Trump Didn't Consult McGahn About Hush-Money Payments, Source Says [View all]

[DonViejo]

Source: Bloomberg News



By Shannon Pettypiece
August 22, 2018, 1:50 PM EDT Updated on August 22, 2018, 2:18 PM EDT

Failure to consult campaign finance lawyer may be key evidence

McGahn expects to be questioned by federal prosecutors

President Donald Trump didn’t consult his campaign finance lawyer Don McGahn about hush-money payments that were made days before the election and are now the center of a criminal case, a person familiar with the matter said.

The absence of McGahn, who is now White House counsel, could be a key piece of evidence in any criminal prosecution, according to the person close to McGahn. Prosecutors could argue it shows Trump knew the payments were illegal and hid them. But Trump’s lawyers could counter that it’s a sign Trump didn’t realize they were related to the campaign.

McGahn, the person said, expects to be questioned by federal prosecutors in New York about his knowledge of the payments, which were the basis for campaign finance charges against Trump’s longtime personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen.

Trump said in an interview with Fox News the payments were “not even a campaign violation” because “they weren’t taken out of campaign finance.” He said he only learned of the payments “later on.”

Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-22/mcgahn-is-said-not-to-have-known-of-trump-s-hush-money-payments