FBI seizes data in raid on Trump lawyer’s offices
Attorney calls bureau’s tactics ‘inappropriate’
FBI agents raided the New York offices of President Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen and other related locations Monday.
Attorney Stephen Ryan, who represents Cohen, confirmed the searches, indicating that agents acted in part on a referral by special counsel Robert Mueller to federal prosecutors in New York — related to issues separate from Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 elections.
“Today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York executed a series of search warrants and seized the privileged communications between my client, Michael Cohen, and his clients,” Ryan said in a statement.
Ryan called the action “completely inappropriate and unnecessary.”
“It resulted in the unnecessary seizure of protected attorney-client communications between a lawyer and his clients,” Ryan said. “These government tactics are also wrong because Mr. Cohen has cooperated completely with all government entities, including providing thousands of non-privileged documents to the Congress and sitting for depositions under oath.”
Trump called the action “a disgraceful situation.”
“It’s a total witch hunt,” the president said at the White House. “It’s an attack on our country in the true sense ... what we all stand for.”
Trump continued his criticism of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, reiterating that he never would have appointed the former Alabama senator had he known Sessions would recuse himself from the Russia inquiry. Sessions’ recusal led to Mueller’s appointment.
Ryan did not detail what communications FBI agents sought.
Cohen has acknowledged using his own money to “facilitate” a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels days before the 2016 election.
Cohen said he was not reimbursed by the Trump campaign or the Trump Organization. Last week, Trump denied knowing about the payment or where the hush money came from.
If Cohen used his own money and acted without Trump’s knowledge, it could be considered an illegal contribution to Trump’s campaign and put him in legal jeopardy. Legal ethics rules bar attorneys from settling a claim without their clients’ knowledge or using their own money to fund settlements.
The watchdog group Common Cause filed complaints this year with the Justice Department and the Federal Election Commission, asking the agencies to investigate the payment as a possible violation of campaign-finance laws.
Paul Ryan, the group’s vice president of policy and litigation, said he felt vindicated by the Justice Department’s pursuit of Cohen.
“I’m happy to see the DOJ is doing its job,” Ryan told USA TODAY on Monday. “Donald Trump said he knew nothing about the payment to Stormy Daniels. The FBI will now quickly get to the bottom of whether Trump lied to the American people.”
Michael Avenatti, a lawyer representing Daniels, said Cohen was “placed in the crosshairs by Mr. Trump.”
“He has been set up to take the fall,” Avenatti said in a statement after news of the raid emerged. The raid was first reported by The New York Times.
“An enormous amount of misplaced faith has been placed on his shoulders, and I do not believe he has the mettle to withstand it,” Avenatti said. “If I am correct, this could end very, very badly for Mr. Trump and others.”
Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, sued Trump and Cohen in an effort to invalidate the agreement she said she signed 11 days before the election. Daniels said she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006. In a 60 Minutes interview last month, Daniels said she feared for her safety.