FBI agents just raided the office of President Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen at the request of special counsel Robert Mueller and apparently seized documents related to Cohen’s October 2016 payment of $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels.
From Washington Examiner
The New York Times reported that the raid collected documents related to Cohen’s October 2016 payment of $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels, who says she had an affair with Trump.
Cohen claims he paid Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, without Trump’s knowledge, amid questions about whether the payoff is an illegal campaign contribution.
Lawyer Stephen Ryan, who is representing Cohen, called the raid “completely inappropriate and unnecessary.”
“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 in a statement. “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.”
Ryan said that “[t]hese 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.”
Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller, would not comment on the raid. “We will decline to comment,” he said in an email.
Michael Avenatti, an attorney for Daniels, said he wasn’t surprised by the raid.
“As I predicted last week on CNN and MSNBC, Mr. Cohen has been placed in the crosshairs by Mr. Trump,” Avenatti said. “He has been set-up to take the fall. An enormous amount of misplaced faith has been placed on his shoulders and I do not believe he has the mettle to withstand it. If I am correct, this could end very, very badly for Mr. Trump and others.”
