WASHINGTON (AP) Federal agents have raided the office of President Donald Trumps personal attorney Michael Cohen, seizing records on topics that include a $130,000 payment made to porn actress Stormy Daniels, who says she had sex with Trump.
The raid prompted a new blast Tuesday from the president, who tweeted that Attorney-client privilege is dead!
A furious Trump, who in the last month has escalated his attacks on Robert Muellers Russia investigation, said Monday from the White House that it was a disgrace that the FBI broke into his lawyers office. He called Muellers investigation an attack on our country, prompting new speculation that he might seek the removal of the Justice Departments special counsel.
The raid was overseen by the U.S. Attorneys office in Manhattan and was based in part on a referral from Mueller, said Cohens lawyer, Stephen Ryan.
The decision by the U.S. Attorneys Office in New York to conduct their investigation using search warrants is completely inappropriate and unnecessary, Ryan said in a statement. It resulted in the unnecessary seizure of protected attorney client communications between a lawyer and his clients.
The raid creates a new legal headache for Trump as he and his attorneys weigh whether to agree to an interview with Muellers team, which in addition to investigating potential ties between Russia and the Trump campaign is also examining whether the presidents actions constitute obstruction of justice.
And the law enforcement action will almost certainly amplify the public scrutiny on the payment to Daniels, who says she had sex with Trump in 2006. The payment was made just days before the 2016 presidential election. Trump told reporters last week that he did not know about it.
Search warrants are a fairly standard, though aggressive, law enforcement tool and are often sought in cases where authorities are concerned someone may hide or withhold evidence. To obtain one, agents must convince a judge they have probable cause of criminal activity and they believe theyll find evidence of wrongdoing in a search. A warrant requires high-level approval within the Justice Department, and agency guidelines impose additional hurdles when the search target is an attorney.
Authorities working with Mueller chose a similar tactic last summer when they raided the home of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who was subsequently indicted.
In this case, Mueller opted to refer the matter to federal prosecutors in Manhattan. Besides Cohens office, agents also searched a hotel room where hes been staying while his home is under renovation.
Under Justice Department regulations, Mueller must consult with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein when his investigators uncover new evidence that may fall outside his original mandate. Rosenstein then will determine whether to allow Mueller to proceed or to assign the matter to another U.S. attorney or another part of the Justice Department.
A spokesman for Muellers office did not immediately return a call seeking comment. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the U.S. attorneys office also had no comment. Mondays raid was first reported by The New York Times.
Ryan did not elaborate on the documents taken from Cohens office but said he has cooperated with investigators, including meeting last fall with lawmakers looking into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Cohen has more recently attracted attention for his acknowledgment that he paid Daniels $130,000 out of his own pocket shortly before the 2016 presidential election. Cohen has said neither the Trump Organization nor the Trump campaign was a party to the transaction with Daniels and he was not reimbursed for the payment.
