Stormy day for Trump as FBI raids offices of his lawyer

New York, April 10: Federal agents on Monday raided the New York offices of Donald Trump’s longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen, who made a $ 130,000 payment to an adult film actress who says she had sex with the US President.

Mr Cohen’s own attorney Stephen Ryan said agents were working in part on the request of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating links between Russia and the Trump campaign.

But US media said documents seized in the raid related to the surreptitious payment Mr Cohen made to porn actress Stormy Daniels just ahead of the 2016 presidential election to keep her quiet about her relationship with Mr Trump.

Lashing out at prosecutors over the raid, which came as Mr Mueller seeks to interview Mr Trump for his sprawling investigation, Mr Ryan said, “The decision by the US attorney’s office in New York to conduct their investigation using search warrants is completely inappropriate and unnecessary. It resulted in the unnecessary seizure of protected attorneyclient communications between a lawyer and his clients.”

The raid prompted a new blast from the President. He said that it was a “disgrace” that the FBI “broke into” his lawyer’s office and tweeted, “Attorneyclient privilege is dead!”

Last month Daniels told 21 million TV watchers that she had unprotected sex with Mr Trump after meeting with him at a celebrity golf tournament in California in July 2006. That was shortly after Mr Trump’s wife Melania gave birth to their son.

After months of pressure, in February Mr Cohen admitted making the $ 130,000 payment via a shell company to Ms Daniels as part of a nondisclosure agreement.

Mr Cohen has been Mr Trump’s personal lawyer and confidant for years, advising him on real estate and personal matters. Known as the real estate magnate’s “fixer” and “pit bull,” he told ABC News in 2011 that if Mr Trump has a problem with someone, “I do everything in my power to resolve it to Mr Trump’s benefit.”