Tag: Michael Cohen

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Fox News’ Sean Hannity Hired Trump Lawyer To Investigate Left-Wing Groups Calling For Boycott Of His Show

Fox News personality Sean Hannity

Earlier today, a federal judge ordered Donald Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen to reveal who his clients were in order to determine what materials seized from his office and home last week might be protected by attorney/client privilege.

In addition to Donald Trump and GOP fundraiser Elliott Broidy (whom Cohen handled a $1.3 million “hush money” payout), Cohen’s legal team revealed the 3rd client was none other than Fox News host Sean Hannity.

From Media Matters:

Cohen’s lawyers had acknowledged that Cohen had three legal clients since 2017 in a filing in federal court related to legal issues surrounding documents the FBI obtained by raiding his office, home, and hotel room last week. Two clients — Trump and GOP fundraiser Elliott Broidy — were publicly known. Attorneys for Cohen had argued that the identity of the third should remain secret. But Judge Kimba Wood rejected that argument, forcing Cohen’s lawyer to reveal his work for Hannity.

Vanity Fair’s Gabriel Sherman reported on MSNBC soon after that Hannity hired Cohen “to help defend him against left-wing groups that were calling for boycotts,” an apparent reference to Media Matters’ well-publicized campaign to get advertisers to stop supporting Hannity’s program. Sherman added that Hannity may have hired “other lawyers and/or private investigators” as part of the effort.

During the many segments Hannity has devoted to defending Cohen on Fox News, not once has he ever divulged that he had paid Cohen for legal advice.

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Shocker – Sean Hannity Revealed As Client Of Beleaguered Trump Attorney Michael Cohen

In open court today, a federal judge ordered Donald Trump’s lawyer to reveal a 3rd “mystery” client apart from Trump and an RNC donor who Cohen helped facilitate a $1.3 million payoff to a former Playboy playmate who became pregnant during their affair.

It turns out that the mystery client is Fox News‘ Sean Hannity.

That would be the same Sean Hannity who has railed against the cases against Michael Cohen for months and NEVER disclosed he had a legal relationship with Cohen. That would not be illegal but seriously unethical.

Cohen says he attempted to keep Hannity’s name private due to attorney/client privilege. But on his radio show today, Hannity says he was never an actual “client” of Cohen’s, and never received or paid an invoice.

What comes up now is whether or not there IS an attorney/client relationship with Hannity? If not, then any conversations between the two men would not be covered by attorney/client privilege.

Also, Cohen’s work for his other two clients was covering up possible sex scandals? What did he do for Hannity?

Lots of questions to be answered here. More info here.

One has to wonder: was Cohen a “fixer” for Hannity?

CNN’s Jake Tapper had the best lead-in ever…

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Report: Mueller Has Evidence Trump Lawyer Cohen Traveled To Prague; Cohen Issues Denial

Trump lawyer and confidant Michael Cohen

While Donald Trump was ordering the missile strike on Syria last night, McClatchyDC was reporting that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has found evidence that Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, did travel to Prague in August/September of 2016 at the height of the presidential campaign.

Confirmation of the trip would lend credence to a retired British spy’s report that Cohen strategized there with a powerful Kremlin figure about Russian meddling in the U.S. election.

It would also be one of the most significant developments thus far in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of whether the Trump campaign and the Kremlin worked together to help Trump win the White House. Undercutting Trump’s repeated pronouncements that “there is no evidence of collusion,” it also could ratchet up the stakes if the president tries, as he has intimated he might for months, to order Mueller’s firing.

Cohen denied the allegations last year saying he has “never been to Prague” in his life. He famously produced his passport which showed no stamp of entry into Prague.

But the new reports posit that Cohen may have traveled on private jet to Germany and entered the Czech Republic from there. Because both countries are in the so-called Schengen Area in which 26 nations operate with open borders, a passport would not have been necessary for entry.

The infamous Steele dossier has been declared “debunked” in great part by Trump loyalists because of Cohen’s passport defense. The logic seems to be if that one aspect of the report was untrue then the entire dossier must be a lie.

And yet, several items in the dossier have been verified.

Cohen again denied the reports today via Twitter.

“Bad reporting, bad information and bad story,” Cohen tweeted, calling out McClatchy reporter Peter Stone by name.

“No matter how many times or ways they write it, I have never been to Prague. I was in LA with my son. Proven!”

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Report: Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen Intends To Plead 5th Amendment Against Self-Incrimination

Stormy Daniels’ lawyer Michael Avenatti

Stormy Daniels’ attorney Michael Avenatti just announced during an interview with MSNBC’s Nicole Wallace that he has been told Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen intends to “plead the 5th amendment against self incrimination” and “will seek an emergency stay” against the defamation lawsuit.

You’ll recall that in September of 2016, during the presidential campaign, Trump told a crowd in Iowa, “The mob takes the Fifth. If you’re innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?”

Wonder if Trump considers his personal lawyer “the mob?”

Watch Avenatti’s news on MSNBC below.

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Trump’s Lawyer Says He Would Have Handled Stormy Daniels Payments Differently

Michael Cohen

While Donald Trump angrily ranted the the FBI “broke into the office” of Michael Cohen, his personal attorney, Cohen’s take on the events depict a different scene.

In his first comments since the raid, Cohen told CNN today the FBI agents “were extremely professional, courteous and respectful.”

“I am unhappy to have my personal residence and office raided. But I will tell you that members of the FBI that conducted the search and seizure were all extremely professional, courteous and respectful. And I thanked them at the conclusion,” Cohen said in a phone conversation on Tuesday with CNN.

Asked if he was worried, Cohen said; “I would be lying to you if I told that I am not. Do I need this in my life? No. Do I want to be involved in this? No.”

The raid was “upsetting to say the least,” he added.

He wants the investigation to be over and continues to say everything he did in regards to paying Stormy Daniels for the non-disclosure agreement was perfectly legal.

He said that he is very loyal to Trump but after what happened on Monday, he’d rethink how he handled the payments to Daniels because of the impact on his family.

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Trump’s Deputy Attorney General (And Republican) Rod Rosenstein Signed Off On Michael Cohen Raid

Donald Trump

The New York Times is reporting that Donald Trump’s Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein personally signed off on yesterday’s raid on the office of Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s personal attorney.

According to sources, the FBI agents were looking for documents and/or records related to payments to women who have alleged having affairs with Trump, plus any connections to the publisher of The National Enquirer in silencing one of the women.

The search warrant carried out by the public corruption unit of the Manhattan federal attorney’s office seeks information about Karen McDougal, an ex-Playboy model who claims she carried on a nearly yearlong affair with Mr. Trump shortly after the birth of his son in 2006. Ms. McDougal was paid $150,000 by American Media Inc., the Enquirer’s parent company, whose chief executive is a friend of Mr. Trump’s.

Agents were also searching Michael D. Cohen’s office for information related to Stephanie Clifford, better known as Stormy Daniels, who says she also had sex with Mr. Trump while he was married. Mr. Cohen has acknowledged that he paid Ms. Clifford $130,000 as part of a nondisclosure agreement to secure her silence just days before the 2016 presidential election.

Rod J. Rosenstein, the veteran Republican prosecutor handpicked by Mr. Trump to serve as deputy attorney general, personally signed off on Monday’s F.B.I. decision to raid the office of Mr. Cohen, Mr. Trump’s personal attorney and longtime confidant, several government officials said.

Trump has publicly groused that the ongoing investigations by the FBI and Special Counsel Robert Mueller are a “witch hunt” in what appears to be an attempt to make this all a partisan endeavor.

But, in truth, all of those making the big decisions into these issues have been Republicans.

From former FBI Director James Comey to current FBI Director Christopher Wray, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein and Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

All Republicans.

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Trump Worries In Twitter Rant: “Attorney-Client Privilege Is Dead!”

Donald Trump

Donald Trump was still in Twitter-rant mode this morning as he continued to rail about yesterday’s raid by the FBI on his personal lawyer’s office, home and hotel room.

Declarations of “Attorney–client privilege is dead!” and “A TOTAL WITCH HUNT!!!” flew from the Trumpster’s fingers even as the Twitterverse pointed out that attorney/client privilege does have limits.

If there’s evidence his lawyer, Michael Cohen, was aiding Trump in committing fraud, in the area of campaign finance for instance, attorney/client privilege becomes null and void.

It’s possible Trump had no idea that there are limits to attorney/client privilege.

Additionally, as I mentioned yesterday in my report on the raids, it is rare for the FBI to execute a search warrant on an attorney. For the FBI to have taken such extreme steps means they probably expected Cohen to be considering destroying evidence, but also had to convince a magistrate of that via hard evidence.

Plus, while Trump would like to believe this is all a partisan attack, folks were quick to point out that  the top decision-makers who have been involved in the ongoing Trump investigations have all been Republicans.

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Breaking: FBI Raids Office & Home Of Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen

Donald Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen

Update: The Washington Post now says Michael Cohen is “under federal investigation for possible bank fraud, wire fraud and campaign finance violations, according to a person with knowledge of the case.”

Whoa.

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Breaking news right now as word comes that the FBI raided the office and home of Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, in connection to the ongoing Stormy Daniels/Trump scandal.

Cohen has admitted to paying Daniels $130,000 just days before the 2016 election as part of a non-disclosure agreement regarding an alleged affair Daniels had with Trump.

According to The New York Times, prosecutors executed the search after receiving a referral from Special Counsel Robert Mueller who is investigating possible connections between the Trump campaign and Russian interference during the election.

Today’s search and seizure doesn’t seem to be directly related to Mr. Mueller’s investigation. Experts say today’s actions were the result of information Mueller had discovered and handed over to prosecutors in New York.

Mr. Cohen has stated in the past that he is cooperating with authorities regarding the Russian meddling and has turned over thousands of documents to congressional investigators.

The Times reports the $130K payment to Daniels is only one of several topics being investigated by the FBI in relation to Cohen. Also seized today were tax documents, emails and business records.

Included in today’s search were communications between Mr. Trump and Mr. Cohen.

The Times says review of those documents will require a special team of agents because conversations between lawyers and clients enjoy attorney/client privilege in most cases.

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Trump Lawyer Used Trump Organization Email Account To Pay Stormy Daniels

Michael Cohen

NBC News is reporting Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, used his Trump Organization email account to arrange payment of $130,000 to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Now – why would he use his TrumpOrg.com account if the payment to Daniels had nothing to do with Trump?

The lawyer, Michael Cohen, also regularly used the same email account during 2016 negotiations with the actress — whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford — before she signed a nondisclosure agreement, a source familiar with the discussions told NBC News.

And Clifford’s attorney at the time addressed correspondence to Cohen in his capacity at the Trump Organization and as “Special Counsel to Donald J. Trump,” the source said.

Cohen has tried to put distance between the president and the payout, which has been the subject of campaign finance complaints.

In a statement last month, Cohen said he used his “personal funds to facilitate a payment” to Clifford, who says she had an intimate relationship with Trump a decade ago.

“Neither the Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign was a party to the transaction with Ms. Clifford, and neither reimbursed me for the payment, either directly or indirectly,” Cohen said in that statement.

But an email uncovered in the last 24 hours and provided to NBC News by Clifford’s current attorney, Michael Avenatti, shows First Republic Bank and Cohen communicated about the money using his Trump company email address, not his personal gmail account.

“I think this document seriously calls into question the prior representation of Mr. Cohen and the White House relating to the source of the monies paid to Ms. Clifford in an effort to silence her,” said Avenatti, who is representing Clifford in a lawsuit against Trump.

You can see the email here.

Daniels’ lawyer says the email suggests the money for Daniels came from a Trump account since Cohen used his TrumpOrg email account to facilitate the transfer.