Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen has cut a deal with special counsel Robert Mueller’s team, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos reports. The deal was announced in a New York federal court Thursday.
As part of the deal, Cohen will admit making false statements to Congress committees investigating the Russia scandal. The Associated Press reports that the false statements relate to a Trump real estate project in Russia — specifically, efforts to build a “Trump Tower Moscow.”
Stephanopoulos also claims, per his sources, that Cohen will provide “dozens of hours of testimony potentially damaging to” President Trump.
Cohen had already pleaded guilty to tax fraud, bank fraud, and campaign finance charges as part of an investigation run by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. But he had not previously been charged as part of the Russia probe or officially agreed to cooperate with that investigation.
Cohen’s team has, however, been telling reporters for months that Cohen had bombshell information about the Trump-Russia scandal. But the claims about what Cohen purportedly knew sometimes changed, which has led to skepticism about whether he knew anything worthwhile.
Also known as President T. https://t.co/FSnbyZJsvj
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) November 29, 2018
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!https://t.co/rvt09t74hu
— Tea Pain (@TeaPainUSA) November 29, 2018
Michael Cohen plea documents (via CNN)
1. Moscow Project deal lasted until into Summer 2016
2. Cohen discussed deal more than three times with candidate Trump
3. Cohen briefed Trump family members
4. Cohen took steps in contemplation of Trump’s travel to Russia— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw) November 29, 2018
With Michael Cohen's plea and information, the Mueller Investigation has now connected Trump's business dealings with Russia and supplied a motive for cooperation.
This thing is just about baked.
— Jared Yates Sexton (@JYSexton) November 29, 2018