Feds raid Trump’s fixer — the top details, the best tweets!
This could be a problem for Michael Cohen:
The F.B.I. on Monday raided the office of President Trump’s longtime personal lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, seizing records related to several topics including payments to a pornographic-film actress.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan obtained the search warrant after receiving a referral from the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, according to Mr. Cohen’s lawyer, who called the search “completely inappropriate and unnecessary.”
Oh — it wasn’t just his office:
Federal agents on Monday searched the office, home and Manhattan hotel room of President Donald Trump’s longtime lawyer, Michael Cohen, seizing communications between the lawyer and his clients that cover topics including payments to the former porn actress known as Stormy Daniels, according to a person familiar with the matter.
According to Bloomberg’s David Voreacos and Shannon Pettypiece,
Mueller brought information involving Cohen to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who decided that the matter should be handled by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York rather than by Mueller’s team, according to a person familiar with the matter.
According to NBC News’ Tom Winter and Dartunorro Clark,
A person familiar with the matter told NBC News that this was not a subpoena requesting documents from Cohen. Instead, the source said, this was a court-authorized search, which means there was sufficient probable cause for a federal judge to agree that a search involving the president’s personal attorney could occur without any advance notice to Cohen.
Needless to say, the reactions on Twitter have brought cheer and optimism to a depressed, downtrodden nation:
You couldn’t make this story up: The FBI raided the office (and hotel room) of the president’s personal lawyer and seized documents related to the payoff of a porn star. https://t.co/S0MP6g1qMn
— Taegan Goddard (@politicalwire) April 9, 2018
Calling around the president’s circle. His allies are taken aback. Rattled. Worry the president has a small legal team that lacks a heavy hitter. Worry that Mueller is making big moves and, in essence, prodding the president to finally sit down for an interview…
— Robert Costa (@costareports) April 9, 2018
RT @rawstory: Fox News’ Judge Napolitano: FBI raid shows they could have ‘evidence of crimes by Cohen’ and possibly ‘the president’ https://t.co/Pqv4kD0FcU pic.twitter.com/fJxsPUnosZ
— BЯΣƬ (@crewislife) April 9, 2018
The FBI raids the offices of Trump attorney (and bag man?) Michael Cohen. This is when the Stormy Daniels story officially ceases to be about what happened in the bedroom and very much about what could happen in a court of law. A very ominous development for the President.
— Dan Rather (@DanRather) April 9, 2018
Briefly reached a WH official. Official said the WH doesn’t have a strategy for the Comey book. Paused. Then said that should answer my question of what’s the strategy for dealing with Cohen news.
— Robert Costa (@costareports) April 9, 2018
The FBI has raided the office of @realDonaldTrump‘s longtime lawyer Michael Cohen as the behest of the Special Counsel. <—
Dude, I’d be shitting in my cereal if I was POTUS. pic.twitter.com/nEBP5h9t4B
— Classic Flix (@Cfmovietweets) April 9, 2018
Michael Cohen spotted on his drive home from work today… pic.twitter.com/EkOHIP8bYC
— The Smoking Gun (@tsgnews) April 9, 2018
Mister Cohen, do you see that man in the courtroom today? pic.twitter.com/oNwcXmlrXa
— Immune to Boredom (@immunetoboredom) April 9, 2018
Hmmmm . . . I wonder if Robert Mueller will find Michael Cohen’s files an interesting read . . . pic.twitter.com/VU40wp28kT
— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@BettyBowers) April 9, 2018
The White House receiving the call about Cohen
— Jillian Hurley (@BeautyBind) April 9, 2018