The special counsel Robert Mueller on Friday, revealed that the United States president Donald Trump has directed the adviser Michael Cohen to hold talks with Russian government in order to set up Russian president Vladimir Putin-Trump meeting, during the time of 2016 election campaign.
Mueller also revealed that Trump told Cohen to hide his illegal payoffs to two women – former Playboy model Karen McDougal and a porn actress Stormy Daniels, who claimed to have had affairs with Trump.
Due to Mueller’s disclosures, Trump’s presidency has come closer to siege due to Mueller’s probe into Cohen’s conclusion inquiry and the interference of Russia in the 2016 US election.
Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was accused by Mueller of reiterating lies about his connection to an alleged former Russian intelligence operative and also over his recent communication with the White House.
In an apex court, Mueller claimed that Cohen had given him “useful information” over the core issue of Trump-Russia investigation. Also, Cohen has told investigators that after discussing with Trump, he made an efforts to get in contact with Russian government in order to offer a meeting between Putin and Trump in New York in September 2015.
Mueller claimed that despite of Cohen’s wrongdoing, he disclosed “useful information concerning certain discrete Russia-related matters” to the core of probe.
The filing also stated that Cohen “acted in coordination and at the direction” of Donald trump, when also making hush money payments to two women. Cohen further pleaded guilty in order to make false statements to a bank and also the campaign-finance violations which was related to money he paid to two women.
In an initial charging documents, two women has written that Cohen had “coordinated with one or more members of the campaign, including through meetings and phone calls, about the fact, nature and timing of the payments”.
Former justice department official Eric Columbus said, “I don’t think we know yet that prosecutors have concluded Trump violated campaign finance law, given that Trump would have to know that his conduct was illegal.”
The prosecutors, in a court filing, said Cohen was ignited by greed and “repeatedly used his power and influence for deceptive ends”. It further states: “After cheating the (Internal Revenue Service) for years, lying to banks and to Congress, and seeking to criminally influence the presidential election, Cohen’s decision to plead guilty – rather than seek a pardon for his manifold crimes – does not make him a hero.”