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What Michael Cohen Knows About the Trump Organization
David Fahrenthold Retweeted by David Fahrenthold Retweeted: https://twitter.com/Fahrenthold
.@adamdavidson has done a lot of investigative reporting on the Trump Organization. He shares (via @ericlach) some key facts to keep in mind about as we watch the drip, drip on Michael Cohen.
Link to tweet
What Michael Cohen Knows About the Trump Organization
Last updated at 1:25 PM
By Eric Lach
1:25 PM
On Monday, the F.B.I. raided the hotel room and office of Michael Cohen, the longtime Trump Organization employee, and seized e-mails, tax documents, and business records—including some related to a hush-money payment that Cohen made to Stormy Daniels, an adult-film actress and director. The Washington Post reported that Cohen is under investigation “for possible bank fraud, wire fraud and campaign finance violations,” and the matter had apparently been referred to prosecutors in New York by Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. Amy Davidson Sorkin has written about the raid and the President’s initial response to it. And here, Adam Davidson, who has written for The New Yorker about Cohen’s role in the Trump Organization, lists three factors to keep in mind about the Trump associate:
• Cohen is often described as Trump’s personal lawyer. He is a lawyer, and he did work for Trump personally, but not in a traditional lawyerly capacity. What he did for Trump and the Trump Organization is bring in business deals. It’s more accurate to say that Cohen was one of Trump’s deal guys. Maybe the most important deal guy, after Trump’s children.
• Cohen was directly involved in the Trump Organization’s pursuit of international deals in the years leading up to Trump’s Presidential campaign. During this period, the Trump Organization did business with corrupt politicians, sanctions violators, and money launderers. A key question, which carries significant legal ramifications, is how much the company knew about these partners’ records and reputations. Michael Cohen can answer this question.
• Trump might have reason to worry about Cohen coöperating with federal investigators, but his two oldest children—Donald, Jr., and Ivanka—likely have even more reason. Cohen, Donald, Jr., and Ivanka were essentially the Trump Organization’s entire global development team when the company was shaking hands with questionable business partners around the world. If Cohen were to coöperate with investigators, they would surely ask him about Trump’s children.
Last updated at 1:25 PM
By Eric Lach
1:25 PM
On Monday, the F.B.I. raided the hotel room and office of Michael Cohen, the longtime Trump Organization employee, and seized e-mails, tax documents, and business records—including some related to a hush-money payment that Cohen made to Stormy Daniels, an adult-film actress and director. The Washington Post reported that Cohen is under investigation “for possible bank fraud, wire fraud and campaign finance violations,” and the matter had apparently been referred to prosecutors in New York by Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. Amy Davidson Sorkin has written about the raid and the President’s initial response to it. And here, Adam Davidson, who has written for The New Yorker about Cohen’s role in the Trump Organization, lists three factors to keep in mind about the Trump associate:
• Cohen is often described as Trump’s personal lawyer. He is a lawyer, and he did work for Trump personally, but not in a traditional lawyerly capacity. What he did for Trump and the Trump Organization is bring in business deals. It’s more accurate to say that Cohen was one of Trump’s deal guys. Maybe the most important deal guy, after Trump’s children.
• Cohen was directly involved in the Trump Organization’s pursuit of international deals in the years leading up to Trump’s Presidential campaign. During this period, the Trump Organization did business with corrupt politicians, sanctions violators, and money launderers. A key question, which carries significant legal ramifications, is how much the company knew about these partners’ records and reputations. Michael Cohen can answer this question.
• Trump might have reason to worry about Cohen coöperating with federal investigators, but his two oldest children—Donald, Jr., and Ivanka—likely have even more reason. Cohen, Donald, Jr., and Ivanka were essentially the Trump Organization’s entire global development team when the company was shaking hands with questionable business partners around the world. If Cohen were to coöperate with investigators, they would surely ask him about Trump’s children.