GUASABARAeditores: Michael Cohen Pleads Guilty to Lying to Congress About Trump Tower Deal in Russia

jueves, 29 de noviembre de 2018

Michael Cohen Pleads Guilty to Lying to Congress About Trump Tower Deal in Russia

Michael Cohen Admits Talks for Trump Over Moscow Tower Occurred Well Into Campaign

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Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former lawyer, pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about his role in a proposal to build a Trump Tower in Russia.Published OnNov. 29, 2018CreditCreditJefferson Siegel for The New York Times

By Benjamin Weiser, Ben Protess, Maggie Haberman and Michael S. Schmidt

Nov. 29, 2018

Michael D. Cohen, President Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, admitted in court on Thursday that he had engaged in negotiations to build a tower in Moscow for Mr. Trump well into the 2016 presidential campaign, far later than previously known.

Mr. Cohen said he discussed the status of the project with Mr. Trump on more than three occasions and briefed Mr. Trump’s family members about it. He also admitted he agreed to travel to Russia for meetings on the project.

The revelations, which came as Mr. Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about the project, were a startling turn in the special counsel’s investigation of Mr. Trump and his inner circle. Mr. Trump is referred to as “Individual 1” in the court documents.

Mr. Cohen’s guilty plea comes at a particularly perilous time for Mr. Trump, whose presidency has been threatened by Mr. Cohen’s statements to investigators.

In recent days, the president and his lawyers have increased their attacks on the Justice Department and the Russia investigation, including the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III. Earlier this week, the special counsel’s office accused Mr. Trump’s onetime campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, of repeatedly lying to investigators in breach of his plea agreement. The new revelations also come a week after Mr. Trump’s lawyers provided Mr. Mueller with written responses to a set of questions.

After Mr. Cohen appeared in court on Thursday, Mr. Trump abruptly canceled a planned meeting with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia while both leaders are in Argentina for a world economic summit meeting. The president said he called off the meeting because of Russia’s recent hostilities with Ukraine.

[Read about Trump associates’ connections with Russia and Ukraine.]In remarks to reporters shortly after Mr. Cohen’s plea, Mr. Trump said his former fixer was once again lying in order to get a reduced sentence for the crimes he pleaded guilty to earlier this year. Under the earlier plea agreement, Mr. Cohen faced about four or five years in prison.“He was convicted of various things unrelated to us,” Mr. Trump said, adding, “He’s a weak person and what he’s trying to do is get a reduced sentence.”