Michael Cohen will REFUSE a pardon from 'corrupt' Trump says his own attorney - who says Congress must act against the president because there is 'evidence of a crime'

  • Trump's ex lawyer Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations relating to hush money payments to Stormy Daniels and former model Karen McDougal  
  • Cohen's attorney, Lanny Davis, said there is enough evidence for Congress to open an investigation into President Trump
  • Davis says the president is just as guilty because he 'directed' Cohen to make the payments in the run up to the election
  • He said Cohen knew about 'the obvious possibility of a conspiracy to collude and corrupt the American democracy system in the 2016 election'    
  • Federal prosecutors have been investigating Michael Cohen's income from his taxi-medallion business
  • Investigators have been probing more than $20 million in loans which were made to taxi companies owned by Cohen and his family
  • Cohen made his plea within minutes of a Virginia jury convicting former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort on eight counts following his trial      

Michael Cohen's lawyer is calling on Congress to open an investigation into whether President Donald Trump directed his former personal attorney to commit a crime - and saying his client will not accept a presidential pardon.

'There is most certainly enough evidence now' for Congress to make such a move, Cohen's lawyer Lanny Davis told Bloomberg News on Wednesday.

'That would be the first time in American history that we have evidence of a crime of a president in office, with somebody pleading guilty to a crime and saying that he was directed to commit that crime by a president,' Davis noted. 

Davis settled the debate over whether Cohen should be pardoned by the president in an appearance on NBC's 'Today' show.

Davis, who's best known for his defense of Bill Clinton in the former president's impeachment scandal, claimed that Cohen would neither request a pardon nor accept a get-out-jail-free card if the White House came calling. 

"Not only is he not hoping for it, he would not accept a pardon. He considers a pardon from somebody who has acted so corruptly as President to be something he would never accept," Davis said of his client.  

Republicans control both chambers of Congress meaning members of the president's own party would have to agree to a congressional investigation. 

And GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill are largely avoiding any speculation on what will happen to Trump in the wake Cohen's guilty plea, CNN reported. 

'We are aware of Mr. Cohen's guilty plea to these serious charges. We will need more information than is currently available at this point,' a spokesperson for Speaker Paul Ryan said.

Davis argues his client doesn't need to provide evidence that Trump directed him to commit crimes - the president's lawyers have already done that.

He says his client's guilty plea draws on a letter that Trump's current attorneys sent special counsel Robert Mueller admitting the president 'directed' Cohen to make the Stormy Daniels hush-money payoff.

'Let me make 100 percent clear: the evidence was provided definitively by Donald Trump's lawyers,' Davis said Wednesday. 'It's not a dispute. It's not about credibility. It's his lawyers in a letter used the word directed.'

Invoking Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, who claimed it's not a crime to lie to the American people, Davis said that it is federal crime to make illegal campaign contributions like the one that Cohen pleaded guilty to making on Tuesday afternoon.

'President Trump committed a criminal act that corrupted our democracy,' Davis on 'Good Morning America' charged. 'That's what the campaign finance laws are about.'

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Michael Cohen's lawyer Lanny Davis says his client doesn't need to provide evidence that Donald Trump directed him to commit crimes - the president's lawyers have already done that

Michael Cohen's lawyer Lanny Davis says his client doesn't need to provide evidence that Donald Trump directed him to commit crimes - the president's lawyers have already done that

DARKEST DAY: President Donald Trump looked pensive as he stepped off Air Force One upon arrival at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Tuesday

DARKEST DAY: President Donald Trump looked pensive as he stepped off Air Force One upon arrival at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Tuesday

Cohen's racquet: The president's former lawyer slipped in to his apartment building in New York by a side entrance with with a tennis raquet bag. He has made no public statement since pleading guilty but his attorney has accused the president of committing a crime

Cohen's racquet: The president's former lawyer slipped in to his apartment building in New York by a side entrance with with a tennis raquet bag. He has made no public statement since pleading guilty but his attorney has accused the president of committing a crime

In the side door: Michael Cohen was casually addressed as he returned home to his Park Avenue apartment hours after the president accused him of lying in his guilty plea

In the side door: Michael Cohen was casually addressed as he returned home to his Park Avenue apartment hours after the president accused him of lying in his guilty plea

Davis blitzed the networks on Tuesday evening and appeared on three cable shows Wednesday morning to explain why his client turned on Trump.

Cohen is prepared to tell investigators 'all he knows' about the President and the 'conspiracy to collude and corrupt the 2016 election,' Davis said Tuesday of the president's former attorney and fixer.

Davis says Trump ordered his client to make hush-money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal to keep them quiet about alleged affairs, which makes him similarly guilty of a felony. 

Trump has denied an affair with either women. Daniels was paid $130,000 from Cohen directly and McDougal was paid from a publisher.

Davis added that Cohen is also willing to give Mueller information about the Democratic National Committee hack in the run-up to the election 'and whether or not Mr. Trump knew ahead of time about that crime and even cheered it on.'

Russian hackers, in June and July of 2016, hacked the DNC's email system and messages were leaked via DCLeaks and WikiLeaks. The emails suggested the party's leadership favored Hillary Clinton's presidential bid over Bernie Sanders and worked to help her win the nomination. Their revelation resulted in the resignation of then DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

Two of Trump's former confidantes went down on Tuesday, all within the span of a half-hour, in back-to-back announcements that they were guilty of federal crimes that could land them in prison for years.

WHERE'S RUDY? The president's current attorney was nowhere to be found on Wednesday as Trump world burned down

WHERE'S RUDY? The president's current attorney was nowhere to be found on Wednesday as Trump world burned down

Cohen could have been assessed a 65-year term if he'd been found guilty of committing financial crimes and violating campaign finance laws. Instead, he'll be sentenced to a maximum term of 63 months. 

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort is looking at life in prison after he was found guilty on eight counts of tax and bank fraud charges. 

'This is not a great day. It's a bad day for the president, and I'm sure he understands that,' former New Jersey Gov. and Trump transition team head Chris Christie said Wednesday on 'GMA.' 

Christie, a former U.S. attorney himself, said that it's 'outrageous' that Davis would be asking the American people to trust his client now, considering his client acknowledged defrauding the federal government $1.3 million in unpaid taxes on $4 million of unreported income.   

But even the Trump friend admitted there are lingering questions that the president and his attorney's must account for.

'What we've got to know is what was the president's motive in directing these payments to be made? Was this pattern and practice that had gone on other times through the years before he was a candidate or was this specific to influence the election? Did it influence the election?' he said. 'So those are all questions we've got to get answered.'

Giuliani and another Trump attorney, Jay Sekulow, were unusually quiet on Wednesday as Cohen's attorney ran roughshod all over them.

Sekulow did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com. 

The former mayor of New York, Giuliani has been a fixture on major news programs as of late as part of a strategy to pressure Mueller and shape national opinion on the special counsel case. But even he was missing in action on Tuesday night and early Wednesday.  

Giuliani instead released a tightly-worded statement on Tuesday evening, in response to Cohen's claims, that said: 'There is no allegation of any wrongdoing against the President in the government's charges against Mr. Cohen.

'It is clear that, as the prosecutor noted, Mr. Cohen's actions reflect a pattern of lies and dishonesty over a significant period of time.'

 

Michael Cohen's lawyer Lanny Davis (pictured) has suggested that Donald Trump is just as guilty as his client after he 'directed' him to make the hush money payments 

Michael Cohen's lawyer Lanny Davis (pictured) has suggested that Donald Trump is just as guilty as his client after he 'directed' him to make the hush money payments 

'Mr. Cohen has knowledge on certain subjects that should be of interest to the special counsel and is more than happy to tell the special counsel all that he knows,' Davis said on MSNBC's 'Rachel Maddow Show'

'Mr. Cohen has knowledge on certain subjects that should be of interest to the special counsel and is more than happy to tell the special counsel all that he knows,' Davis said on MSNBC's 'Rachel Maddow Show'

Davis said Trump's ex-lawyer only made the payment 'at the direction' of Trump making the president 'as much guilty of a felony.'

'(Trump) just hasn't owned up to it, but he tried to hide by asking his lawyer to do something he wasn't willing to do because he feared the electoral consequences,' he said.

And Davis warned that Cohen had been Trump's personal lawyer for 'many, many years' and so 'knows almost everything about Mr Trump.'

'Mr. Cohen has knowledge on certain subjects that should be of interest to the special counsel and is more than happy to tell the special counsel all that he knows,' Davis said on MSNBC's 'Rachel Maddow Show.' 

'Not just about the obvious possibility of a conspiracy to collude and corrupt the American democracy system in the 2016 election, which the Trump Tower meeting was all about, but also knowledge about the computer crime of hacking and whether or not Mr Trump knew ahead of time about that crime and even cheered it on,' he added. 

He added that Cohen had information about Trump 'that would be of interest in Washington and New York State. 

In another interview with CNN on Tuesday, Davis also hinted that Cohen may have incriminating information about the Trump Foundation. 

The New York Attorney General has filed a civil suit against Trump and his three eldest children alleging 'persistently illegal conduct' with respect to foundation money and using the money in their own self-interest.

'We'll see if the level of corruption alleged concerning the Trump Foundation is a topic of concern for the New York Attorney General,' Davis said after being asked if Cohen could offer any new information about Trump's alleged wrongdoing or criminal activity.

'We know that the pardon power wouldn't apply in New York State.' 

Davis said that Trump should be prepared to see 'a liberated Michael Cohen speaking truth to power.'  

And that he was prepared to spill 'everything about Donald Trump that he knows.'

U.S. President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort stands before Judge T.S. Ellis as he was found guilty of eight of the 18 charges he faced in a case of bank and tax fraud at U.S. District Courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia 

President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort (left in his mugshot andf right in a court sketch) was found guilty on eight counts following his trial

'It's truth that Michal Cohen is committed to, and it's the truth that so threatens the president of the United States.   

Davis would not say whether Cohen has already been in contact with the special counsel, which is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and potential obstruction of justice by Trump, but said that Mueller 'will have a lot of interest in what Michael has to say.'

But even with the potential new revelations aside, Davis said that Trump could face federal charges after Cohen stated under oath that the then-presidential candidate directed him to commit a crime 'making Donald Trump as much guilty of that felony as my client Mr Cohen.'

Cohen had pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of bank fraud, tax fraud and campaign finance law violations. 

'Why didn't President Trump do this himself? Why didn't he write or sign the check himself? Was he covering up because he knew that there was something wrong in what he was doing, so he directed his lawyer to do something that he didn't want anyone to know that he did? I think the answer to that is obvious.'

He added that Trump 'didn't have the courage or at least didn't want to expose himself politically so soon before the election so he directed his lawyer to do that which he was not willing to do.'

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claims she had an affair with Trump. Among the charges Cohen will plead guilty to are campaign finance violations in connection to a $130,000 payment he made to Daniels
Cohen also negotiated a $150,000 payment by American Media Inc. to former Playboy cover model Karen McDougal, who claims she had a year-long affair with Trump

Michael Cohen's lawyer suggested that Donald Trump was also guilty of a federal crime after he reportedly directed his client to make hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels (pictured with Trump, left) and former Playboy model Karen McDougal (with Trump, right)

'So there's a cover up by our now President of the United States which is undeniable.'

Davis said he had no qualms about saying that Trump had directed his client, because the president's own lawyer Rudy Giuliani had 'thrown his client under the bus' by admitting that himself.

What Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to doing 

Five counts of tax evasion. Avoided declaring $4.1 million in income earned in 2012 through 2016, depriving the government of about $1.3 million in tax revenue.

Making false statements to a bank. Failed to disclose a $14 million line of credit when taking out loans, including for the purchase of an $8.5 million summer home. Declared a net worth of $40 million when applying for a home equity loan, omitting the $14 million debt.

Campaign finance violations. Helped deal with 'Individual-1's relationships with women' by identifying stories and keeping them from being published. Negotiated $150,000 payment to 'model and actress' and made a $130,000 payment to 'an adult film actress.' He caused and made the payments 'in order to influence the 2016 presidential election.' 

He faced up to 65 years in prison for what he is being charged with had he not pleaded guilty. 

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'The word 'directed' came from Donald Trump's lawyers who wrote the special counsel and said that Donald trump directed Michael Cohen to make that payment,' he added.

Davis, who said Cohen had reservations about Trump's suitability to be president, told CNN's Chris Cuomo that his client was 'motivated for his country' and 'will tell the truth.'

Cohen pleaded to eight different counts, including those related to Daniels and McDougal.

Although he didn't mention Trump by name, Trump's former lawyer and fixer spoke in open court about a $130,000 payment as well as a deal he helped negotiate with a publisher involving McDougal.

He said he did so 'in coordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office,' CNN reported – in an obvious reference to Trump, his former employer. Federal law bars donors from coordinating with a campaign while placing strict limits on the amount of contributions.

Both women claim they had affairs with Trump, and both got payments, Daniels from Cohen directly and McDougal from a publisher. 

Trump said Tuesday that he felt very sorry for Manafort ahead of his Charleston evening rally speech. Yet he completely ignored Cohen's implication that he participated in federal crimes.

He then failed to mention either Manafort or Cohen at his rally.

But he tore into the Mueller probe, calling it the 'Russian witch hunt' hours after investigators achieved their biggest conviction yet of former Trump campaign chair Manafort.

'How ya like me now?' Stormy Daniels gloats after Michael Cohen's guilty plea as the porn star's lawyer claims plea will allow him to DEPOSE Trump in civil suit

Stormy Daniels weighed in after PresidentDonald Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to criminal charges related to a hush money payoff to the porn star.

'How ya like me now?!' Daniels tweeted on Tuesday night, hours after Cohen pleaded guilty in a New York court to eight criminal counts including tax evasion, bank fraud and campaign finance violations.

Daniel's attorney, Michael Avenatti, said that the guilty plea would bolster her civil suit against Cohen - and claimed that he would now be able to force Trump to give a sworn deposition in the suit.

'The developments of today will permit us to have the stay lifted in the civil case & should also permit us to proceed with an expedited deposition of Trump under oath about what he knew, when he knew it, and what he did about it. We will disclose it all to the public,' Avenatti wrote in a tweet. 

Stormy Daniels (seen Monday on Loose Women) chimed in with glee following Cohen's plea

Stormy Daniels (seen Monday on Loose Women) chimed in with glee following Cohen's plea

Avenatti added: 'We. Are. Coming. We are going to end this dumpster fire of a presidency one way or another.' 

It is unclear whether Cohen's court testimony would in fact convince a judge to attempt to compel Trump to give a sworn deposition. 

Sitting presidents are normally exempt from court processes. But Bill Clinton, while in office, did give a deposition in a sexual harassment civil suit, and his sworn statements about Monica Lewinsky led to his impeachment on perjury and obstruction charges. 

Avenatti (above) said Cohen's plea and statements in court would allow him to depose Trump in an ongoing civil suit that Daniels has filed against Cohen

Avenatti (above) said Cohen's plea and statements in court would allow him to depose Trump in an ongoing civil suit that Daniels has filed against Cohen

The two payments were intended to silence two women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump and were made prior to the 2016 presidential election. One was for $130,000 given to Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. The other for $150,000 related to former Playboy model Karen McDougal.

Trump has denied having affairs with the women. His lawyer Rudy Giuliani has said the payments were made to spare Trump and his family embarrassment and were unrelated to the campaign.

Cohen made the payments from his own money, and then was reportedly reimbursed by Trump. Prosecutors said that the payments constituted an illegal campaign contribution by Cohen. 

Cohen said in court he arranged to make payments 'for (the) principal purpose of influencing (the) election'.  

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'Fake news. Fake. How fake, how fake are they?' Trump asked rhetorically. 'Fake news and the Russian witch hunt. We got a whole big combination. Where is the collusion? You know they're still looking for collusion. Where is the collusion? Find some collusion. We want to find the collusion,' Trump said.   

Trump said he feels 'very badly' for his ex-campaign chairman, who is now facing life in prison after being convicted of fraud.

Jurors found Paul Manafort guilty today on eight of 18 charges in a financial crimes case brought by prosecutors tasked with probing Russian election meddling.

'I feel very sad about that, because it doesn't involve me, but I still feel, you know, it's a very sad thing that happened,' Trump told reporters ahead of a West Virginia rally. 

The president was in Charleston for a rally on Tuesday that was supposed to pump up his base and energize voters in West Virginia to support Republicans.

But back to back blows in the criminal cases of Manafort and Cohen cast a shadow over Trump's travel, though, and the president appeared unusually downtrodden.

Walking over to reporters shouting on the tarmac about the former Trump associates the president said: 'I feel badly for both.'

In another interview with CNN on Tuesday, Davis also hinted that Cohen may have incriminating information about the Trump Foundation

In another interview with CNN on Tuesday, Davis also hinted that Cohen may have incriminating information about the Trump Foundation

'I must tell you that, Paul Manafort's a good man,' he insisted. 

A federal charging document lays out how Cohen helped deal with a person identified as 'Individual-1's relationships with women' by identifying stories and keeping them from being published. 

The documents note that the individual was a candidate for president. 

In addition what he did was he worked to pay money to silence two women who had information that he believed would be detrimental to the 2016 campaign and to the candidate and the campaign 

Cohen negotiated $150,000 payment to 'model and actress' and made a $130,000 payment to 'an adult film actress,' according to the documents stated the offenses he pleaded guilty to. Cohen caused and made the payments 'in order to influence the 2016 presidential election,' he is admitting.

The White House didn't hold a press briefing amid the turmoil, instead confronting reporters only through the safer medium of conference calls. Trump didn't mention either bombshell development in his speech in West Virginia hours after they occurred.

Cohen as part of the plea gets jail time of up to four years – in a deal that apparently does not include cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe. Nevertheless, some legal experts were not ruling out cooperation, and he was facing more charges than he pleaded to.

Prosecutors have reviewed court papers regarding payments to Cohen to see if they were falsified by two Trump executives who handled the reimbursement, Cohen pictured leaving federal court Tuesday after making a plea deal 

Charging documents lay out millions in unreported income by Cohen

Documents also reference Trump as 'Individual-1'

Documents also reference Trump as 'Individual-1'

Cohen appeared in federal court on Tuesday following a series of reports he would plead guilty to federal crimes that would land him in jail for up to four years. 

According to U.S. attorney Robert Khuzami, Cohen failed to report income of $4.1 million, costing the U.S. Treasury approximately $1.3 million.

He failed to disclose $14 million in dead when he applied for a home-equity loan he used to get funds to pay the porn star.

Khuzami also laid out Cohen's campaign finance guilty plea as it related to Daniels and McDougal – though he never mentioned the name of the president or the porn star. 

'In addition what he did was he worked to pay money to silence two women who had information that he believed would be detrimental to the 2016 campaign and to the candidate and the campaign,' Khuzami said.

'In addition, Mr. Cohen sought reimbursement for that money by submitting invoices to the candidate's company which were untrue and false. They indicated that the reimbursement was for services rendered for the year 2017, when in fact those invoices were a sham. He provided no legal services for the year 2017 and it was simply a means to obtain reimbursement for the unlawful campaign contribution,' Khuzami said. 

PAUL MANAFORT FOUND GUILTY OF EIGHT COUNTS OF FRAUD

Paul Manafort was found guilty of tax and bank fraud by a federal jury in Alexandria, Virginia, on Tuesday, a verdict that will likely bolster special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation and undermine arguments from President Trump's supporters that the probe is baseless and politically motivated.

After four days of deliberation, the jury found Manafort guilty of eight counts of bank and tax fraud, which could send the former Trump campaign manager to prison for up to 80 years. 

The jury said it was unable to reach a verdict on the 10 additional counts, leading Judge T.S. Ellis to declare a mistrial on these items.  Judge Ellis said he will not schedule the sentencing until the government decides whether to retry Manafort extra 10 charges. 

Manafort, 69, stood next to his team of lawyers and displayed no emotion during the reading of the verdict. He will have a chance to make a statement during his sentencing.  

 Now what happens: Judge T.S. Ellis III will decide whether to drop the ten charges which the jury said they could not reach a verdict on. Regardless, Manafort will be sentenced on eight fraud charges which could carry a sentence as high as 80 years in prison

 Now what happens: Judge T.S. Ellis III will decide whether to drop the ten charges which the jury said they could not reach a verdict on. Regardless, Manafort will be sentenced on eight fraud charges which could carry a sentence as high as 80 years in prison

The government has recommended to the court anywhere between eight to 10 years in prison for falsifying tax returns, bank fraud conspiracy and failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial records.

The conviction is the first major court victory for Robert Mueller's special counsel investigation into the Trump campaign and Russian election tampering, a probe that has divided Americans and come under attack from the White House.

The jury's verdict defies Donald Trump, who last Friday called Manafort 'a very good person' and the trial 'sad'.

Manafort had initially been charged with a total 18 counts of fraud. The jury deadlocked on the majority of the most serious counts, including seven of the nine bank fraud charges which each carried 30 years maximum prison time.

Manafort was convicted on all five counts of filing inaccurate tax returns for the years 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. These each carry a three year minimum sentence.

He was convicted on one of four counts, for the year 2012, of failing to disclose the existence of his offshore bank accounts. The jury could not agree on whether he was also guilty of this for the years 2011, 2013 and 2014. The single count carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Manafort was also convicted of providing false financial information to obtain a $1 million loan from the Bank of California and a $3.4 million loan from Citizens Bank. These charges each carry a maximum of 30 years in prison.

He was not convicted of seven additional bank fraud charges, including conspiracy to fraudulently obtain a bank loan and providing false financial information to Federal Savings Bank.

It is a stunning fall from grace for the jet-setting political consultant, who once spent $15,000 on an ostrich jacket and millions on high-tech gear for his Hamptons home, but now faces the rest of his life in a jail cell.

He will be sentenced by Judge T.S. Ellis after background reports and argument from both prosecution and defense over what sentence is appropriate. 

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Sources told NBC about the negotiations over a possible plea Tuesday morning, noting that no deal had been reached. Word of the talks followed reports over the weekend that Cohen is being investigated for a $20 million bank fraud.

ABC then reported Cohen had reached an agreement with prosecutors in the Southern District of New York. Cohen surrendered to the FBI in advance of a scheduled 4 pm court appearance, according to CNN.

The campaign finance violations related to the $130,000 payment Cohen made from his own funds to porn star Stormy Daniels, who claims she had an affair with Trump.

Trump said in April that he did not know about payments Cohen made to Daniels – although lawyer Rudy Giuliani later said Trump reimbursed his longtime lawyer for the funds.

Cohen admitted the payment was a violation of strict federal limits on political contributions. Prosecutors deemed the payment an in-kind contribution to the Trump campaign since it helped shelve potentially damaging information.

Cohen agreed to jail time as part of the agreement.

Despite the array of charges, jail time, and restitution, Cohen was not expected to reach an agreement to cooperate with authorities, the New York Times reported.

Such a status, if maintained, would spare President Trump from having one of his closest and most knowledgable associates aiding an inquiry the president has termed a 'witch hunt.' 

Nevertheless, Trump faced the political prospect of seeing one of his closest longtime advisors go to jail over serious federal crimes. Just as the news broke on Cohen's plans, the White House was holding a press call on Trump's plans to travel the country in support of Republicans.   

Cohen pleaded guilty to a campaign finance violation in relation to a $150,000 payment that American Media Inc. made to Playboy model Karen McDougal. AMI publisher David Pecker (c) was part of the deal

Cohen pleaded guilty to a campaign finance violation in relation to a $150,000 payment that American Media Inc. made to Playboy model Karen McDougal. AMI publisher David Pecker (c) was part of the deal

Prosecutors in Cohen were negotiating with a man involved in myriad business and political deals involving the president, including the negotiation of a non-disclosure agreement with porn star Stormy Daniels, and talks on an effort to build a Trump Tower in Moscow that fell through. 

However, the New York Times reported Tuesday afternoon that the deal did not include an agreement to cooperate. 

Cohen in June resigned his post as deputy finance chair of the Republican National Committee once it came out he was under criminal investigation 

Mueller's final tally: Trump's inner circle of convicts and turncoats - and 25 wanted Russian trolls

GUILTY: MICHAEL FLYNN 

Pleaded guilty to making false statements in December 2017. Awaiting sentence

Flynn was President Trump's former National Security Advisor and Robert Mueller's most senior scalp to date. He previously served when he was a three star general as President Obama's director of the Defense Intelligence Agency but was fired. 

He admitted to lying to special counsel investigators about his conversations with a Russian ambassador in December 2016. He has agreed to cooperate with the special counsel investigation.

GUILTY AND JAILED: MICHAEL COHEN

Pleaded guilty to eight counts including fraud and two campaign finance violations in August 2018. Pleaded guilty to further count of lying to Congress in November 2018. Sentenced to three years in prison and $2 million in fines and forfeitures in December 2018

Cohen was investigated by Mueller but the case was handed off to the Southern District of New York,leaving Manhattan's ferocious and fiercely independent federal prosecutors to run his case. 

Cohen was Trump's longtime personal attorney, starting working for him and the Trump Organization in 2007. He is the longest-serving member of Trump's inner circle to be implicated by Mueller. Cohen professed unswerving devotion to Trump - and organized payments to silence two women who alleged they had sex with the-then candidate: porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal. He admitted that payments to both women were felony campaign finance violations - and admitted that he acted at the 'direction' of 'Candidate-1': Donald Trump. 

He also admitted tax fraud by lying about his income from loans he made, money from  taxi medallions he owned, and other sources of income, at a cost to the Treasury of $1.3 million.

And he admitted lying to Congress in a rare use of the offense. The judge in his case let him report for prison on March 6 and  recommended he serve it in a medium-security facility close to New York City.

Campaign role: Paul Manafort chaired Trump's campaign for four months - which included the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in 2016, where he appeared on stage beside Trump who was preparing  to formally accept the Republican nomination

GUILTY AND JAILED: PAUL MANAFORT

Found guilty of eight charges of bank and tax fraud in August 2018. Sentenced to 47 months in March 2019. Pleaded guilty to two further charges - witness tampering and conspiracy against the United States. Jailed for total of seven and a half years in two separate sentences. Additionally indicted for mortgage fraud by Manhattan District Attorney, using evidence previously presented by Mueller 

Manafort worked for Trump's campaign from March 2016 and chaired it from June to August 2016, overseeing Trump being adopted as Republican candidate at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. He is the most senior campaign official to be implicated by Mueller. Manafort was one of Washington D.C.'s longest-term and most influential lobbyists but in 2015, his money dried up and the next year he turned to Trump for help, offering to be his campaign chairman for free - in the hope of making more money afterwards. But Mueller unwound his previous finances and discovered years of tax and bank fraud as he coined in cash from pro-Russia political parties and oligarchs in Ukraine.

Manafort pleaded not guilty to 18 charges of tax and bank fraud but was convicted of eight counts in August 2018. The jury was deadlocked on the other 10 charges. A second trial on charges of failing to register as a foreign agent due in September did not happen when he pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the United States and witness tampering in a plea bargain. He was supposed to co-operate with Mueller but failed to. 

Minutes after his second sentencing hearing in March 2019, he was indicted on 16 counts of fraud and conspiracy by the Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., using evidence which included documents previously presented at his first federal trial. The president has no pardon power over charges by district and state attorneys.

GUILTY AND GOING TO WEEKEND JAIL: RICK GATES 

Pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the United States and making false statements in February 2018. Sentenced to 45 days weekend jail and three years probation, December 17, 2018

Gates was Manafort's former deputy at political consulting firm DMP International. He admitted to conspiring to defraud the U.S. government on financial activity, and to lying to investigators about a meeting Manafort had with a member of congress in 2013. As a result of his guilty plea and promise of cooperation, prosecutors vacated charges against Gates on bank fraud, bank fraud conspiracy, failure to disclose foreign bank accounts, filing false tax returns, helping prepare false tax filings, and falsely amending tax returns.

GUILTY AND JAILED: GEORGE PAPADOPOLOUS

Pleaded guilty to making false statements in October 2017. Sentenced to 14 days in September 2018, and reported to prison in November. Served 12 days and released on December 7, 2018

 Papadopoulos was a member of Donald Trump's campaign foreign policy advisory committee. He admitted to lying to special counsel investigators about his contacts with London professor Josef Mifsud and Ivan Timofeev, the director of a Russian government-funded think tank.  

GUILTY AND JAILED: RICHARD PINEDO

Pleaded guilty to identity fraud in February 2018. Sentenced to a year in prison

Pinedo is a 28-year-old computer specialist from Santa Paula, California. He admitted to selling bank account numbers to Russian nationals over the internet that he had obtained using stolen identities.  

GUILTY AND JAILED: ALEX VAN DER ZWAAN

Pleaded guilty to making false statements in February 2018. He served a 30-day prison sentence and was deported to the Netherlands on his release

Van der Zwaan was a Dutch attorney for Skadden Arps who worked on a Ukrainian political analysis report for Paul Manafort in 2012. 

He admitted to lying to special counsel investigators about when he last spoke with Rick Gates and Konstantin Kilimnik. His law firm say he was fired.

GUILTY:  W. SAMUEL PATTEN

Pleaded guilty in August 2018 to failing to register as a lobbyist while doing work for a Ukrainian political party. Sentenced to three years probation April 2019

Patten, a long-time D.C. lobbyist was a business partner of Paul Manafort. He pleaded guilty to admitting to arranging an illegal $50,000 donation to Trump's inauguration.

He arranged for an American 'straw donor' to pay $50,000 to the inaugural committee, knowing that it was actually for a Ukrainian businessman.

Neither the American or the Ukrainian have been named.   

CHARGED: KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK

Indicted for obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice. At large, probably in Russia

Kilimnik is a former employee of Manafort's political consulting firm and helped him with lobbying work in Ukraine. He is accused of witness tampering, after he allegedly contacted individuals who had worked with Manafort to remind them that Manafort only performed lobbying work for them outside of the U.S.

He has been linked to  Russian intelligence and is currently thought to be in Russia - effectively beyond the reach of extradition by Mueller's team.

INDICTED: THE RUSSIANS 

Twenty-five Russian nationals and three Russian entities have been indicted for conspiracy to defraud the United States. They remain at large in Russia

Two of these Russian nationals were also indicted for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 11 were indicted for conspiracy to launder money. Fifteen of them were also indicted for identity fraud. 

Vladimir Putin has ridiculed the charges. Russia effectively bars extradition of its nationals. The only prospect Mueller has of bringing any in front of a U.S. jury is if Interpol has their names on an international stop list - which is not made public - and they set foot in a territory which extradites to the U.S. 

INDICTED: MICHAEL FLYNN'S BUSINESS PARTNERS

Bijan Kian (left), number two in now disgraced former national security adviser Mike Flynn's lobbying company, and the two's business partner Ekim Alptekin (right) were indicted for conspiracy to lobby illegally.

 Kian, an Iranian-American was arrested and appeared in court charged with a conspiracy to illegally lobby the U.S government without registering as a foreign agent. Their co-conspirator was Flynn, who is called 'Person A' in the indictment and is not charged, offering some insight into what charges he escaped with his plea deal.

Kian, vice-president of Flynn's former lobbying firm, is alleged to have plotted with Alptekin to try to change U.S. policy on an exiled Turkish cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania and who is accused by Turkey's strongman president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, of trying to depose him.

Erdogan's government wanted him extradited from the U.S. and paid Flynn's firm through Alptekin for lobbying, including an op-ed in The Hill calling for Gulen to be ejected. Flynn and Kian both lied that the op-ed was not paid for by the Turkish government. 

The indictment is a sign of how Mueller is taking an interest in more than just Russian involvement in the 2016 election.

GUILTY AND AWAITING SENTENCE: ROGER STONE 

Roger Stone, a former Trump campaign official and longtime informal advisor to Trump, was indited on seven counts including obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and lying to Congress about his communications with WikiLeaks in January 2019. Convicted on all counts November 15, 2019, awaiting sentence

Stone was a person of interest to Mueller's investigators long before his January indictment, thanks in part due to his public pronouncements as well as internal emails about his contacts with WikiLeks.

In campaign texts and emails, many of which had already been publicly revealed before showing up in Mueller's indictment, Stone communicated with associates about WikiLeaks following reports the organization had obtained a cache of Clinton-related emails.

Stone, a former Nixon campaign adviser who has the disgraced former president's face permanently tattooed on his back, has long been portrayed as a central figure in the election interference scandal.

'They got nothing,' he said of the special counsel's investigation. 

Stone gave 'false and misleading' testimony about his requests for information from WikiLeaks. He then pressured a witness, comedian Randy Credico, to take the Fifth Amendment rather than testify, and pressured him in a series of emails. Following a prolonged dispute over testimony, he called him a 'rat' and threatened to 'take that dog away from you', in reference to Credico's pet, Bianca. Stone warned him: 'Let's get it on. Prepare to die.'  

CLEARED: GREG CRAIG

 

Greg Craig, President Barack Obama's White House counsel, was indicted for failing to register as a foreign agent.  Mueller's investigators uncovered Craig's work on behalf the government of Ukraine while probing Manafort, who did business with Craig.

Prosecutors released a grand jury indictment of Craig in April 2019, after Craig's law firm of  Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP agreed to pay more than $4.6 million as part of a settlement. The prominent firm also acknowledged it had failed to register, and placed much of the blame on Craig, a senior partner there.

Craig's lawyer blasted the decision as an abuse of prosecutorial discretion, and prepared to argue that omission of information during an interview is not tantamount to making false statements.

The charges stem from a 2012 report Craig and the firm produced on behalf of the Ukrainian government on opposition figure and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. She was an opponent of Manafort's client , former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

Craig was cleared on September 9 2019. 

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Statement to the press by U.S. Attorney Robert Khuzami 

'What he did was he worked to pay money to silence two women who had information that he believed would be detrimental to the 2016 campaign and to the candidate and the campaign.'

'In addition, Mr. Cohen sought reimbursement for that money by submitting invoices to the candidate's company which were untrue and false. They indicated that the reimbursement was for services rendered for the year 2017, when in fact those invoices were a sham. He provided no legal services for the year 2017 and it was simply a means to obtain reimbursement for the unlawful campaign contribution.'

'First, these are very serious charges and reflect a pattern of lies and dishonesty over an extended period of time. They are significant in their own rights. They are particularly significant when done by a lawyer. A lawyer who through training and tradition understands what it means to be a lawyer, to engage in honest and fair dealing and adherence to the law. Mr. Cohen disregarded that training. Disregarded that tradition and decided that he was above the law, and for that he is going to pay a very, very serious price ...'

'Mr Cohen made guilty pleas for those campaign violations and those are core violations. These remind us that it is illegal for corps to make contributions to candidates and it is illegal to make contributions in excess of the amount that congress set for individuals. That is a strong message today and we will not fear prosecuting additional campaign finance cases ...'

'We are a nation of laws and the essence of this case is about is justice and that is an equal playing field for all persons in the eyes of the law and that is a lesson that Mr. Cohen learned today and it is a very harsh one for him.'

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WHICH CANDIDATE? Cohen said he negotiated the payments 'In co-ordination with, and at the direction of' a candidate for federal office

WHICH CANDIDATE? Cohen said he negotiated the payments 'In co-ordination with, and at the direction of' a candidate for federal office

Cohen's lawyer Lanny Davis tweeted Tuesday about his client: 'Today he stood up and testified under oath that Donald Trump directed him to commit a crime by making payments to two women for the principal purpose of influencing an election. If those payments were a crime for Michael Cohen, then why wouldn't they be a crime for Donald Trump?'

Justice Department guidelines state that a sitting president shouldn't be charged with a crime while in office, although they could be subject to a court challenge should the government decide to do so.

Numerous legal experts say Trump most likely will avoid getting charged with anything while in office – though he could be charged after he leaves and he could be forced to give testimony in legal matters. The charging documents describe 'Individual-1' as being closely involved with Cohen's efforts. It says Cohen 'coordinated with one or more members of the campaign, including through meetings and phone calls, about the fact, nature, and timing of the payments' to women.

News of Cohen's talks came just as word broke that jurors in the trial of former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort asked the judge overseeing the case a question about how to proceed if they fail to reach a verdict on a single count. 

That in turn led to speculation that special counsel Robert Mueller's team might be on the verge of scoring critical conviction, even if it is on tax and fraud crimes that are not related to the campaign of President Donald Trump.   

McDougal was paid $150,000 by American Media Inc., parent company of the National Enquirer

Mueller's investigators prosecuted Manafort. In the case of Cohen, they handed information they uncovered during their probe to the SDNY for prosecution – although any plea deal could include cooperating with the Russia probe. 

The report on Cohen's intentions followed a series of maneuvers by Cohen that raised the prospect he might reach an agreement to cooperate with prosecutors. These included praising the FBI agents who raided his home and apartment, and stating boldly that he would do what is best for his family.

He told ABC's 'Good Morning America' last month that: 'My wife, my daughter and my son have my first loyalty and always will.' He added: 'I put family and country first.'

Cohen left his apartment in New York Tuesday dressed in a dark suit and tie. 

His new lawyer, Lanny Davis, told NBC he couldn't comment on an ongoing investigation, having earlier sent signals that Cohen could cooperate. Cohen's hiring of Davis, who has longtime Democratic ties and advised President Bill Clinton, was one such signal. 

Michael Cohen, left, former personal lawyer to President Donald Trump, leaves his apartment building past his doorman, in New York, Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2018. NBC reported he was in talks about a possible guilty plea

Michael Cohen, left, former personal lawyer to President Donald Trump, leaves his apartment building past his doorman, in New York, Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2018. NBC reported he was in talks about a possible guilty plea

Were Cohen to follow through and plead guilty to any alleged violations, it would come as prosecutors were considering filing charges against him that include include bank and tax fraud, as well as violations of campaign finance law, against Cohen by the end of the month, sources told the New York Times.

Investigators are looking into more than $20 million in loans which were made to taxi companies owned by Cohen and his family. The amounts reportedly involved only upped the pressure on Cohen, who was intimately involved with Trump as he navigated a variety of business deals in recent years.

Financial statements showed that Cohen used his 32 taxi medallions, then worth around $1 million each, as collateral for the loans from Sterling National Bank. Melrose Credit Union also supplied some of the loans made to 16 separate companies controlled by the Cohens. Cohen and his wife also personally guaranteed the loans, according to public findings.

Investigators are now looking to determine whether Cohen misrepresented the true value of his assets to obtain the loans. 

They are also looking at when the lawyer violated campaign finance laws by arranging hush money deals to secure the silence of women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump. 

The FBI raided Cohen's home and office earlier this year as part of their investigation into his alleged tax fraud. 

President Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen is being investigated for a $20 million bank fraud, according to a new report

President Trump's (left) former personal lawyer Michael Cohen (right) is being investigated for a $20 million bank fraud, according to a new report

Investigators are looking at whether Cohen's income from his taxi-medallion business was underreported in federal tax returns, The Wall Street Journal reported. 

That income reportedly included hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and other payments over the last five years.

Donald Trump has criticized the probe into his former attorney, calling the raids an 'attack on our country in a true sense.'

Cohen caught the attention of the Manhattan US Attorney's Office during Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential race.

Prosecutors are looking into whether Cohen inflated the value of any of his assets as collateral for bank loans, the Journal reported citing sources familiar with the investigation.

If convicted of tax- and bank-fraud, Cohen, who once said he'd take a bullet for President Donald Trump, could find himself subject to heavy jail time.

That threat could put pressure on Cohen, once known as Trump's 'fixer,' to cooperate with prosecutors if he's charged with these crimes.

Cohen was Trump's personal attorney for years and has deep ties to the Trump Organization. 

He is reportedly prepared to tell Mueller that the president knew about the infamous June 2016 Trump Tower meeting ahead of time and approved of it.

That meeting was attended by Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, then-Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and a lawyer with ties to the Kremlin who claimed to have dirt on Trump's presidential rival Hillary Clinton.

Trump has denied he knew about the meeting ahead of time. 

But that gathering at Trump Tower has become a central focus of Mueller's look into what role Russian played in the 2016 presidential election. 

Meanwhile federal prosecutors are taking a deep dive into Cohen's business dealings after Mueller's team handed over documents discovered in an April 9th FBI raid.

They are looking closely at Cohen's relationship with Sterling National Bank, which provided financing for his taxi-medallion business. Medallions are the permits taxi drivers need to operate in the city.

Federal prosecutors subpoenaed Jeffrey Getzel, Cohen's former accountant who was responsible for preparing many of Cohen's financial statements.

Cohen's lawyer, Lanny Davis, declined to comment to the newspaper 'out of respect for the ongoing investigation.'  

As of April 2018, Cohen owned 22 medallions in Chicago, and either he or his wife, Laura, controlled 32 medallions in New York City.

Taxi medallions were considered a solid investment that are bought and sold on a secondary market. Some in New York sold for an average $1.25 million per medallion in 2013 and 2014.

But their value has fallen sharply in recent years due to competition from ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft. Some estimate the value of each medallion has dropped to $200,000 to $225,000.  

As prosecutors look at whether Cohen under reported his income to avoid federal taxes they're also examining whether he overstated it in loan applications.  

Cohen has previously denied any wrongdoing. 

He worked on projects for Trump ranging from Trump Tower Moscow that never got off the ground to a non-disclosure agreement with porn star Stormy Daniels, who claims she had an affair with Trump, and on a deal involving former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who also claimed an affair.

Trump has denied both women's allegations of a sexual affair.

But Cohen also had his own business dealings including real estate, personal loans and investments in taxi medallions. 

Evgeny A. Freidman, a Russian immigrant known as 'the Taxi King' and who partnered with Cohen in the taxi medallion business, avoided jail time and got five years probation when he pleaded guilty to tax evasion in May.

As a condition, he is cooperating with prosecutors, who may find him to be a valuable witness as they investigate Cohen on potential tax, campaign finance, and bank fraud charges.

His deal came after an April 9th FBI raid on Cohen's home, office, and hotel where he was staying. They scooped up 3.7 million digital documents.

If Freidman is able to provide useful information, it might strengthen prosecutors hands if they decide to charge Cohen. 

Prosecutors are already combing through Cohen's financial records, including big payments he got from major firms as he touted his access to President Trump after the elections.

Also under the microscope is his $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, who signed a nondisclosure agreement and claims she had an affair with Trump.

The president revealed last week on his financial disclosure that he 'reimbursed' Cohen for expenses related to a payment of up to $250,000.

Cohen is under investigation for possible bank fraud. He has said he took out a home equity loan in order to make the payment to Daniels, which he executed through a Delaware LLC he set up in October of 2016, weeks before the presidential election.

 

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