Russia investigation expands to include Donald Trump's personal attorney

[MelissaB]

Russia investigation expands to include Donald Trump's personal attorney
By Brian Ross
Matthew Mosk

May 30, 2017, 12:04 PM ET

One of President Donald Trump’s closest confidants, his personal lawyer Michael Cohen, has now become a focus of the expanding Congressional investigation into Russian efforts to influence the 2016 campaign.

Cohen confirmed to ABC News that House and Senate investigators have asked him “to provide information and testimony” about any contacts he had with people connected to the Russian government, but he said he has turned down the invitation.

“I declined the invitation to participate as the request was poorly phrased, overly broad and not capable of being answered,” Cohen told ABC News in an email Tuesday.

After Cohen rejected the Congressional requests for cooperation, the Senate Select Intelligence Committee voted unanimously on Thursday to grant the chairman, Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, and ranking Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, blanket authority to issue subpoenas as they deem necessary.

More: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/russia-investigation-expands-include-donald-trumps-personal-attorney/story?id=47646601

[bigtree]

1. k&r

[spanone]

2. K&R...

[C_U_L8R]

3. Oops

Hey what becomes of Attorney-Client privilege is the attorney is one of the crooks?

[BumRushDaShow]

4. NYT had the bombshell back in February

[... A Back-Channel Plan for Ukraine and Russia, Courtesy of Trump Associates

By MEGAN TWOHEY and SCOTT SHANE FEB. 19, 2017

A week before Michael T. Flynn resigned as national security adviser, a sealed proposal was hand-delivered to his office, outlining a way for President Trump to lift sanctions against Russia.

Mr. Flynn is gone, having been caught lying about his own discussion of sanctions with the Russian ambassador. But the proposal, a peace plan for Ukraine and Russia, remains, along with those pushing it: Michael D. Cohen, the president’s personal lawyer, who delivered the document; Felix H. Sater, a business associate who helped Mr. Trump scout deals in Russia; and a Ukrainian lawmaker trying to rise in a political opposition movement shaped in part by Mr. Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort.

At a time when Mr. Trump’s ties to Russia, and the people connected to him, are under heightened scrutiny — with investigations by American intelligence agencies, the F.B.I. and Congress — some of his associates remain willing and eager to wade into Russia-related efforts behind the scenes.

<...>

The amateur diplomats say their goal is simply to help settle a grueling, three-year conflict that has cost 10,000 lives. “Who doesn’t want to help bring about peace?” Mr. Cohen asked.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/19/us/politics/donald-trump-ukraine-russia.html ***]

[Thrill]

5. Isn't this the clown who tried to prove he wasn't in Russia

By showing the front of his passport but not the inside? lol

[MelissaB]

6. A little more info:

Congressional aide tells @KenDilanianNBC it's the same request for info on Russian contacts/comms that was sent to Flynn/Manafort/Stone/Page

Link to tweet

[Tommy_Carcetti]

7. Says who? nt

[Renew Deal]

8. Isn't Cohen the one alledged to be flying around to foreign cities and meeting with Russians?

[MelissaB]

10. That's him.

[mainer]

9. Pay attention to the odd way Cohen couches his words:

“I’ve never actually walked the land in Prague,” Cohen told ABC News.

Some of the Twitter chatter says that Cohen flew to Prague via a third country but never left the aircraft, and in fact handled the pay-off while staying aboard the jet parked at the tarmac. By saying specifically (and oddly) "I've never actually walked the land in Prague," is he trying to be truthful without actually telling the truth?

[MelissaB]

11. That one jumps out, doesn't it. Exactly who talks like that unless trying to avoid

saying something?

[Blue_true]

12. The flames are kicking at Trump's boots and his clothes and hands stink with the smell

of gasoline.