[111], In 2016, Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model, claimed that she and Trump had an affair from 2006 until 2007, a claim that Trump has since denied. [23], Cohen was raised in the town of Lawrence on Long Island, New York. [126] The Bechard nondisclosure agreement used the same pseudonymsDavid Dennison for the man and Peggy Peterson for the womanas in the Daniels agreement. In 2007, Trump hired Cohen as special counsel and executive vice president for the Trump Organization. Michael Dean Cohen (born August 25, 1966) is an American convicted felon and former lawyer who served as an attorney for U.S. president Donald Trump from 2006 to 2018. [192][193] Cohen said that he had given the false testimony in order to be consistent with Trump's "repeated disavowals of commercial and political ties between himself and Russia" and out of loyalty to Trump. The Manhattan DA's office ultimately decided in 2022 not to pursue charges, in part because the new DA, Alvin Bragg, worried that the case relied too much on Michael Cohen's testimony. Trump says he should be investigated, A Brief History of Michael Cohen's Criminal Ties From the Russian mob to money launderers, Trump's personal attorney has long been a subject of interest to federal investigators, "Michael Cohen's claim that President Trump is threatening his family, explained", "Legal experts weigh in on Trump's Cohen comments and whether they amount to witness intimidation", "Michael Cohen Indefinitely Postpones Testimony to Congress, Citing Fears of Family's Safety", "Analysis | Michael Cohen says Trump and Giuliani threatened him. Michael Dean Cohen (born August 25, 1966) is an American convicted felon and former lawyer who served as an attorney for U.S. president Donald Trump from 2006 to 2018. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising. [8][14][15], On May 21, 2020, Cohen was released from prison early due to concerns regarding COVID-19, to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest. [112] The recording appears to contradict Hope Hicks, then Trump's spokeswoman, who said when the story of the Enquirer payment came out a few days before the election that the Trump campaign had "no knowledge of any of this". Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the Visit www.allaboutcookies.org A judge dismissed the lawsuit in November 2021, partly on the grounds that Cohen's relevant work had been done for Donald Trump personally rather than for the Trump Organization. But, in exchange for his loyalty, Michael Cohen might one day have to ask Trump for the same favor he did for Cohn to serve as a character witness at his friends disbarment hearing. [91][92], In the fall of 2016, adult film actress Stormy Daniels (legal name Stephanie Clifford) was speaking to some reporters and said that she had had a sexual affair with Trump in 2006. (December 3, 2018). They Cohen filled the void in Trump's circle left by Roy Cohn, . [215] However, they continued to speak to Cohen. In 1984, Cohn became ill and began treatment for AIDS, claiming that he had liver cancer. ROY COHN, MICHAEL COHEN, AND BILL BARR TRUMP'S LAWYER FIXERS. In 1986, Roy Cohn was dying of AIDS complications in his 33-room townhouse off Park Avenue. [12] On February 26, 2019, he was officially disbarred by the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division. And I will come after your Daily Beast and everybody else that you possibly know, Cohen said to Mak. Roy Cohn, both a character in the play and a real-life attorney and political figure, is an elderly lawyer and a mentor to Joe Pitt. ', "Giuliani Turns to Pierce Bainbridge and Michael Cohen's Ex-Lawyer in Ukraine Scandal. (39) 1 h 37 min 2020 18+. He contacted his friend White House aide Edwin Meese to get Ronald Reagan to appoint Trumps sister to a federal judgeship. [44] Trump hired him in part because he was already an admirer of Trump, having read Trump's Art of the Deal twice. use third-party cookies which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are [231][232], On February 28, Cohen testified behind closed doors to the House Intelligence Committee for more than seven hours. ", "Trump says for first time that Cohen represented him in Stormy Daniels case", "Trump Lawyer's Payment to Stormy Daniels Was Reported as Suspicious by Bank", "Michael Cohen used Trump company email in Stormy Daniels arrangements", "Michael Cohen dismisses claims of email as proof that Trump knew about payment to porn star to buy her silence", "Stormy Daniels describes her alleged affair with Donald Trump", "Stormy Daniels Shares Graphic Details About Alleged Affair With Trump", "Lawyers for Trump attorney say Stormy Daniels lied in '60 Minutes' interview", "Trump lawyer Michael Cohen tries to silence adult-film star Stormy Daniels", "Trump attorney seeks to force porn star's lawsuit into arbitration", "Michael Cohen to Take Fifth Amendment in Stormy Daniels Lawsuit", "Michael Cohen to invoke Fifth Amendment right in Stormy Daniels case", "Cohen lawyers object to Stormy Daniels' attorney Michael Avenatti intervening in New York case", "Trump: Hush money payments came from me", "Trump attorneys waive privilege on secret recording about ex-Playmate payment", "Trump's Former Lawyer Michael Cohen Formed Delaware Company to Purchase Ex-Playboy Model's Story", "State of Delaware Limited Liability Company Certificate of Formation: Resolution Consultants LLC", "Trump allies fear feds seized lawyer's recordings of conversations: report", "Report: federal authorities have seized more than 100 Michael Cohen tapes", "Exclusive: CNN obtains secret Trump-Cohen tape", "Trump was taped talking of paying for Playboy model's story", "Trump-Cohen secret audio tape made public", "The Trump-Michael Cohen tape transcript, annotated", "Trump rips Cohen for 'flipping,' praises Manafort in exclusive FNC interview", "Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen Negotiated $1.6 Million Settlement for Top Republican Fundraiser", "R.N.C. By 1951, at the height of the Cold War, he had made a name for himself helping the U.S. Justice Department convict Julius and Ethel Rosenberg as Soviet spies who stole Americas atomic secrets and were later executed. Cohen's Wife Is From. [28][74][75][76][77] He was a subject of the Mueller investigation in 2018. [201][202], In 2018 Stormy Daniels sued Cohen for defamation, citing a statement he made to the media in which he said "Just because something isn't true doesn't mean that it can't cause you harm or damage." [125] In late 2017, Cohen arranged the $1.6 million payment by Broidy to Bechard as part of a nondisclosure agreement requiring Bechard to keep silent about the matter. [137] A spokesperson for Columbus Nova said that the payment was a consulting fee that had nothing to do with Vekselberg. After Roy Cohn met Donald Trump, he quickly became Trump's mentor, advising him on every aspect of his business, criminal, and personal dealings. Yes, City & State NY can email me on behalf of carefully selected companies and organizations companies and organizations. McClatchy also reported that during that time an eastern European intelligence agency had intercepted communications between Russians, one of whom mentioned that Cohen was in Prague. Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have Cohn became Trump's 'fixer' and protege after he advised the young real estate . Soon after Trump launched his presidential campaign in 2015, Daily Beast reporter Tim Mak called Cohen for comment on an allegation, reported in a biography of Trump, that the would-be president had raped his first wife Ivana. With the help of Hollywood lawyer Keith Davidson, a Cohen acquaintance, McDougal gave the exclusive rights to her story to American Media in exchange for $150,000 and a pledge to keep quiet about the relationship. [207][208] After being sent to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, he was returned to FCI Otisville and held in solitary confinement 23 hours each day, which prevented him from working on his manuscript on prison library computers. [32] Until April 2017, another "taxi king", disbarred attorney and convicted felon Gene Freidman,[33] managed the medallions still held by Cohen; this arrangement ended after the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission decided not to renew Freidman's licenses. Trump soon adopted Cohns habit of contacting columnists with self-serving gossip about himself. Sources. This month, two documentaries about him are out. In addition to boosting the Red Scare, McCarthy and Cohn (who was a closeted but promiscuous gay man) also engaged in the Lavender Scare, going after government officials and entertainment figures whom they suspected of being homosexual, resulting in the firing of many gay men from government jobs. . Cohn's highly publicized pursuit of suspected communists was marked by bravado and recklessness and he was widely criticized for unethical behavior. Both men worked together on the Trump Tower Moscow deal.[244]. I am going to be Joe McCarthy's chief counsel for the rest of my life, no matter what else good or bad I should ever do in anybody's eyes.. With Cohn at his side as chief counsel, McCarthy rose to prominence as the nations pre-eminent witch-hunter, making Cohn a hated figure among liberals ever since. Insight and analysis of top stories from our award winning magazine "Bloomberg Businessweek". The gossip columnist Cindy Adams, who tells her own . The 53-Second Tradition Thats Embarrassed Japan, Brands Are Making the Same Mistake as Amazon, Who Owns Train Cars? More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking Cohn remained closeted until his AIDS-related death on Aug. 2, 1986, a few weeks after disbarment. Cohn also schooled Trump in how to use the media to promote his reputation. Roy Marcus Cohn was born in New York City on 20th February, 1927. Preferences menu of your browser. [102][103], On March 26, David Schwarz, a lawyer for Cohen, told ABC's Good Morning America that Daniels was lying in the 60 Minutes interview. American former attorney and former Republican official, This article is about the former lawyer of Donald Trump and The Trump Organization. President Donald Trump allegedly remarked that he had fumigated the dinnerware at his Florida resort Mar-a-Lago after his former friend and fixer Roy Cohn, who was dying of AIDS-related . [21] Hellerstein remarked, "I've never seen such a clause in 21 years of being a judge and sentencing people and looking at terms of supervised release. Roy Cohn. He's buried in my family's mausoleum, behind a marble slab marked "LAWYER AND PATRIOT." Every so often, one of us pushes open the heavy door. [36] After this was reported by McClatchy DC in October 2017, Cohen said that all four properties were purchased by an American-owned "New York real estate family fund" that paid cash for the properties in order to obtain a tax deferred (Section 1031) exchange, but did not specifically identify the buyer. [119], On July 25, Cohen's attorney Lanny Davis released the actual recording to CNN, which played it on the air on the Cuomo Prime Time program. [5][24] Cohen is Ashkenazi Jewish. AT&T claimed that the money was paid to the LLC and other firms that were used to provide insights into understanding the new administration, and that the LLC did no legal or lobbying work for AT&T. [25], In 2016, he was a co-founder, along with Darrell C. Scott, of the National Diversity Coalition for Trump. They are capable of Cohen is reportedly under federal investigation for possible bank fraud and campaign finance law violations. Cohn has made his career on smearing his political opponents, as as a friend to Joseph McCarthy, he ruined many prominent Americans' reputations by accusing them of being Communists . I agree to the use of my personal data by Government Executive Media Group and its partners to serve me targeted ads. Roy Cohn. A week later, he was taken back into custody after federal officials asserted he had refused to sign an agreement stipulating that he would have no engagement of any kind with the mediaincluding publishing his "tell-all" bookfor the remainder of his sentence, which encompassed the November 2020 elections. [116] According to his lawyer Lanny Davis, "Michael Cohen had the habit of using his phone to record conversations instead of taking notes. You understand me?. [105][106] Daniels subsequently brought a lawsuit in federal court against Trump and Cohen, arguing that the non-disclosure agreement is legally invalid because Trump never signed it,[107] Cohen responded by seeking to compel arbitration, which would avoid public proceedings. The conversation in that tape occurred in September 2016, two months before the election and weeks after the Enquirer paid McDougal the $150,000. He had purchased several Trump properties and convinced his own parents and in-laws, as well as a business partner, to buy condominiums in Trump World Tower. [223], On January 23, Cohen announced through his attorney that he would postpone his testimony to a later date, citing "ongoing threats against his family from President Trump" and Giuliani. [133][134][135][136] Vekselberg is a business partner of Soviet-born billionaire and major Republican Party donor, Leonard Blavatnik. Cohen suffered a setback earlier this month, when a judge in New York ruled the Trump Organization was not liable for legal fees he said it owed. [178] He later added that he believed Cohen would agree to testify before Congress, even without immunity. It's not like "Oh my God, we've never seen Pacino like this"; he's on a continuum with Scarface and Corleone and all those . These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a sale of your data under the CCPA. The FBI on Friday released nearly 750 pages of documents from the bureau's file on controversial lawyer Roy Cohn, whose clients included President Donald Trump when Trump was a fledgling real estate mogul in New York City. All related (39) Sort Recommended Quora User Meeropol grew up with the story of the Rosenbergs, who were tried. [212], Cohen was released from Otisville Prison in New York on July 24, 2020. [30], In 2003, Cohen was a candidate for New York City Council when he provided a biography to the New York City Campaign Finance Board for inclusion in its voters' guide. He was, in economic philosophy and a lot of other things, extremely liberal. He has frequently threatened Trumps adversaries and has said that he would take a bullet for Trump. I cant believe hes doing this to me, Cohn told Trump biographer Wayne Barrett. Beneath him is the answer: "Here." The truth of where Roy Cohn is is well-known to Trump, who all but abandoned him as he was dying, disbarred, and within a few weeks of losing his law license.. information by using this toggle switch. The new state lawmakers in the 2023 legislative session, Take the Eric Adams administration personality test, Yes, I want to receive occasional updates from partners. Best Known For: Michael Cohen is a former personal lawyer to President Donald Trump. "Who is Michael Cohen's wife? These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a sale of [24] A 2017 New York Times article reported that Cohen is known for having "a penchant for luxury"; he was married at The Pierre, drove a Porsche while attending college, and once owned a Bentley. [162], A few days after the raid, McClatchy reported that the Mueller investigation was in possession of evidence that Cohen traveled to Prague in August or September 2016. [49][50], A video of an interview of Cohen by CNN's Brianna Keilar went viral, in which Cohen said "Says who?" [24], In an interview with ABC News in 2011, Cohen stated, "If somebody does something Mr. Trump doesn't like, I do everything in my power to resolve it to Mr. Trump's benefit. And as a celebrity himself, he was regularly seen at the hippest nightclubs and power broker parties, including those he hosted at the Upper East Side townhouse where he worked and lived. [28], In January 2019 documents that were released after the prosecution of former police officer Paul Dean revealed that Cohen, Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and others had obtained handgun carry permits after making donations to the Police Athletic League or the New York City Police Foundation despite not having the proper credentials on file. First was a February 26, 2019, closed-door hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee. added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. It was also revealed that Essential Consultants had received at least $500,000 from a New York-based investment firm called Columbus Nova, which is linked to a Russian oligarch. But what is that? [70][71][72] In April 2017, Cohen also formed an alliance with Squire Patton Boggs for legal and lobbying counsel on behalf of Trump. "[185] Cohen said Trump was "the man that caused me to choose the path of darkness" and do "dirty deeds". [168][169], The Wall Street Journal reported on July 26, 2018, that longtime Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg had been subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury regarding the Cohen investigation. [29], In 2006, Cohen was a partner at the law firm Phillips, Nizer, Benjamin, Krim & Ballon. But they weren't that's not even a campaign violation. This may impact the But Cohn survived. [94][95], Cohen told The New York Times in February 2018 that he paid the $130,000 to Daniels from his own pocket; he also said that the payment was not a campaign contribution and he was not reimbursed by either the Trump Organization or the Trump campaign. Roy Marcus Cohn was born on February 20, 1927, into a strict Jewish family in The Bronx, New York City, U.S.A. The Rosenbergs were executed for espionage on June 19, 1953,. 0. Get the must-read daily newsletter covering New York's nonprofit community. internet device. Cohen filed suit complaining his re-arrest was an attempt to prevent him from releasing a tell-all book about Donald Trump titled Disloyal: A Memoir. information. Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. Oliver Halle. When U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation, according to The New York Times, the president complained, Wheres my Roy Cohn?. He is also the son of a Holocaust survivor. So, his complaints to the contrary notwithstanding, Trump seems to have found his new Roy Cohn. [142] Novartis released a statement May 9, 2018, that it hired the LLC to help the company understand the "health care policy" of the new administration, but it actually did not receive benefit for its investment. [133] The data showed that hundreds of thousands of dollars were given to Cohen, via Essential Consultants, from Fortune 500 firms such as Novartis and AT&T, which had business before the Trump administration. Kwong, Jessica. In 1954, McCarthys Senate colleagues censured him and his political career nose-dived. "[117] Altogether the prosecutors have been given more than one hundred audio recordings from the material seized from Cohen in the April 2018 raid, after the Trump team withdrew their claims of privilege for those items; reportedly only one of them features a substantive conversation with Trump. Michael Cohen, former personal attorney and "fixer" to Donald Trump, delivered a blunt warning Wednesday to the former president's closest associates and even his own family. He received a law degree from Western Michigan Universitys Cooley Law School, which was recently ranked the worst law school in the country by Above the Law. Cohn introduced Trump to his influential friends, telling them that the brash young man was going to own New York someday. He taught Trump to never admit mistakes and never apologize. On Monday morning Donald Trump's former personal attorney and self-described fixer was officially released from his three-year prison sentence -. These days, it's notworking out so well. The man the New York State Attorney General credited with inspiring her prosecution of Donald Trump New York Times number one bestselling author Michael Cohen tells the behind-the-scenes story of what can happen to you and what really happened to him when a President who believes himself to be . In the 1980s, he volunteered and interned for Massachusetts Democrats. [123][124] Broidy, a Republican fundraiser, was a deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee along with Cohen and DeJoy.[72]. Subsequently, more than half of Cohen's outstanding legal bills were paid by the Trump Organization or canceled. He testified for more than seven hours. Cohen, a diluted successor of sorts to Cohn, has been Trump's personal attorney for more than a decade and has been one of the guys Trump has routinely relied on to. The state budget keeps wasting economic development cash. He told me a different story", "Feds monitored Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's phones", "Breaking: NBC News Issues Major Correction, Michael Cohen Was Not Wiretapped", "Trump Org. [3][4] He served as co-president of Trump Entertainment and was a board member of the Eric Trump Foundation, a children's health charity. Childhood & Early Life. Since Cohns death, Trump has hired at least dozens of lawyers. And Cohen issued a warning, lest the reporter dared to go ahead with the story: I will make sure that you and I meet one day while were in the courthouse. One reason Trump needs a Roy Cohn is that he can't be his own. Like Trump, McCarthy was notoriously prone to dramatic exaggeration, and sometimes outright fabrication. Americas teens are in a mental health crisis. President Trump Called For Roy Cohn, But Roy Cohn Was Gone. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences. Cohen denied he refused to sign the agreement, asserting his attorney had simply asked questions about it, at which point US marshals escorted him back to prison. Trump declared victory. website. [143], Franklin L. Haney agreed to pay Cohen $10 million if he successfully lobbied for the United States Department of Energy to finance the Bellefonte Nuclear Generating Station, or a reduced fee if the funding targets were only partially met. Cohen was paid $600,000 ($50,000 per month) over the year, which its CEO described as "a big mistake". Cohen's lawyer sent a cease-and-desist letter claiming Daniels' statements constituted "libel per se and intentional infliction of emotional distress" to Cohen. Rudy Giuliani said Wednesday that he is being represented by two partners at Pierce Bainbridge and an attorney at Davidoff Hutcher & Citron who previously represented Michael Cohen", "Trump lawyer 'paid by Ukraine' to arrange White House talks", "BBC pays damages to Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko over report", https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/bbc-ukraine-poroshenko-trump-michael-cohen-defamation-a8844061.html, "Rudy Giuliani: Michael Cohen is no longer Trump's attorney", "Michael Cohen Secretly Taped Trump Discussing Payment to Playboy Model", "Cohen claims Trump knew in advance of 2016 Trump Tower meeting", "Exclusive: Trump fixer Cohen says he helped Falwell handle racy photos", "The definitive guide to the Stormy Daniels scandal", "Porn Star Was Reportedly Paid to Stay Quiet About Trump", "Trump Lawyer Used Private Company, Pseudonyms to Pay Adult film Star 'Stormy Daniels'; Michael Cohen created limited liability company just before $130,000 payment", "Trump's Longtime Lawyer Says He Paid Stormy Daniels Out of His Own Pocket", "Analysis | Did Trump's lawyer just implicate Trump in the Stormy Daniels payment? The president likestough-guy lawyers. [159] The search warrant itself has been sealed, making it unavailable to the public. Capalino Lays The Foundation For NYCs Real Estate Growth, Following the asylum-seeker odyssey: a timeline, Rent protections stand out in state Legislative session, NYC to pilot remote work in tentative city worker contract. And I will come after your Daily Beast and everybody else that you possibly know," Cohen said to Mak. Today, New York. [147][148] The warrant was obtained by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the SDNY, whose public corruption unit was conducting an investigation. Elon Found His Next Shiny Object. Whats on the agenda for the 2023 legislative session in New York? He brutalized for you.. New York CNN Michael Cohen is a free man. Cohen began his career as a personal injury lawyer, then, according to the Daily Beast, spent the 90s buying up taxi medallions in New York City and Chicago and hustling side projects like a Miami gambling boat and several family-run Ukrainian ethanol businesses. He and his family then began investing in Trumps real estate deals. The . She became pregnant by him, had an abortion, and was to be paid $1.6 million hush money. [98], On March 5, The Wall Street Journal cited anonymous sources recounting Cohen as saying he missed two deadlines to pay Daniels because Cohen "couldn't reach Mr. Trump in the hectic final days of the presidential campaign", and that after Trump's election, Cohen had complained that he had not been reimbursed for the payment. Roy Cohn, shown at left in this undated photo, was a "fixer" for Donald Trump, right a role later played by lawyer Michael Cohen early in the future president's career. [84] The BBC ended up having to state the allegation was untrue, apologizing to Poroshenko, deleting the article from its website, paying legal costs, and paying damages to Poroshenko. Falwell had told Cohen that a third party had obtained compromising photos of Falwell's wife. [56][57] Cohen denied the allegations against him,[58][59][60] stating that he was in Los Angeles between August 23 and 29, and in New York for the entire month of September. [28], Cohen volunteered for the 1988 presidential campaign of Michael Dukakis. [35], In 2015, Cohen purchased an Upper East Side apartment building for $58million. Cohen is alleged to have paid Stormy Daniels, who claims the money was to buy her silence over what she described as an affair with Trump. To mark 52 years of infamy, Roy Cohn gave himself a party Friday night at Studio 54, and invited 200 friends and clients. His father, Albert C. Cohn, was a longtime member of New York's Democratic machine and a State Supreme Court and. Bully Coward Victim: The Story of Roy Cohn. [238][239], Cohen married Ukrainian-born Laura Shusterman in 1994. Hint: Usually Not the Railroad, Two Indian Billionairesand a Game of Cricket. [228][229] The Florida Bar Association investigated the incident, but only issued a "letter of advice". "[237], Cohen's memoir on Donald Trump, Disloyal: A Memoir, was released in September 2020. [110] After Cohen's August 2018 conviction, Trump stated that the payment to Daniels came from him personally and not from the campaign during a Fox & Friends interview. [81][82][83], In May 2018, BBC News falsely reported that Cohen had received a secret payment of between $400,000 and $600,000 from intermediaries for Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to arrange a meeting between Poroshenko and Trump, though Cohen was not registered as a foreign agent. He . Cohen returned to that committee for more questioning on March 6. His client is now the president. Trump suggested that investigations should instead focus on Cohen's father-in-law, saying "that's the one people want to look at". Rapper, chef and author Action Bronson takes us on a journey from his early days at culinary school, to releasing critically acclaimed albums, to writing books, starring in TV shows and building an iconic brand around his favorite interests. [143], Korea Aerospace Industries paid $150,000,[136] ostensibly for advice on "cost accounting standards". to learn more. [160] The FBI also sought documents pertaining to Cohen's ownership of taxi medallions. Cohen created a Delaware LLC called Essential Consultants and used it to pay the $130,000. [174][175][176], After Cohen's conviction, his personal lawyer Lanny Davis stated that Cohen was ready to "tell everything about Donald Trump that he knows". If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and . language preference or login information. According to one account at the height of their association, Trump and Cohn talked 15 to 20 times a day. and analytics partners. Cohn represented Trump in several libel cases against reporters, crafted Trumps prenuptial agreement with his first wife Ivana and emceed a birthday party for Trump at the famous Studio 54 nightclub, where both Cohn and Trump were regulars. [11][192] Cohen had told Congress that the deal ceased in January 2016 when it actually ended in June 2016, and that he had not received a response about the deal from the office of a senior Russian official when he actually had. It took a great man (@POTUS ) to get me to make the switch. [8] Cohen said he violated campaign-finance laws at the direction of Trump and "for the principal purpose of influencing" the 2016 presidential election. [141], Novartis, a Switzerlandbased pharmaceutical giant paid the LLC nearly $1.2 million in separate payments. Mr. Cohen pled guilty to a veritable smorgasbord of fraudulent conduct.