Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen was secretly paid at least $400,000 to set up a White House meeting between his boss and the Ukrainian president, it has been claimed.
Sources in Kiev say the payment was made by intermediaries acting for the President Petro Poroshenko, even though Cohen was not registered as a representative of Ukraine as required by US law
Trump and Poroshenko met in the White House last June, with the Ukrainian anti-corruption agency halting an investigation into Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort soon afterwards, reports BBC News.
According to a high-ranking Ukrainian intelligence official, Cohen was drafted in because the country’s registered lobbyists could only get Poroshenko a brief photo opportunity with the US president. The Ukrainian leader wanted a meeting that could be portrayed as ‘talks’, it is claimed.
His official says a ‘back channel’ to Trump was established by an aide, who used contacts in a New York Jewish charity called the Port of Washington Chabad. This is what set up the encounter with Cohen, who spend decades as Trump’s personal lawyer and fixer, it was said.
There is no suggestion the president knew about the alleged payment, with a second Kiev source telling the BBC that it was actually $600,000. Cohen is also said to have been helped by Felix Sater, a convicted ex-mobster and former business partner of Trump.
The claims line up with those of porn star Stormy Daniels’ lawyer Michael Avenatti, who said Suspicious Activity Reports filed by Cohen’s bank to US Treasury officials revealed payments from ‘Ukrainian interests.’
Cohen and the two Ukrainian officials alleged to have opened the communications back channel both denied the claims when confronted by the BBC.
The lawyer faces an FBI probe over paying off Daniels, real name Stephanie Clifford, $130,000 11 days before the 2016 presidential election. She says it was ‘hush money’ to cover up a 2016 one night stand with Trump, which he denies.
He also denies knowledge of the payment. Bureau investigators are now said to be investigating how Cohen got the money for that payment – and whether he committed a felony by taking out a loan while lying about what the cash was for.
Trump has also sought to downplay his relationship with Cohen, insisting he was one of many attorneys that he uses.
No comments:
Post a Comment