The FBI has reportedly raided the Manhattan office and hotel room of President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen, and they collected records and payment information in connection with Stormy Daniels.
New York Times reports that prosecutors obtained a warrant to search the Trump lawyer’s offices after receiving a referral from Robert Mueller. The special counsel reportedly provided federal agents with relevant information he found during his investigation into Russian meddling, though Cohen’s lawyer, Stephen Ryan, is protesting the search as “completely inappropriate and unnecessary.”
New statement from Michael Cohen’s attorney confirming raid (via @carolelee) pic.twitter.com/XMtbFUaoXb
— Monica Alba (@albamonica) April 9, 2018
An official briefed on the search told the Times that Cohen was cooperative during the search, even as authorities collected emails, tax documents, and other records of interest to the Russian meddling investigation and the Daniels hush-money case.
The Washington Post followed up with its own report on the raid:
Among the documents seized were privileged communications between Cohen and his clients — including those with Trump, according to a person familiar with the investigators’ work. Investigators took Cohen’s computer, phone and personal financial records as part of the search of his office at Rockefeller Center, the person said.
WaPo’s Robert Costa also offered a grim look inside the president’s inner circle:
Calling around the president’s circle. His allies are taken aback. Rattled. Worry the president has a small legal team that lacks a heavy hitter. Worry that Mueller is making big moves and, in essence, prodding the president to finally sit down for an interview…
— Robert Costa (@costareports) April 9, 2018
Michael Avenatti, the lawyer representing Daniels in her lawsuit against Cohen, offered this reaction to the news.
See below and review my comments and predictions last week on CNN and MSNBC. An enormous amount of misplaced faith has been placed on MC’s shoulders IMO. If he does not hold up, this could end very very badly for DJT and others. F.B.I. Raids Cohen Offices https://t.co/ijYXxDpiGH
— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) April 9, 2018
Meanwhile the scene at the Regency Hotel, where Cohen has been staying in Manhattan, is reportedly hopping with reporters as the FBI continues its search:
.@KatyTurNBC just reported on MSNBC that the NBC News Investigative Unit went to the Regency Hotel where Michael Cohen has been staying and the doorman said that the FBI is still there.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) April 9, 2018
new york source says there are so many tv cameras outside the loews hotel where michael cohen was staying that “you can barely cross the street.”
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) April 9, 2018
[Photo via Getty Images]
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