by CHUCK ROSS, Reporter.
The FBI raided the offices of longtime Trump lawyer Michael
Cohen on Monday, according to The New York Times.
Agents seized records related to various topics, including
payments made just before the 2016 presidential election to adult film actress
Stormy Daniels.
Cohen paid $130,000 to Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie
Clifford. She alleges that she had a one-night stand with Trump in 2006.
Cohen’s lawyer, Stephen Ryan, issued a statement confirming
the raid. He said that the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan obtained the
warrant after receiving a referral from Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
“Today the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District
of New York executed a series of search warrants and seized the privileged
communications between my client, Michael Cohen, and his clients,” Ryan said.
“I have been advised by federal prosecutors that the New York action is, in
part, a referral by the Office of Special Counsel, Robert Mueller.”
He went on to call the search “completely inappropriate and
unnecessary.”
“It resulted in the unnecessary seizure of protected
attorney client communications between a lawyer and his clients,” Ryan
continued.
The search is not directly related to Mueller’s Russia
probe, though the referral was likely made based on other information that had
been provided to the special counsel, according to The Times.
Cohen, who is one of President Trump’s most dogged
supporters, has turned over thousands of documents related to the Russia
investigation. Mueller has dug into Cohen’s work on various Trump real estate
deals.
“These government tactics are also wrong because Mr. Cohen
has cooperated completely with all government entities, including providing
thousands of non-privileged documents to the Congress and sitting for
depositions under oath,” said Ryan.
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