Bombshell 2018 Letter Undermines Michael Cohen’s Claims In Trump Case: Report

A letter that was written five years ago has emerged and appears to contradict Michael Cohen’s claims about a hush money payment made during the 2016 presidential election, according to a report. The letter, which was dated February 8, 2018, was sent by Stephen M. Ryan, Cohen’s attorney at that time, to the Federal Election Commission. In the letter, Cohen’s lawyer stated that Cohen had used his own personal funds to make a $130,000 payment to Stephanie Clifford, a porn actress also known as Stormy Daniels. The letter went on to say that neither the Trump campaign nor the Trump Organization was involved in the transaction or reimbursed Cohen for the payment. However, Cohen later pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations related to the payment. Cohen, who has faced disbarment, has since testified that he made the payments under Trump’s instruction.

Although the letter was not presented to the grand jury, it could still reportedly influence whether the Manhattan District Attorney will decide to seek an indictment, given Cohen’s credibility issues.

In addition, Robert Costello, who once advised Cohen, reportedly criticized Cohen’s credibility in court this week claiming that he had information that contradicted some of Cohen’s current statements and that could be favorable to Trump.

Prosecutors argue that the alleged $130,000 payment was an illegal donation to the Trump campaign because it was used to stop a story from coming out that could have hurt his campaign outcomes. The problem for Trump is related to how his company reimbursed Cohen, which was listed as a legal expense; however, there was no retainer agreement with Cohen and the reimbursement was not related to any legal services from him. This could mean that there is a potential misdemeanor criminal charge of falsifying business records if proven as prosecutors say that the checks were signed personally by Trump while he was serving as president. Furthermore, prosecutors could elevate this misdemeanor to a felony if they can prove that Trump’s “‘intent to defraud’ included an intent to commit or conceal a second crime.”

As per the New York Post and The New York Times, Cohen received $420,000 from Trump or his trust; this included $130,000 for the payment, $50,000 for digital work that Cohen did for Trump, which was allegedly doubled to offset taxes, and $60,000 as a “bonus” part. While non-disclosure agreements are legal, this could still cause problems for Trump.