Tag: Michael Cohen

Questions mount over Trump-Putin discussions

The following article by Morgan Chalfant was posted on the Hill website July 20, 2018:

Credit: Yuri Kadobnova, AFP/Getty Images

The White House is facing mounting pressure to disclose details of President Trump’s discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin from this week’s summit in Helsinki.

The one-on-one meeting between the two leaders has been shrouded in controversy ever since Trump, standing beside Putin following the meeting, cast doubt on the U.S. intelligence community’s assessment of Russian interference in the election in favor of Putin’s own denials.

Trump administration officials have said little specifically about any agreements reached or proposals made during the meeting.

Instead, they’ve had to bat down queries about whether Trump was going to go along with a Putin plan to have Russian officials interview U.S. citizens, including former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul. Putin also floated the possibility of a referendum to determine whether Crimea would be part of Ukraine and Russia, an idea the administration did not immediately shoot down.

View the complete article here.

NYT: Cohen taped Trump on payment to ex-Playboy model

Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

President Trump‘s longtime lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen secretly taped a conversation he had with the president ahead of the 2016 election about paying a Playboy model who says she had an affair with Trump — and the FBI has the tape, according to an explosive new report in The New York Times.

The FBI seized the secret recording made by Cohen during a raid on his offices earlier this year, the Times reported Friday.

The Times reports that Cohen and Trump reportedly discussed a payment to Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who says she had a yearlong affair with Trump starting in 2006, shortly after he married now-first lady Melania Trump. The conversation took place two months ahead of the 2016 election.

View the complete article here.

Former Whitewater Federal Prosecutor: ‘Desperate’ Michael Cohen Is Likely Dealing with Significant ‘Criminal Exposure’

The following article by Chris Sosa was posted on the AlterNet.org website July 9, 2018:

The president’s former fixer appears to be “sending a signal.”

Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Solomon Wisenberg, former Whitewater deputy independent counsel during the Clinton scandal, believes Michael Cohen is behaving like a person in serious legal trouble.

President Donald Trump’s former lawyer and fixer has been on a media tour that finds him distancing himself from the president and his attacks on the American intelligence community.

Solomon discussed what could be behind Cohen’s new posture during a Monday CNN appearance.

View the complete article on the AlterNet.org website here.

Michael Cohen breaks his silence: Trump isn’t my “first loyalty”

The following article was posted on the Axios website July 2, 2018:

President Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen stated that he will “put family and country first” over any allegiance to Trump amid his ongoing legal woes in an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos — Cohen’s first since the FBI raided his home and offices in April.

Why it matters: Cohen has long been Trump’s fix-it man, and he is the only person on earth intertwined in Trump’s professional, political, personal, legal and family life. Cohen has also been in the spotlight thanks to both Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation and a federal investigation of his business dealings, prompting speculation that he may cooperate with authorities.

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From the interview:

  • Cohen suggested he may cooperate with federal authorities, stating that his family is his “first priority.” He added, “Once I understand what charges might be filed against me, if any at all, I will defer to my new counsel, Guy Petrillo, for guidance.”

View the complete article n the Axios website here.

EXCLUSIVE: Michael Cohen says family and country, not President Trump, is his ‘first loyalty’

The following article by George Stephanopoulos was posted on the Good Morning America website July 2, 2018:

Michael Cohen — President Donald Trump’s longtime personal attorney and a former executive vice president at the Trump Organization — has always insisted he would remain loyal to the president.

He was the fix-it guy, the pit bull so fiercely protective of his boss that he’d once described himself as “the guy who would take a bullet” for the president.

But in his first in-depth interview since the FBI raided his office and homes in April, Cohen strongly signaled his willingness to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller and federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York — even if that puts President Trump in jeopardy.

View the complete post including video here.

National Enquirer sent stories about Trump to his attorney Michael Cohen before publication, people familiar with the practice say

The following article by Sarah Ellison was posted on the Washington Post website June 21, 2018:

During the presidential campaign, National Enquirer executives sent digital copies of the tabloid’s articles and cover images related to Donald Trump and his political opponents to Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen in advance of publication, according to three people with knowledge of the matter — an unusual practice that speaks to the close relationship between Trump and David Pecker, chief executive of American Media Inc., the Enquirer’s parent company.

Although the company strongly denies ever sharing such material before publication, these three individuals say the sharing of material continued after Trump took office. Continue reading “National Enquirer sent stories about Trump to his attorney Michael Cohen before publication, people familiar with the practice say”

Korean firm tied to Trump lawyer got U.S. contract despite corruption probe

The following article by Shawn Boburg and Aaron C. Davis was posted on the Washington Post website June 18, 2018:

Credit: © Getty Images

A South Korean aviation firm that hired President Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen failed last year to disclose that it was the subject of a corruption investigation as it won work from the U.S. military, records show.

On Oct. 11, nine current and former executives at Korea Aerospace Industries were indicted in Seoul on charges that included bribery, embezzlement and defrauding the South Korean government, records show.

Just two weeks later, KAI cleared a business integrity review by the U.S. Air Force and won a contract worth up to $48  million — its largest ever from the Air Force — to maintain fighter jets. Continue reading “Korean firm tied to Trump lawyer got U.S. contract despite corruption probe”

Judge Denies Trump’s Secrecy Claim in Review of Cohen Documents Image

The following article by Alan Feuer and Benjamin Weiser was posted on the New York Times website June 8, 2018:

Judge Kimba M. Wood denied Pres. Trump’s secrecy claim regarding material from Michael Cohen, which include data files and contents from one of Mr. Cohen’s shredders.
Credit: Jeenah Moon, The New York Times

Striking a note for transparency, a federal judge ruled on Friday that President Trump and his longtime personal lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, cannot proceed in total secrecy as they weigh in on the final stages of a laborious review of a huge trove of materials seized from Mr. Cohen during a series of raids by the authorities in April.

For two months now, Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen’s lawyers have been fighting with prosecutors in Manhattan over how to handle the millions of documents and data files that federal agents hauled away from Mr. Cohen’s office, apartment and hotel room. The chief dispute concerned the question of who should get to determine what materials were protected by the attorney-client privilege that Mr. Trump enjoys in his dealings with Mr. Cohen. Those determinations are important because any file covered by that privilege could be withheld from the prosecutors who are investigating Mr. Cohen’s various business projects, including some involving Mr. Trump. Continue reading “Judge Denies Trump’s Secrecy Claim in Review of Cohen Documents Image”

Cohen still serving as RNC deputy finance chair, group says

The following article by Max Greenwood was posted on the Hill website May 25, 2018:

 

Credit: © Getty Images

President Trump‘s personal attorney Michael Cohen continues to serve as the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) deputy finance chairman despite being the subject of an FBI raid and ongoing criminal investigation, RNC spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said Friday.

“There’s ongoing litigation, and we’ll take it step by step, but yes, he is still [serving as deputy finance chair],” McEnany told the online news-streaming service Cheddar.

Asked whether the RNC was concerned about Cohen’s potential violations of campaign finance law, Kayleigh demurred, saying that she was instead concerned about the April raid on Cohen’s home, office and hotel room. Continue reading “Cohen still serving as RNC deputy finance chair, group says”

Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselberg met with Trump lawyer Michael Cohen days before the inauguration

The following article by Rosalind S. Helderman was posted on the Washington Post website May 25, 2018:

Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselberg acquired his wealth in the post-Soviet era’s oil and gas industry. Credit: Alexander Ryumin, AP

President Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, met at Trump Tower in New York days before the 2017 inauguration with a Russian billionaire who was sanctioned this year by the U.S. government.

The meeting between Cohen and Viktor Vekselberg, who made his fortune in the energy industry, was an impromptu session arranged by Vekselberg’s cousin, Andrew Intrater, a New York investment manager who was also in attendance, according to a person with knowledge of the encounter.

Among the topics the three men discussed was Vekselberg’s desire for better relations between the United States and Russia, the person said, who added that Vekselberg did not encounter Trump or any of his other advisers. The meeting was first reported by the New York Times. Continue reading “Russian billionaire Viktor Vekselberg met with Trump lawyer Michael Cohen days before the inauguration”