Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Michael Cohen claims Trump watched ‘with delight’ during sex act performance in Vegas

Michael Cohen, the president’s former lawyer, is releasing a memoir on Tuesday

Danielle Zoellner
Sunday 06 September 2020 14:32 EDT
Comments
Michael Cohen testimony: 'Trump is a racist'

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

Donald Trump allegedly watched “with delight” at a Las Vegas strip club during a "golden showers" performance, the president’s former lawyer claims in his new memoir.

In excerpts of Michael Cohen’s Disloyal: A Memoir, obtained by The Washington Post, Cohen calls himself “one of Trump’s bad guys”.

In the memoir Cohen, now a convicted felon, described visiting a Las Vegas Club called The Act in 2013, with Mr Trump, Russian oligarch, Aras Agalarov, and his son Emin.

Cohen claimed that the group watched a strip show that involved one performer simulating urinating on another performer. 

Mr Trump reacted to the show with “disbelief and delight”, Cohen claims.

The Act, which has since shut down amid legal problems, had regular performances showing young women urinating on other people, according to the book.

The Agalarovs were also reportedly with Mr Trump on the night of the alleged “golden showers” incident following the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow.

A tape of the “golden showers” incident fell into the hands of the Russian government, according to the so-called “Steele dossier”, compiled by British ex-MI6 agent, Christopher Steele.

The unverified dossier, which was leaked in January 2017, claimed that the Russians had “kompromat”, or compromising information, against Mr Trump that could be used as blackmail. It included the alleged video of the “golden showers” incident, that took place at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Moscow.

Mr Trump has long denied the incident took place.

Aras Agalarov also denied that the incident took place during a 2019 interview with Russian publication, The Bell. The billionaire businessman said that he was with Mr Trump until 2am, and then again the following morning.

“When I hear all these silly things about recordings, prostitutes, I fail to understand how a man aged almost 70 could do it all,” Mr Agalarov said.

”He spent all first day with us, then allegedly invited prostitutes in his room, then early next morning he went to see businessmen, then sat with us till 2am, attended the competition and then flew out next day. It is some mad man's delirium to say this,” he added.  

Cohen’s book also describes the president as “a cheat, a liar, a fraud, a bully, a racist, a predator, a con man.”

The disgraced attorney pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and other crimes while working for Mr Trump. He was released from prison to serve out the rest of his sentence from his New York City home due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

In the book, Cohen said he was the “star witness” in a hush-money scheme and the president was just as guilty. 

The former fixer said his book was a “fundamental piece of evidence” to Mr Trump’s guilt.

“You now have all the information you need to decide for yourself in November,” Cohen concluded in the 432-page tell-all.

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement: "Michael Cohen is a disgraced felon and disbarred lawyer, who lied to Congress. He has lost all credibility, and it’s unsurprising to see his latest attempt to profit off of lies.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in