Trump Reportedly Called Cohen While Lawyers Tried to Stop DOJ From Reading Seized Docs
On the day lawyers from both parties went to court in an effort to block the Justice Department from reviewing seized documents obtained in FBI raids earlier this week, President Donald Trump called his longtime personal attorney and “fixer” Michael Cohen to “check in,” according to the New York Times.
Cohen’s office and hotel room were raided by the FBI on Monday. Per the Times, federal prosecutors are now stating that the raids were part of a “monthslong investigation” into Cohen and the feds had obtained search warrants for Cohen’s laptops, cell phones, tablets and a safe deposit box. The prosecutors also told the court on Friday that much of the investigation has to do with Cohen’s business dealings, which represents a far broader scope than was reported earlier in the week.
It isn’t known if the two men discussed the recent raids of what was on the documents that were seized by the feds. As the Times noted, it could be problematic if they discussed the investigation and defense lawyers typically advise their clients not to speak to each other during active investigations.
The FBI was looking for information related to both porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal. Cohen arranged a hush payment of $130,000 to Daniels prior to the 2016 election as part of a nondisclosure agreement over an alleged affair she had with the president in 2006.
McDougal claims she had an affair with Trump in 2006 and she was paid $150,000 by American Media Inc. for her story prior to the election. The publication never published a piece on the affair but had McDougal sign a “limited life-story rights agreement.” Both women have sued to be released from their agreements.
[image via Getty Images]
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