Sarah Gray

It's a tale of two memos. This week, special counsel Robert Mueller's office released two sentencing-recommendation documents related to the investigation into whether President Donald Trump campaign coordinated with Russia during the 2016 US election.

On Friday, Mueller's office also released its sentencing recommendations for Cohen.

The release was one of three documents predicted for this week. On Tuesday, Mueller's office released the sentencing memo for retired general Michael Flynn, who served as a campaign advisor and short-lived national security adviser.

On Friday evening, Mueller filed a document alleging that Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, violated his plea agreement.

The Flynn and Cohen sentencing memos are quite different in terms of how much was revealed and what the special counsel's office recommends in terms of sentencing. Here's a look:

The alleged crime: <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/12/1/16724742/michael-flynn-plead-guilty-lied-fbi" id="cf8d5c55-df52-3130-a0e7-65d17b63a9cd"> Lying to the FBI about his contact with the Russian ambassador </a> during the Trump transition in late 2016, which Flynn was highly involved with.

Mueller's memo claims he lied about what he said to the Russian ambassador regarding sanctions: "When the FBI interviewed the defendant on January 24 about his interactions with the Russian ambassador, the defendant falsely stated that he did not ask the Russian ambassador to refrain from escalating the situation in response to the sanctions, and falsely disclaimed any memory of his subsequent conversation with the ambassador in which the ambassador stated that Russia had acceded to the defendant's request."

Flynn also made false statements to the Department of Justice about his contact with Turkey.

The memo: His sentencing recommendation memo was 13 pages in total, but a good portion of the memo (the addendum to the sentencing memo) <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5425867-Flynn-SCO-Supp.html" id="111f3026-e393-3a41-aef9-14a8fa97513a"> was redacted </a> .

The recommendation: Due to Flynn's <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5425867-Flynn-SCO-Supp.html" id="1978c431-9bba-31c7-a389-b3eb800ffbf0"> early cooperation </a> , which may have "affected the decisions of related firsthand witnesses to be forthcoming with the SCO and cooperate" — Mueller is recommending no prison time.

Date of his sentencing: December 18, 2018.

Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-michael-cohen-told-mueller-about-moscow-trump-tower-talks-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="7936ecf6-157b-3544-a652-5de4646b11fa"> Everything Michael Cohen told Mueller about the Trump campaign's contacts with Russia, according to the memo that could land Cohen a 'substantial' prison sentence </a>

The alleged crime: Lying to Congress — the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence — about the so-called "Moscow Project" or attempts to secure a deal to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. Specifically, Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about how long he had been working on the deal (it turns out it was until June 2016, not January 2016) and to what extent he discussed it with other parties at the Trump Organization.

The memo: The memo was released shortly after <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/special-counsel-mueller-recommends-three-half-year-sentence-for-michael-cohen-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="b755dfd2-34a1-3ce2-afb2-5b5928d220c9"> another sentencing memo pertaining to Cohen </a> — that one was from the Southern District of New York, where in 40 pages federal prosecutors detailed crimes and sentencing recommendations on charges of tax fraud, bank fraud, and campaign finance violations.

The recommendation: Mueller recommends "that it would be appropriate to allow the defendant to serve any sentence imposed in this case concurrently with any sentence imposed in United States v. Cohen. In that latter case, federal prosecutors recommended 3.5 years of prison time.

Date of his sentencing: December 12, 2018.

The broader takeaways have less to do with Cohen or Flynn — and their respective sentences — and more to do with the investigation itself and what was learned from these two documents.

Flynn spoke to DOJ prosecutors or the Mueller investigation 19 times, and his cooperation was described as "substantial" in the memo. The six-page addendum that was highly redacted, suggests that there's more to come out of the investigation.

In Cohen's sentencing memo, it was revealed that in November 2015 — roughly five months into Trump's campaign for president — he was in contact with a Russian national who "repeatedly" proposed connecting "Individual 1" (thought to be Trump) with Russian Vladimir Putin. This Russian national also suggested that connecting would provide "political synergy" and would be advantageous both for politics and business. Cohen did "not follow up" on setting up the meeting.

Some are suggesting that this November 2015 meeting lines up with a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ivanka-trump-cohen-dmitry-klokov-trump-tower-moscow-2018-6?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="6571722a-5e9a-3a2d-ab0b-e6b1d527ceb6"> BuzzFeed News </a> report that Ivanka Trump introduced Cohen to Russian athlete Dmitry Kolkov to set up a meeting. Cohen, decided not to pursue the connection.

Cohen and Flynn's sentencing recommendations differed in part because of the other crimes that Cohen has pleaded guilty to in another case against being brought by federal prosecutors.

While one escaped a recommendation of prison time and the other was recommended jail time, in both sentencing memos the special counsel's office acknowledged the defendants' cooperation with the investigation.

NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lindsey-graham-holy-hell-attorney-general-jeff-sessions-mueller-donald-trump-2017-7?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="db520c74-e29c-3064-aa8c-1a75075d6fc5"> Lindsey Graham once warned there would be 'holy hell to pay' if Trump fired Jeff Sessions </a>

<ul><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mueller-sentencing-memos-manafort-cohen-flynn-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Mueller is about to drop major new details about 3 of the most important players in the Russia probe</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mueller-flynn-sentencing-memo-takeaways-implications-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Mueller sent a clear message — and a warning — with Flynn's sentencing memo</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mueller-probe-documents-mandafort-cohen-comey-testifies-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Friday could be a huge day for the Russia probe as Mueller drops more documents on Cohen and Manafort and James Comey testifies to Congress</a> </li></ul>

SEE ALSO: Federal prosecutors recommend 'substantial' prison sentence for former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, saying he demonstrated a 'years-long pattern of deception'

DON'T MISS: Everything Michael Cohen told Mueller about the Trump campaign's contacts with Russia, according to the memo that could land Cohen a 'substantial' prison sentence

The important differences between Mueller's sentencing memos for Michael Flynn and Michael Cohen

Two sentencing memos <a id="35f56749-7c78-374c-a27e-e340b6b3a31f" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/special-counsel-mueller-recommends-three-half-year-sentence-for-michael-cohen-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> related to Michael Cohen </a> , the former personal attorney and fixer for President Donald Trump, dropped on Friday.

In <a id="aff01e89-8b3e-3f6b-aff0-4a16a8911b9c" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/michael-cohen-plea-deal-prosecutors-trump-2018-8?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> August, Cohen pleaded guilty </a> to eight counts of tax fraud, bank fraud, and campaign finance violations in a case brought by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York. <a id="7ba957cd-3e23-36dc-a9b4-73970efcd776" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/michael-cohen-plea-deal-reveals-most-pivotal-time-of-2016-election-trump-russia-events-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> On November 29 </a> , he pleaded guilty to lying to Congress, in relation to the Mueller investigation.

Each sentencing memo revealed something new about the charges against Cohen being investigated by federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the special counsel Robert Mueller's office.

Among the revelations in the <a id="268f19a5-f562-3d8d-a91b-98dd5aea65d7" href="https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/5453395/USDOJ-Cohen-20181207.pdf"> 40-page sentencing document </a> from federal prosecutors was that Cohen "acted in coordination with and at the direction of Individual-1."

Individual-1 is widely believed to be President Donald Trump. This coordination relates to the payment of two women who allege that they had affairs with Trump.

"With respect to both payments, Cohen acted with the intent to influence the 2016 presidential election," the memo states. "Cohen coordinated his actions with one or more members of the campaign, including through meetings and phone calls, about the fact, nature, and timing of the payments."

"In particular, and as Cohen himself has now admitted, with respect to both payments, he acted in coordination with and at the direction of Individual-1," the document continues. "As a result of Cohen’s actions, neither woman spoke to the press prior to the election."

In the sentencing memo submitted by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York to Judge William H. Pauley III, federal prosecutors rejected Cohen's attorney's call for no prison time, saying that "Cohen, an attorney and businessman, committed four distinct federal crimes over a period of several years."

"He was motivated to do so by personal greed, and repeatedly used his power and influence for deceptive ends," the memorandum continues.

It acknowledges that Cohen cooperated with the special counsel's office, but says that his "extensive, deliberate, and serious criminal conduct" warrant 3.5 years of prison time.

<h1> The surprising revelation from Muellers memo included the words "synergy" in regards to contact with a Russian national. </h1>

"In or around November 2015, Cohen received the contact information for, and spoke with, a Russian national who claimed to be a 'trusted person' in the Russian Federation who could offer the campaign 'political synergy' and 'synergy on a government level,'" the Mueller memo claims. "The defendant recalled that this person repeatedly proposed a meeting between Individual 1 and the President of Russia."

Said person allegedly told Cohen that contact could have a 'phenomenal' impact 'not only in political but in a business dimension as well,' which was allegedly a reference to the "Moscow Project" — or Trump's attempts to build a luxury tower in Moscow. Cohen did not follow up on this offer, the memo says.

Due to Cohen's "substantial and significant efforts to remediate his misconduct accept responsibility for his actions, and assist the SCO's investigation," <a id="07cd7e42-4e1e-3274-a030-23b7c455e012" href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5453418-Mueller-Cohen-filing.html"> Mueller's office recommended </a> to let Cohen "serve any sentence imposed in this case concurrently with any sentence imposed in United States v. Cohen."

The White House responded to the Cohen memos.

"The government's filings in Mr. Cohen's case tell us nothing of value that wasn't already known," Press Secretary Sarah Sanders <a id="0a4356bf-9ada-3dcd-ab5c-87c6324480d2" href="https://twitter.com/Acosta/status/1071193521028251649"> said in a statement </a> . "Mr. Cohen has repeatedly lied and as the prosecution has pointed out to the court, Mr. Cohen is no hero."

Cohen is scheduled to be sentenced on December 12.

NOW WATCH: <a id="554804a8-641b-3638-a6f7-6cdadbd1ac94" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/anthony-scaramucci-trump-press-economy-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> Anthony Scaramucci claims Trump isn't a nationalist: 'He likes saying that because it irks these intellectual elitists' </a>

<ul><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/robert-mueller-releases-sentencing-memo-on-michael-cohen-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Mueller says Cohen should receive a sentence that shows lying to the feds has 'real consequences' but also said he went to 'significant lengths' to aid Russia probe</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-michael-cohen-deserves-prison-time-mueller-sdny-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Federal prosecutors say 'Cohen deceived the voting public' and 'knowingly sought to undermine core institutions of our democracy,' explaining why he deserves prison time</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mueller-probe-documents-mandafort-cohen-comey-testifies-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Friday could be a huge day for the Russia probe as Mueller drops more documents on Cohen and Manafort and James Comey testifies to Congress</a> </li></ul>

Federal prosecutors say Cohen committed crimes 'in coordination with and at the direction of' Trump

Nearly a week after his death, former President George H.W. Bush traveled via train to his final place of rest in College Station, Texas.

His casket was loaded aboard 4141 — a locomotive named for the 41st president — which had a car specially outfitted with clear side panels so people could pay their respects to the former commander in chief as the train rolled by, the <a id="86848bc6-c580-3314-acf5-83c389426dbd" href="https://www.apnews.com/fd4a3d8b2a9e4b8199637174ecc4ef26"> Associated Press reported. </a>

Thousands of people showed up to do just that — carrying flags and signs or placing coins along the tracks to be flattened by the memorial train.

The train traveled from Houston, where a second memorial service was held at St. Martin's Episcopal Church, to the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Memorial, where he was interred in the family plot with his wife Barbara Bush and daughter Robin Bush, who died at age 3 of leukemia.

It was the first train memorial procession in nearly 50 years. The last one was for President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 49 years ago. The first, the AP reported, was for President Abraham Lincoln.

The former commander in chief died on November 30, 2018 at age 94. His casket lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda on Monday, and a service — <a id="ee0b2a46-bc17-31de-a57c-cf0b1f137948" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/president-george-hw-bush-funeral-pictures-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> attended by every living president </a> — was held in the National Cathedral on Wednesday.

<h1> A join services honor guard carries casket of former President George H.W. Bush onto train which carried him to College Station, Texas. </h1>

Following the Houston service for former President George H.W. Bush, he was taken via train to College Station, Texas.

<h1> Firefighters pay their respects as the train rolls by. </h1>

Thousands lined up along the tracks to pay their respects to the former president, who died at age 94 on November 30, 2018.

<h1> Thousands of people showed up to pay their respects to former President George H.W. Bush, who died on Friday, November 30. </h1>

Crowds held signs and waved flags along the tracks.

<h1> Students from Salyer Elementary School wave flags at the train. </h1>

The train was headed to former President Bush's final resting place at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum.

<h1> The flag-draped casket of former President George H.W. Bush. </h1>

The train was outfitted with clear panels so that the casket could be viewed as it traveled to College Station.

<h1> People lined up along the railroad tracks, waving American flags flags to pay their respects. </h1>

The above image shows the crowds of people in Navasota, Texas.

<h1> Some people placed coins along the track to be flattened by the memorial train. </h1>

According to the above photo from the Associated Press, Ana Garza from Cypress, Texas placed coins on the tracks to be flattened by the memorial train carrying former President Bush.

<h1> President Bushs casket carried by the joint honor guard. </h1>

Family members follow the casket to its final resting place.

<ul><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moving-tributes-to-the-life-of-george-hw-bush-from-world-leaders-queen-elizabeth-soviet-union-2018-12?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">From Queen Elizabeth to the former head of the Soviet Union, here are 7 moving tributes to the life of George HW Bush</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-are-all-the-amendments-us-constitution-meaning-history-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">The US Constitution has 27 amendments that protect the rights of Americans. Do you know them all?</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/barbara-george-bush-marriage-secrets-photos-2018-4?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Inside the 'storybook' marriage of Barbara and George H.W. Bush — who were married longer than any first couple, and still said 'I love you' every night</a> </li></ul>

Former President George H.W. Bush was the first president in nearly 50 years to have a train memorial, and thousands showed up to pay their respects

On Thursday, November 29, news broke that Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's longtime fixer and lawyer, <a id="fb4ce983-77fd-325e-a38d-dbedcc6dce88" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/legal-implications-mueller-plea-deal-michael-cohen-trump-russia-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> pleaded guilty to lying to Congress </a> . Specifically the <a id="4d807ad8-7341-3a2e-ac79-47051277f876" href="https://int.nyt.com/data/documenthelper/498-cohen-mueller-russia-charges/135a97bf207df8b09f70/optimized/full.pdf#page=1"> charges revolved </a> around how long he and the Trump Organization had been in conversations about building a Trump Tower in Moscow and the extent that Trump was involved vs. what he told congressional investigators.

And then a flurry of reports emerged — each in some way related to the revelations and special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible collusion between Russia and Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

If all the all the new information seems dizzying, don't worry, we have you covered. Here are five details you need to know:

Cohen appeared in Federal District Court in Manhattan, and the charges were made public, on Thursday. "In exchange for pleading guilty and continuing to cooperate with Mr. Mueller, he may hope to receive a lighter sentence," <a id="17f109de-9be1-35b2-ac10-1503c0b5eee7" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/29/nyregion/michael-cohen-trump-russia-mueller.html?module=inline"> The New YorkTimes </a> explained. This is the first charge levied against him by Mueller. Earlier this year, Cohen pleaded guilty to charges, including campaign finance violations, brought by federal prosecutors.

The latest court document charges Cohen with lying to both Senate and House investigations into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign. In the document Trump is referred to as "the owner of [Trump Organization] ('Individual 1')."

Cohen was the point person for trying to secure a deal to place a Trump Tower in Moscow. In 2017, Cohen told investigators that he worked on the deal from September 2015 to January 2016 — but stopped before the Iowa Caucus.

In reality, he didn't abandon the discussions until June of 2016, the court document reveals.

The court document also details other misleading statements from Cohen — he claimed he never planned to travel to Russia or arrange for Trump to travel to Russia, he said that the tower plans were "not discussed extensively with others in the Company," and he told congressional investigators that he had no response from Russian government officials.

All of these claims, the document states, were false. Cohen worked with "Individual 2" (we'll get to him) to try to travel to Russia (plans which were abandoned in June), and to try to get "Individual 1" to go; Cohen talked about the plan at least three times with "Individual 1," and he also discussed it with a personal assistant to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov for 20 minutes.

<h1> 2. G20 meeting canceled — and Russia learned about it from a tweet? </h1>

Trump canceled a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that was scheduled to take place in Argentina during the G20 Summit — <a id="b17e62b1-dde5-34de-a045-603e53722c83" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-organization-putin-penthouse-trump-tower-moscow-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> via Twitter </a> . The cancellation was allegedly due to the Russian military's clash with the Ukrainian navy in the Kerch Strait, on Sunday, and the capture of 24 Ukrainian sailors.

"Based on the fact that the ships and sailors have not been returned to Ukraine from Russia, I have decided it would be best for all parties concerned to cancel my previously scheduled meeting in Argentina with President Vladimir Putin," Trump wrote. "I look forward to a meaningful Summit again as soon as this situation is resolved!"

And according to what spokesman Peskov told a state-owned news agency, Trump's tweet was the first the Kremlin heard of the cancellation.

Following the news of the plea deal, both the <a id="e75fc86f-463f-3a95-ae0d-b464431fc2d5" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/29/us/politics/trump-russia-felix-sater-michael-cohen.html"> New York Times </a> and <a id="3482cfd7-acb6-31de-a4a8-c6f61c0120cb" href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/anthonycormier/the-trump-organization-planned-to-give-vladimir-putin-the"> BuzzFeed News </a> released stories with information on Felix Sater, who reportedly worked with Cohen on the Trump Tower Moscow discussions and referred to as "Individual 2" in the aforementioned charges. Sater, a businessman who was born in Russia and moved to the US as a child, was an associate of Cohen and is a convicted felon, who also assisted US intelligence agencies. Sater worked to connect Cohen to contacts in Russia.

In its report, BuzzFeed news claims that Sater's plan for Trump Tower Moscow included giving Russian President Vladimir Putin a $50 million penthouse to entice other Russian oligarchs to purchase apartments in the building.

<h1> 4. The Trump teams response — getting their story straight . </h1>

While leaving Washington to head to Argentina for the G20 Summit, Trump was asked by reporters about Cohen pleading guilty that morning in Manhattan.

"He was convicted of various things unrelated to us," <a id="2b488a8b-ee34-30b7-a61d-b9afa8fc8b7c" href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2018/nov/29/trump-michael-cohen-is-weak-and-trying-to-get-a-reduced-sentence-video"> Trump said </a> . He also stated that Cohen was "a weak person and what he’s trying to do is get a reduced sentence."

Regarding the Moscow deal that never went through, Trump said, "There was a good chance that I wouldn’t have won, in which case I would have gotten back into the business, and why should I lose lots of opportunities?"

Trump's lawyers have repeatedly painted Cohen as a liar, but as <a id="4ffab990-a325-371f-a38a-15bd03d3fcee" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-lawyers-contradict-stories-michael-cohen-trump-tower-moscow-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> INSIDER's Sonam Sheth wrote </a> , "At the same time, they said Trump's version of events about a defunct effort to build a Trump Tower in Moscow during the election lines up with what Cohen told prosecutors."

The guilty plea shows that the Trump Organization was indeed trying to secure a business deal in Russia, and it also reveals that lying to Congress about this investigation falls under the purview of the special counsel's office.

"There are certainly others at the Trump Organization that knew about this Russian overture," <a id="02974c32-c647-3421-a485-3347338fecf5" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/legal-implications-mueller-plea-deal-michael-cohen-trump-russia-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> Jeffrey Cramer, a longtime former federal prosecutor told Sheth </a> . "If they knew about it and lied, either to Mueller or to Congress, there's no reason to think they'd be treated differently than Cohen. You don't get a pass because your last name is Trump."

NOW WATCH: <a id="2a213334-ff2f-3acd-a5bf-cd85acedc4b5" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-nfl-league-usfl-sued-tweet-three-dollars-2017-9?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest"> Trump once won a lawsuit against the NFL — but the result was an embarrassment </a>

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SEE ALSO: Michael Cohen's latest plea deal shows Mueller's 'starting to finally get to the truth' behind Trump and Russia Michael Cohen's latest plea deal with the special counsel Robert Mueller has far-reaching implications for President Donald Trump, as well as other witnesses in the Russia investigation.

5 things we learned about the Russia investigation after Michael Cohen’s guilty plea

Climate scientists are responding to President Donald Trump's comments on the fourth National Climate Assessment — a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/climate-report-us-economy-will-lose-hundreds-of-billions-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="a749916d-c13e-3600-ac0c-5f5b4ac0fb4d"> congressionally-mandated climate assessment </a> put together by 13 government agencies and a team of <a href="https://nca2014.globalchange.gov/" id="6796bf84-0861-363a-ae67-f2aa02901bd6"> 300 experts </a> . The most recent assessment was released on Friday, November 23, and what it portends is dire: a potential economic cost of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/climate-report-us-economy-will-lose-hundreds-of-billions-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="433f2f81-603d-3a5a-ac57-27ed120a19a0"> hundreds of billions of dollars </a> , sea-level rise, extreme weather events, and insect-borne disease.

On Monday, Trump was asked by reporters about the assessment — specifically the economic impact — to which he replied, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-responds-to-climate-change-report-multibillion-economic-impact-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="ec0da620-3f5b-3ff5-a028-1045a96dbf52"> "I don't believe it." </a> He also stated that it was "important" to him to have clean air and water.

He repeated these claims in a wide-ranging interview with the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-slams-fed-chair-questions-climate-change-and-threatens-to-cancel-putin-meeting-in-wide-ranging-interview-with-the-post/2018/11/27/4362fae8-f26c-11e8-aeea-b85fd44449f5_story.html?utm_term=.5fb065eb7991" id="1591feaa-1271-3d7c-a7fe-8241e8f14a9c"> The Washington Post </a> published on Tuesday.

"One of the problems that a lot of people like myself, we have very high levels of intelligence but we’re not necessarily such believers," Trump told The Post about the report. "You look at our air and our water, and it’s right now at a record clean."

"As to whether or not it’s man-made and whether or not the effects that you’re talking about are there," he continued, "I don’t see it."

Press Secretary Sarah Sanders also dismissed the report during Tuesday's press briefing.

"We think that this is the most extreme version and it’s not based on facts," Sanders said in response to a reporter's question about the report. "It’s not data driven. We’d like to see something that is more data driven. It’s based on modeling, which is extremely hard to do when you’re talking about the climate."

She also reiterated Trump's talking points on clean air and water: "The president’s certainly leading on what matters most in this process, and that’s on having clean air, clean water."

Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/climate-report-scary-conclusions-and-reason-for-hope-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest" id="b3516149-acda-3011-a603-0c0479702832"> 12 scary takeaways from the climate report the Trump administration dropped on Black Friday — and one reason for hope </a>

<h1> Climate scientists strongly disagree with Trump's comments </h1>

Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist, who helped author the report, responded to the Trump administration via Twitter. Hayhoe is a professor of political science, director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University, and a part of the Department of Interior's South-Central Climate Science Center,

"The Fourth US National Climate Assessment was released on Friday," Hayhoe tweeted on Tuesday. "Since then, a number of politicians + pundits have made statements about it that are not accurate. As an author, I'm here to set the record straight. Here we go!"

First, Hayhoe responded to Sanders's, <a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4762606/white-house-calls-government-climate-change-report-extreme" id="237ebb54-3e2d-3ba1-ae59-3fda356a56af"> "most extreme version" </a> comment.

"No: the report considered a very broad range of scenarios, from one where carbon emissions go negative to one where they continue to grow," Hayhoe tweeted citing <a href="https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/chapter/2/" id="6badb8b6-2c7c-3fb0-a11f-0a9ff2d91206"> chapter two of the report </a> . She also goes on to point out where the report made an effort to show what the different scenarios would mean in the future.

Hayhoe also states that the report was "publicly reviewed" and that "authors were required to respond to each comment individually." Both comments and responses are available for the public to read, and she stated that there are full citations and documentation in the report.

She does concede that Sanders is right on one count. Sanders told the press that"modeling the climate is an extremely complicated science that is never exact."

"That is absolutely true," Hayhoe says. "And that’s why, in the chapter I wrote with [climate and sea-level scientist Bob Kopp] called <a href="https://science2017.globalchange.gov/chapter/15/" id="1ccca636-905a-37eb-a501-6c6ba503fedb"> 'Potential Surprises,' </a> this conclusion is so worrisome."

It's actually possible that the climate models will "underestimate temperature change during warm paleoclimates" suggesting that "climate models are more likely to underestimate than overestimate the amount of long term future change."

Hayhoe also responded to President Trump's comments that he does not believe the report.

"But climate science isn't a religion: it's real, whether we believe it or not," she writes. "If our decisions are not based in reality, we are the ones who will suffer the consequences." (You can read her full thread <a href="https://twitter.com/KHayhoe/status/1067450865303330818" id="0a1a359d-18ff-3936-aee3-96c92af9c8a6"> here. </a> )

Michael Mann, a professor of atmospheric science and director of the Earth System Science Center at <a href="http://www.met.psu.edu/people/mem45" id="c67e21b6-8459-3286-a661-4ad2a9fb48d2"> Penn State University </a> , echoes this sentiment.

"Climate change is real, human-caused — and increasingly dangerous — regardless of what one deeply ignorant and misguided individual might happen to think," Mann said in an email to INSIDER in response to Trump's comments. "The warming oceans, melting ice sheets, rising sea level, worsening droughts, floods, superstorms, and wildfires—they don’t care what Trump thinks. And we are increasingly endangered — as a civilization — by this one man’s apathy, ignorance and malice."

As Business Insider's Dana Varinsky reported last week, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/climate-report-scary-conclusions-and-reason-for-hope-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest#but-despite-its-ominous-predictions-the-report-gives-us-reasons-for-hope-13" id="4faf37ae-44bb-3a87-a71c-ad4104c667ba"> there is some hope </a> when it comes to <a href="https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/chapter/28/" id="5a80300c-463b-3e0d-a116-567112cfb362"> adapting to </a> and <a href="https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/chapter/29/" id="f027f298-7b0f-392b-a48f-df81dd38b014"> mitigating </a> the impacts of climate change — and the report has a chapter on each response.

For those wondering how one person can make an impact, or if it's too late to mitigate climate change, Hayhoe has a few recommendations:

INSIDER contacted Hayhoe for a deeper explanation on her tweets, and we'll update if we hear back.

<ul><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/manafort-lawyers-still-in-touch-with-trump-team-cooperation-mueller-russia-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">What Paul Manafort's highly unusual move to brief Trump's team on his discussions with Mueller reveals about his strategy</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/anderson-cooper-nasa-kids-website-climate-change-trump-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">'It's a pretty easy read ... there are pictures': CNN's Anderson Cooper throws serious shade at Trump after new climate-change report</a> </li><li> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/paul-manafort-new-accusations-plea-agreement-mueller-russia-probe-2018-11?utm_source=intl&amp;utm_medium=ingest">Paul Manafort's plea agreement with the feds is in jeopardy as Mueller accuses him of lying to investigators</a> </li></ul>

SEE ALSO: The Trump administration released a dire new report on climate change that predicts hundreds of billions of dollars in economic losses Its findings are dire.

Climate scientists are roasting Trump over his response to his own administration's climate-change report

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