GOP Crime Blotter
Michael Cohen, the former personal lawyer to Donald Trump, met Wednesday with prosecutors investigating hush money the former president allegedly steered to an adult-film actress, the latest sign that the Manhattan district attorney’s office has revived its once-dormant probe.
Mr. Cohen is a central figure in the hush-money investigation, which began under former District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. and then went quiet as prosecutors shifted their focus and investigated Mr. Trump on other issues—including business practices at his company. The office obtained a tax-fraud conviction of the Trump Organization in December. The company has said it would appeal.
Mr. Vance’s prosecutors examined the possibility of charging Mr. Trump with offenses involving falsifying business records, but never pursued such charges. Current District Attorney Alvin Bragg last month convened a grand jury to hear evidence about the payment to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels, who said she had an affair with Mr. Trump, a claim he denies.
Wednesday was the second time Mr. Bragg’s prosecutors met with Mr. Cohen, who entered an office building in lower Manhattan just after 10 a.m. Mr. Cohen, who was accompanied by his lawyer, Lanny Davis, said this was his 15th visit overall since the probe first began.