New York – U.S. President Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, has reached a plea bargain with federal prosecutors in New York on campaign finance violations, bank fraud and tax evasion, news media outlets reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources.
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Cohen, 51, was to appear in federal court in Manhattan at 4 p.m. EDT (2000 GMT) on Tuesday, a court official told Reuters.
News that Cohen had entered into a plea agreement followed a report earlier in the day by NBC News, then others, that he was discussing a deal with prosecutors.
A plea bargain could increase legal risks for the president, as it raises the possibility that Cohen will provide information to U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller in his investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible coordination with the Trump campaign.
Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion and has called the Mueller investigation a witch hunt. Russia has denied meddling in the election. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded Moscow interfered.
Cohen was part of Trump’s inner circle for more than a decade, working as his personal attorney at the Trump Organization and continuing to advise the president after the election. But their relationship has frayed in recent months.
Lanny Davis, a lawyer for Cohen, declined to comment. Cohen and another of his lawyers, Guy Petrillo, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the earlier reports.
The probe is being led by the office of U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman in Manhattan. A spokesman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Federal agents had seized documents and files from Cohen in April that stemmed from a referral from Mueller’s office.
Cohen once said he would “take a bullet” for Trump, but their relationship has deteriorated since the April FBI raid on Cohen’s office, hotel room and home.
The New York Times reported on Sunday that federal prosecutors were focused on more than $20 million in loans obtained by Cohen from taxi businesses owned by him and his family.
The loans are part of the investigation into whether Cohen committed bank and tax fraud.
Mueller’s investigation, which began in May 2017, has resulted in the indictment of more than 30 people and five guilty pleas.
Trump’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, is on trial in Alexandria, Virginia, for 18 counts of financial crimes resulting from the Mueller probe. The jury in his case was in its fourth day of deliberations on Tuesday.
As Rudy so eloquently stated truth is not truth . All you crazy liberals can laugh all you want at that but the man is right and his point is sooo obvious
The legal system is corrupt . All they have to do is entrap you and find a gotcha moment and you are fried . That’s not the real truth even though they gotcha . So folks you’ll ask if he pleads guilty he is obviously guilty Nope not true . All it means is that you know they will entrap you in something so it’s better to play it safe vs waliking into the lions den
The justice system in this country is gone. In order for them to indict someone they take a crook off the street and threaten him with long jail time unless he rats at someone the system want to lock up for revenge. The rats gives any story they want and they take his word against the other guy. Be aware you rats, you ain’t going free after you give them what they want. You will be stuck with these guys for the rest of your lives. Hey Cohen did you decide with your lawyer the lies you guys are going to tell against the President. Make sure the Muller guys will be happy otherwise …………….
The truth is if Nunes and his clown show in the House were actually investigating what they should be ($ from Russians to the RNC and its influence on the campaign) neither Manafort’s House or Cohen’s Office ever would have been raided and we might not even have needed a special counsel.
TRump hires only the best.
Flynn
Gates
Manafort
Nunberg
Omarosa
Page
Papadopolous
Pruitt
Scaramucci
van der Zwaan
Zenke
Cohen
the deep state.
Cohen’s jail time will not be for the election law violations. It will be for the other violations. Breaking election law rarely results in jail time.