Donald Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen says FBI agents were ‘professional and courteous’ when they raided his office
After the FBI raided the home of Michael Cohen, personal attorney to US President Donald Trump, said the agents "were extremely professional, courteous and respectful”.
His characterisation is in contrast with the president’s who said the bureau “broke into” Mr Cohen’s office to conduct its investigation.
Mr Cohen told CNN: "I am unhappy to have my personal residence and office raided. But I will tell you that members of the FBI that conducted the search and seizure were all extremely professional, courteous and respectful. And I thanked them at the conclusion”.
The beleaguered lawyer had admitted to paying nearly $130,000 of his own money just before the November 2016 election to Stormy Daniels, an adult film star, as part of a nondisclosure agreement after the president and Ms Daniels had an affair in 2006. Ms Daniels is suing Mr Trump for the right to speak about the affair, claiming that Mr Trump never actually signed the document. Mr Trump has denied the affair and Mr Cohen has repeatedly said that what he did was legal.
Mr Cohen initially said her claims were “rumours” but then acknowledged the payment, which he claimed was made out of his own pocket with funds unrelated to the presidential campaign coffers.
Mr Cohen told CNN that he "would be lying to you if I told that I am not” worried about the FBI investigation. “Do I need this in my life? No. Do I want to be involved in this? No,” he added.
He commented that the raid of his home, office, and the hotel where he is currently staying was “upsetting to say the least” and said after seeing what the investigation has done to his family, in hindsight he would have handled the payment to Ms Daniels differently.
Michael Avenatti, attorney to Ms Daniels, has filed a motion in the lawsuit to depose Mr Trump and Mr Cohen that is scheduled to be heard on 30 April. The adult film actress, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claimed to have had sex with Mr Trump in 2006, while he was married to First Lady Melania Trump and provided salacious details of the supposed affair in a televised interview on the 60 Minutes news programme.
Mr Avenatti said in the motion that the depositions would last no longer than two hours, apparently in an attempt to thwart any objections from Mr Trump’s lawyers that he is too busy to be deposed for the case. He also filed a motion asking for a jury trial no more than 90 days from 27 March. "We expect to be placing the president and his fixer under oath in the coming months," Mr Avenatti said.
Raj Shah, White House Deputy Press Secretary, said in a news conference that Mr Trump does not believe Ms Daniels' claim she was threatened over the alleged affair. "There's nothing to corroborate her claim," he said. Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also said Mr Trump was unaware of Mr Cohen’s payment, which Ms Daniels referred to as the “hush agreement” in the lawsuit.
This morning Mr Trump sent a few cryptic tweets that appeared to be in relation to the FBI investigating Mr Cohen. They read: "attorney-client privilege is dead!" and "TOTAL WITCH HUNT!"
