Thursday, former Trump attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress. Cohen was involved in a potential real estate deal to build a Trump Tower in Russia. The deal never happened.
Cohen claims he lied to Congress by downplaying his role in the Trump Tower deal and contact with the Kremlin.
From the NYT:
Michael D. Cohen, President Trump’s former lawyer, who pleaded guilty in August to breaking campaign finance laws, made a surprise appearance in a Manhattan courtroom on Thursday morning and pleaded guilty to a new criminal charge, the latest turn in the special counsel’s investigation of Mr. Trump and his inner circle.At the court hearing, Mr. Cohen admitted to making false statements to Congress about his efforts to build a Trump Tower deal in Moscow during the 2016 presidential campaign. That real estate deal has been a focus of the special counsel investigation into whether the Trump campaign conspired with Russian operatives.In written testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mr. Cohen played down the extent of his contact with the Kremlin about the potential project and made other false statements about the negotiations, which never led to a final deal….The new guilty plea in Federal District Court marks the first time the office of the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, has charged Mr. Cohen. In exchange for pleading guilty and continuing to cooperate with Mr. Mueller, he may hope to receive a lighter sentence than he otherwise would.
From the plea deal:
Trump gave a public statement about Cohen’s plea Thursday morning:
Criminal information here:
Michael Cohen Criminal Information – Lying to Congress by Legal Insurrection on Scribd
Plea deal here:
Michael Cohen Plea Agreement – Lying to Congress by Legal Insurrection on Scribd
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