if the person gives a lot of money or if a person gives a little bit of money. If you are a person who is influenced by donors, you shouldn’t be in this business, period.”