Donald Trump's ex-lawyer&nbsp;Michael Cohen has alleged him of colluding with Russia to win elections, and promises proof of it in his new book.

Cohen is publishing a book titled&nbsp;"Disloyal, A Memoir.", in which he alleges Trump of colluding with Russia and much more.

A 3,700 word long foreword of the book was published recently.&nbsp;"Trump had cheated in the election, with Russian connivance, as you will discover in these pages, because doing anything — and I mean anything — to `win` has always been his business model and way of life," Cohen writes in the book`s foreword, which was published online on Thursday.

While the foreword does not reveal anything new about the accusations, it is still unclear if the book will be able to reveal any additional detail or proof regarding these allegations, which have been circling Trump for few years now from different sources.

Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller last year concluded that Russia waged a major campaign to help Trump to victory in 2016. However, Mueller was unable to establish a criminal relationship between the two.

Cohen, on the other hand, has worked closely with Trump over the years and therefore more proof on these allegations is being expected from Cohen's book.

His book has been the center of controversy for months now. The ex-aide was given the permission to publish the book in July end after he was dragged to&nbsp;Otisville prison as a retaliation for planning to publish a book about Trump.

Trump's administration has been trying to halt the production of this book for months now.&nbsp;White House spokesman Brian Morgenstern has now replied with question marks on Chen's credibility calling him to be a 'liar' and accusing him of oublishing the book only to make money from sales.

"He readily admits to lying routinely but expects people to believe him now so that he can make money from book sales. It’s unfortunate that the media is exploiting this sad and desperate man to attack President Trump,” Morgenstern said.

Michael Cohen's lawyers have not yet responded back to the accusation made from the White House.

Donald Trump's ex-lawyer Michael Cohen has alleged him of colluding with Russia to win elections, and promises proof of it in his new book. Cohen is publishing a book titled "Disloyal, A Memoir.

Donald Trump's ex-lawyer Michael Cohen has alleged him of colluding with Russia to win elections, and promises proof of it in his new book. Cohen is publishing a book titled "Disloyal, A Memoir.", in which he alleges Trump of colluding with Russia and much more. A 3,700 word long foreword of the book was published recently. "Trump had cheated in the election, with Russian connivance, as you will discover in these pages, because doing anything — and I mean anything — to `win` has always been his business model and way of life," Cohen writes in the book`s foreword, which was published online on Thursday. While the foreword does not reveal anything new about the accusations, it is still unclear if the book will be able to reveal any additional detail or proof regarding these allegations, which have been circling Trump for few years now from different sources. Former Special Counsel Robert Mueller last year concluded that Russia waged a major campaign to help Trump to victory in 2016. However, Mueller was unable to establish a criminal relationship between the two. Cohen, on the other hand, has worked closely with Trump over the years and therefore more proof on these allegations is being expected from Cohen's book. His book has been the center of controversy for months now. The ex-aide was given the permission to publish the book in July end after he was dragged to Otisville prison as a retaliation for planning to publish a book about Trump. Trump's administration has been trying to halt the production of this book for months now. White House spokesman Brian Morgenstern has now replied with question marks on Chen's credibility calling him to be a 'liar' and accusing him of oublishing the book only to make money from sales. "He readily admits to lying routinely but expects people to believe him now so that he can make money from book sales. It’s unfortunate that the media is exploiting this sad and desperate man to attack President Trump,” Morgenstern said. Michael Cohen's lawyers have not yet responded back to the accusation made from the White House.

Book trouble: Trump's ex-lawyer, Michael Cohen, accuses him of colluding with Russia to win elections

Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's old friend and ex-lawyer, has been given permission to publish a book critiquing the US President while completing his criminal sentence at home.

Earlier, Cohen was allowed to serve his sentence at home on the condition of no contact with the media and the outside world. However, when Cohen tweeted about his upcoming book, he was dragged back to the Otisville prison as a retaliation for planning to publish a book about Trump.

Later, on July 24 the&nbsp;US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ordered Cohen to be released by 2 pm EDT (1800 GMT) from the prison in Otisville, New York.&nbsp;

The condition of not establishing contact with the outside world was still intact.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trumps-former-lawyer-michael-cohen-soon-to-return-home-from-prison-315714">Also read|&nbsp;Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen soon to return home from prison</a>

However, Cohen has now been allowed to&nbsp;engage with media houses and use social media, as he serves the remainder of his three-year term for campaign finance violations and other crimes in home confinement.

The judge has now given a week for both the concerned parties to negotiate a deal that is "consistent with the First Amendment but yet serves the purposes of confinement."

According to the agreement, which needs approval from the US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, "there shall be no specific media provision" governing Cohen's activities.

He was sentenced in 2018 for directing hush payments to pornographic film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who claimed they had affairs with the current US President Donald Trump. All these claims were denied by Trump.

Cohen, who once claimed to "take a bullet" for Trump if needed, is now releasing a book&nbsp;critical of the US President before the upcoming Presidential election in November.

He is now servinf the remainder of his sentence in&nbsp;his apartment in Manhattan.

Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's old friend and ex-lawyer, has been given permission to publish a book critiquing the US President while completing his criminal sentence at home.

Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's old friend and ex-lawyer, has been given permission to publish a book critiquing the US President while completing his criminal sentence at home. Earlier, Cohen was allowed to serve his sentence at home on the condition of no contact with the media and the outside world. However, when Cohen tweeted about his upcoming book, he was dragged back to the Otisville prison as a retaliation for planning to publish a book about Trump. Later, on July 24 the US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ordered Cohen to be released by 2 pm EDT (1800 GMT) from the prison in Otisville, New York. The condition of not establishing contact with the outside world was still intact. Also read| Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen soon to return home from prison However, Cohen has now been allowed to engage with media houses and use social media, as he serves the remainder of his three-year term for campaign finance violations and other crimes in home confinement. The judge has now given a week for both the concerned parties to negotiate a deal that is "consistent with the First Amendment but yet serves the purposes of confinement." According to the agreement, which needs approval from the US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, "there shall be no specific media provision" governing Cohen's activities. He was sentenced in 2018 for directing hush payments to pornographic film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who claimed they had affairs with the current US President Donald Trump. All these claims were denied by Trump. Cohen, who once claimed to "take a bullet" for Trump if needed, is now releasing a book critical of the US President before the upcoming Presidential election in November. He is now servinf the remainder of his sentence in his apartment in Manhattan.

Trump's ex-laywer, Michael Cohen, to publish book against Trump while serving sentence at home

Michael Cohen, the US President Donald Trump's former lawyer, will be returning back to his apartment in Manhattan on Friday to finish his criminal sentence.

The order came two weeks after Cohen was imprisoned in Otisville prison as a retaliation for planning to publish a book about Trump.

US&nbsp;District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ordered Cohen to be released by 2 pm EDT (1800 GMT) from the prison in Otisville, New York.&nbsp;

"I make the finding that the purpose of transferring Mr. Cohen from furlough and home confinement to jail is retaliatory and it`s retaliatory because of his desire to exercise his First Amendment rights to publish a book," Hellerstein said at Thursday`s hearing.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trumps-former-lawyer-michael-cohen-back-in-jail-after-home-confinement-fails-312112">Also read:&nbsp;Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, back in jail after home confinement fails</a>

Cohen was sentenced in 2018 for directing hush payments to pornographic film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who claimed they had affairs with the current US President Donald Trump. All these claims were denied by Trump.

In the starting of July 2020, Cohen had requested to convert his furlough to a home confinement&nbsp;to finish out the final two years of his three-year sentence. However, he was brought back to the prison after he tweeted that his book, which will provide&nbsp;"unflattering details" of Trump`s behavior, was almost finished.

The officials claimed that his tweet was a breach of the agreement under which Cohen was not allowed to reach out to the media in any form, for any reason.

Cohen, who has once claimed that he would "take a bullet" for Trump, has not received any support from his old friend and colleague. Instead, he has labelled as a "rat" by Trump.

Michael Cohen, the US President Donald Trump's former lawyer, will be returning back to his apartment in Manhattan on Friday to finish his criminal sentence. The order came two weeks after Cohen was imprisoned in Otisville prison as a retaliation for planning to publish a book about Trump.

Michael Cohen, the US President Donald Trump's former lawyer, will be returning back to his apartment in Manhattan on Friday to finish his criminal sentence. The order came two weeks after Cohen was imprisoned in Otisville prison as a retaliation for planning to publish a book about Trump. US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ordered Cohen to be released by 2 pm EDT (1800 GMT) from the prison in Otisville, New York. "I make the finding that the purpose of transferring Mr. Cohen from furlough and home confinement to jail is retaliatory and it`s retaliatory because of his desire to exercise his First Amendment rights to publish a book," Hellerstein said at Thursday`s hearing. Also read: Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, back in jail after home confinement fails Cohen was sentenced in 2018 for directing hush payments to pornographic film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who claimed they had affairs with the current US President Donald Trump. All these claims were denied by Trump. In the starting of July 2020, Cohen had requested to convert his furlough to a home confinement to finish out the final two years of his three-year sentence. However, he was brought back to the prison after he tweeted that his book, which will provide "unflattering details" of Trump`s behavior, was almost finished. The officials claimed that his tweet was a breach of the agreement under which Cohen was not allowed to reach out to the media in any form, for any reason. Cohen, who has once claimed that he would "take a bullet" for Trump, has not received any support from his old friend and colleague. Instead, he has labelled as a "rat" by Trump.

Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen soon to return home from prison

Former lawyer of the US President Donald Trump has been put behind bars after he refused to adhere to a gag order&nbsp; as a condition of serving his criminal sentence under home confinement.

Michael Cohen, 53, was taken to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, according to his lawyer, Jeffrey Levine. Cohen has now been jailed for the second time, after he was earlier released in May from New York federal prison over concerns of possible exposure to coronavirus.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-coronavirus-cases-rise-by-record-60565-in-a-single-day-312106">Also read:&nbsp;US coronavirus cases rise by record 60,565 in a single day</a>

Cohen had earlier been proven guilty in cases of hush money, various financial crimes and lying to Congress over construction plans of Trump Tower in Moscow. He had served one out of three year sentence, and was originally eligible for a release in November 2021. But he was given a discount due to the pandemic.

On Thursday, he was ordered to a federal courthouse in Manhattan to convert his furlough to home confinement, Levine said outside of the courthouse. He was asked to not contact the media in any form, whether it was the news media or social media. However, objection from his side led to him being put behind bars again as the&nbsp;US&nbsp;Marshals Service&nbsp;came with "shackles" and ordered Cohen remanded to the jail in Brooklyn.

"I've never seen any language like this in my life," Levine said.

The order for arrest came after Cohen was spotted outside a restaurant, which he says did not violate the terms of his home confinment.&nbsp;He said Levine told him that, when Cohen objected to giving up his book and other First Amendment rights, the authorities said they would try to work it out. But instead, 90 minutes later, the U.S. marshals showed up with shackles and an order to arrest Cohen.

Trump has maintained a distance from Cohen, whom he has publically called a "rat", and Cohen, in return, has termed Trump as a "racist," a "con man" and "a cheat."

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
...anticipated release date will be late September.
— Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelCohen212/status/1278648268285792258?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Cohen is also writing a book about Donald Trump about which he has said "there is so much I want to say and intend to say. But now is not the right time. Soon."

Levine said he would try to get Cohen`s arrest order vacated.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Former lawyer of the US President Donald Trump has been put behind bars after he refused to adhere to a gag order as a condition of serving his criminal sentence under home confinement.

Former lawyer of the US President Donald Trump has been put behind bars after he refused to adhere to a gag order as a condition of serving his criminal sentence under home confinement. Michael Cohen, 53, was taken to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, according to his lawyer, Jeffrey Levine. Cohen has now been jailed for the second time, after he was earlier released in May from New York federal prison over concerns of possible exposure to coronavirus. Also read: US coronavirus cases rise by record 60,565 in a single day Cohen had earlier been proven guilty in cases of hush money, various financial crimes and lying to Congress over construction plans of Trump Tower in Moscow. He had served one out of three year sentence, and was originally eligible for a release in November 2021. But he was given a discount due to the pandemic. On Thursday, he was ordered to a federal courthouse in Manhattan to convert his furlough to home confinement, Levine said outside of the courthouse. He was asked to not contact the media in any form, whether it was the news media or social media. However, objection from his side led to him being put behind bars again as the US Marshals Service came with "shackles" and ordered Cohen remanded to the jail in Brooklyn. "I've never seen any language like this in my life," Levine said. The order for arrest came after Cohen was spotted outside a restaurant, which he says did not violate the terms of his home confinment. He said Levine told him that, when Cohen objected to giving up his book and other First Amendment rights, the authorities said they would try to work it out. But instead, 90 minutes later, the U.S. marshals showed up with shackles and an order to arrest Cohen. Trump has maintained a distance from Cohen, whom he has publically called a "rat", and Cohen, in return, has termed Trump as a "racist," a "con man" and "a cheat." ...anticipated release date will be late September. — Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) July 2, 2020 × Cohen is also writing a book about Donald Trump about which he has said "there is so much I want to say and intend to say. But now is not the right time. Soon." Levine said he would try to get Cohen`s arrest order vacated. (With inputs from Reuters)

Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, back in jail after home confinement fails

Documents released by a judge's order on Thursday detailed a flurry of communications involving Donald Trump, his campaign team, personal lawyer Michael Cohen and others to engineer hush-money payments shortly before the 2016 election to an adult-film actress who said she had a sexual encounter with the president. Watch this video to know more.

Documents detail Trump team's efforts to arrange payment to adult star

Documents regarding hush-money payments by Donald Trump's former personal lawyer <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/us-investigators-sought-ex-trump-lawyer-michael-cohens-emails-months-before-raids-204389&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjQpOyLoL7jAhVc_XMBHQawCkUQFjAAegQIARAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw2LK3X2NP6vmnlCjjregG1m">Michael Cohen</a> to a porn star and a Playboy model who said they had sexual encounters with the president are set to be made public on Thursday, offering a window into a probe that began last year and landed Cohen in prison.

US District Judge William Pauley in Manhattan on Wednesday ordered that the material, used by prosecutors to obtain a 2018 search warrant for Cohen's home and office, must be unsealed by 11 am (1500 GMT). The judge found there was no reason to keep the documents secret after prosecutors told him that their investigation into the payments had ended.

The end of the investigation suggests that no one else is likely to face criminal charges in connection with the payments.

Cohen, 52, pleaded guilty in August 2018 to violating campaign finance law by directing payments of $130,000 to adult film star Stormy Daniels and $150,000 to Playboy model Karen McDougal to avert a scandal shortly before the 2016 presidential election. Both women have said they had sexual encounters with Trump more than a decade ago, and that the money was meant to buy their silence. Trump has denied the encounters.

"The campaign finance violations discussed in the materials are a matter of national importance," Pauley wrote. "Now that the government's investigation into those violations has concluded, it is time that every American has an opportunity to scrutinize the materials."

Cohen, who was once <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/us-house-votes-to-set-aside-impeachment-resolution-against-trump-236765&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjagKOooL7jAhWq4HMBHQpVCykQFjAGegQIBRAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw3GZcRl3yAsoSsachx945Ie">Trump</a>'s self-described "fixer," began serving a three-year prison sentence in May for his campaign finance violations and other crimes, including making false statements to a bank and tax evasion.

Pauley had ordered many of the search warrant material about Cohen's personal business dealings unsealed earlier this year, but allowed the hush-money documents to remain secret because an investigation involving the payments was still in progress.

Cohen pleaded guilty last November to separate charges brought by the office of former Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, who was investigating contacts between Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Russia. Cohen admitted he lied to Congress about the extent of contacts between Trump and Russians during the campaign.

Documents regarding hush-money payments by Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen to a porn star and a Playboy model who said they had sexual encounters with the president are set to be made public on Thursday, offering a window into a probe that began last year and landed Cohen in prison.

Documents regarding hush-money payments by Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen to a porn star and a Playboy model who said they had sexual encounters with the president are set to be made public on Thursday, offering a window into a probe that began last year and landed Cohen in prison. US District Judge William Pauley in Manhattan on Wednesday ordered that the material, used by prosecutors to obtain a 2018 search warrant for Cohen's home and office, must be unsealed by 11 am (1500 GMT). The judge found there was no reason to keep the documents secret after prosecutors told him that their investigation into the payments had ended. The end of the investigation suggests that no one else is likely to face criminal charges in connection with the payments. Cohen, 52, pleaded guilty in August 2018 to violating campaign finance law by directing payments of $130,000 to adult film star Stormy Daniels and $150,000 to Playboy model Karen McDougal to avert a scandal shortly before the 2016 presidential election. Both women have said they had sexual encounters with Trump more than a decade ago, and that the money was meant to buy their silence. Trump has denied the encounters. "The campaign finance violations discussed in the materials are a matter of national importance," Pauley wrote. "Now that the government's investigation into those violations has concluded, it is time that every American has an opportunity to scrutinize the materials." Cohen, who was once Trump's self-described "fixer," began serving a three-year prison sentence in May for his campaign finance violations and other crimes, including making false statements to a bank and tax evasion. Pauley had ordered many of the search warrant material about Cohen's personal business dealings unsealed earlier this year, but allowed the hush-money documents to remain secret because an investigation involving the payments was still in progress. Cohen pleaded guilty last November to separate charges brought by the office of former Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, who was investigating contacts between Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Russia. Cohen admitted he lied to Congress about the extent of contacts between Trump and Russians during the campaign.

Documents on Trump ex-lawyer's porn star hush payment to be released

Michael Cohen, former Trump fixer, arrives at prison for 3-Year sentence. Watch full video to know more.

Ex-Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen arrives at prison for 3-Year sentence

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/michael-cohen-accuses-trump-over-wikileaks-moscow-project-hush-payments-200061">Donald Trump's one-time personal lawyer Michael Cohen</a> entered federal prison to serve a three-year sentence Monday for a crime he said was ordered by the US president, suggesting he still has more to tell about his former boss.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/michael-cohen-trumps-loyal-fixer-turned-tell-all-accuser-183620">Cohen</a>, 52, was sentenced to prison in December after admitting he paid hush money during the 2016 presidential election -- in violation of electoral laws -- to two women who said they had had affairs with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-is-a-racist-conman-and-cheat-ex-lawyer-michael-cohen-tells-congress-200117">Trump</a>, committed tax fraud, and lied to Congress.

"There still remains much to be told. And I look forward to the day that I can share the truth," he told reporters as he left his Manhattan residence for the federal prison in Otisville, New York.

"I hope when I rejoin my family and friends that the country will be in a place without xenophobia, injustice, and lies at the helm of our country," he said.

Hours later the onetime vice president and key problem-fixer at the Trump Organisation arrived at the rural prison north of New York City, becoming the second former top Trump aide serving hefty terms for multiple criminal offences, after former campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

His lawyer Lanny Davis said Cohen was the victim of "selective prosecution and disproportionate sentencing and will continue to help prosecutors investigating the president.

"I will continue questioning why Michael is the only person within the Trump organisation to be prosecuted for crimes committed at the direction of and for the benefit of Mr Trump," Davis said.

Cohen: Trump ordered hush payments

Cohen, who worked for the real estate tycoon for a decade, fell out with the president after telling prosecutors and Congress that he was ordered to make the hush payments by Trump himself.

He showed evidence that Trump and his son signed reimbursement checks for the payoffs, which were made to keep two women silent about their alleged affairs with Trump in the weeks before the November 2016 presidential election.

"I didn't work for the campaign. I worked for him. And how come I'm the one that's going to prison? I'm not the one that slept with the porn star," Cohen said in an interview with The New Yorker, referring to one of the women.

After it became clear that Cohen was cooperating with investigators, Trump denigrated him as "weak" and a "rat" ready to make up any lies necessary to avoid prison.

The White House had no comment Monday about Cohen's entering prison.

But in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, current Trump Organisation executive vice president George Sorial dismissed Cohen as someone of few abilities who Trump kept on for years out of loyalty.

"Michael wasn't much of a lawyer," Sorial wrote. "He wasn't trusted to run his own department" and "wasn’t good enough to be given real control."

"He knows he’ll be remembered for turning on those most loyal to him."

Hoped for reduced sentence

But Cohen's case and testimony provided some of the most damaging information on Trump, leading to speculation that New York prosecutors might be reserving charges against the president until after he leaves office -- the earliest of which would be January 2021.

Father of two children in their 20s, Cohen had hoped until the last moment that his sentence would be reduced based on his readiness to cooperate with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election meddling, and, separately, New York prosecutors.

Now disbarred and low on cash, Cohen has mentioned plans to write a book and have his experiences made into a film.

That would follow the footsteps of Richard Nixon's former lawyer John Dean, who pleaded guilty for having bought the silence of the Watergate scandal burglars in the early 1970s, and then wrote a book about his experience.

The Otisville prison conditions should allow Cohen to spend at least some time on such projects.

He is due to be held in the detention centre's low-security "camp," which holds detainees who are not considered to be dangerous, including many other white-collar criminals.

Practising Jews like Cohen who are sentenced to federal prison often request to be placed at Otisville because it provides kosher meals and detainees are allowed to follow the Shabbat day of rest.

The 120-some prisoners of this wing of the centre can use libraries, as well as basketball and tennis courts while wearing their beige uniforms.

Donald Trump's one-time personal lawyer Michael Cohen entered federal prison to serve a three-year sentence Monday for a crime he said was ordered by the US president, suggesting he still has more to tell about his former boss.

Donald Trump's one-time personal lawyer Michael Cohen entered federal prison to serve a three-year sentence Monday for a crime he said was ordered by the US president, suggesting he still has more to tell about his former boss. Cohen, 52, was sentenced to prison in December after admitting he paid hush money during the 2016 presidential election -- in violation of electoral laws -- to two women who said they had had affairs with Trump, committed tax fraud, and lied to Congress. "There still remains much to be told. And I look forward to the day that I can share the truth," he told reporters as he left his Manhattan residence for the federal prison in Otisville, New York. "I hope when I rejoin my family and friends that the country will be in a place without xenophobia, injustice, and lies at the helm of our country," he said. Hours later the onetime vice president and key problem-fixer at the Trump Organisation arrived at the rural prison north of New York City, becoming the second former top Trump aide serving hefty terms for multiple criminal offences, after former campaign chairman Paul Manafort. His lawyer Lanny Davis said Cohen was the victim of "selective prosecution and disproportionate sentencing and will continue to help prosecutors investigating the president. "I will continue questioning why Michael is the only person within the Trump organisation to be prosecuted for crimes committed at the direction of and for the benefit of Mr Trump," Davis said. Cohen: Trump ordered hush payments Cohen, who worked for the real estate tycoon for a decade, fell out with the president after telling prosecutors and Congress that he was ordered to make the hush payments by Trump himself. He showed evidence that Trump and his son signed reimbursement checks for the payoffs, which were made to keep two women silent about their alleged affairs with Trump in the weeks before the November 2016 presidential election. "I didn't work for the campaign. I worked for him. And how come I'm the one that's going to prison? I'm not the one that slept with the porn star," Cohen said in an interview with The New Yorker, referring to one of the women. After it became clear that Cohen was cooperating with investigators, Trump denigrated him as "weak" and a "rat" ready to make up any lies necessary to avoid prison. The White House had no comment Monday about Cohen's entering prison. But in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, current Trump Organisation executive vice president George Sorial dismissed Cohen as someone of few abilities who Trump kept on for years out of loyalty. "Michael wasn't much of a lawyer," Sorial wrote. "He wasn't trusted to run his own department" and "wasn’t good enough to be given real control." "He knows he’ll be remembered for turning on those most loyal to him." Hoped for reduced sentence But Cohen's case and testimony provided some of the most damaging information on Trump, leading to speculation that New York prosecutors might be reserving charges against the president until after he leaves office -- the earliest of which would be January 2021. Father of two children in their 20s, Cohen had hoped until the last moment that his sentence would be reduced based on his readiness to cooperate with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election meddling, and, separately, New York prosecutors. Now disbarred and low on cash, Cohen has mentioned plans to write a book and have his experiences made into a film. That would follow the footsteps of Richard Nixon's former lawyer John Dean, who pleaded guilty for having bought the silence of the Watergate scandal burglars in the early 1970s, and then wrote a book about his experience. The Otisville prison conditions should allow Cohen to spend at least some time on such projects. He is due to be held in the detention centre's low-security "camp," which holds detainees who are not considered to be dangerous, including many other white-collar criminals. Practising Jews like Cohen who are sentenced to federal prison often request to be placed at Otisville because it provides kosher meals and detainees are allowed to follow the Shabbat day of rest. The 120-some prisoners of this wing of the centre can use libraries, as well as basketball and tennis courts while wearing their beige uniforms.

Trump's ex-lawyer Michael Cohen begins 3-year jail term, says still 'much to be told'

After dramatic appeals and testimony in Congress, Donald Trump's one-time<a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-accuses-ex-lawyer-michael-cohen-of-perjury-citing-unpublished-book-200655&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjs5fHhl4biAhUM3o8KHbsEAncQFjAHegQIARAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw2UUPrP5UNJOqE017oDJdfu"> personal lawyer Michael Cohen</a> is due to report to jail Monday to serve a sentence he deems unjust because he was simply following his boss's orders.

The longtime Trump admirer who once said he was ready to "take a bullet" for Trump is awaited at the federal prison in Otisville, New York by 2:00 pm (1800 GMT).

He was sentenced to three years in prison in December, after admitting to having paid hush money during the 2016 election to two women who said they had had affairs with Trump -- in violation of electoral laws -- having committed tax fraud and having lied to Congress.

The father of two children in their twenties, Cohen had hoped until the last moment that his sentence would be reduced, offering information to investigators that could compromise Trump and his family, including over the Russia investigation.

But even if<a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/mueller-criticises-attorney-general-barrs-depiction-of-russia-probe-reports-215002&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjInar_l4biAhUMTI8KHYTHCbU4ChAWMAN6BAgPEAI&amp;usg=AOvVaw2KrVBmWXq0ymv9OhWFRvDO"> Special Counsel Robert Mueller</a> referred to the ex-attorney more than a hundred times in his report on Russian meddling in the US elections, prosecutors have not budged on Cohen's sentence.

Why Cohen?&nbsp;

The child of a Holocaust survivor and a nurse will become one of just two close aides of the president jailed for a lengthy period of time after Paul Manafort, Trump's ex-campaign manager who was sentenced to 7.5 years of prison.

Cohen worked for the Trump Organization for a decade and insists that all reprehensible acts took place at the behest of the president, who the ex-attorney claims would be ready to cling to power even if he loses his bid for a second term in 2020.

"How come I'm the only one?" Cohen asked in an interview with The New Yorker.

"I didn't work for the campaign. I worked for him. And how come I'm the one that's going to prison? I'm not the one that slept with the porn star," he added, referring to Stormy Daniels, one of the women who received hush money.

Cohen's lawyer Lanny Davis said Friday that the president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, should have gone to prison since he "signed hush money checks."

For the American president and his allies, Cohen's prison sentence has the taste of payback after the one-time attorney turned on his boss.

Trump called him "weak" and a "rat" ready to make up any lies necessary to avoid prison.

&nbsp;Final statements&nbsp;

Cohen, who has been disbarred and is running out of cash, has not said his last word.

This weekend, he told reporters following him in Manhattan as he spent his last moments of freedom with his son Jake, a student in Miami, that he would make some final statements Monday before going behind bars.

When he spoke to lawmakers earlier this year, Cohen mentioned plans to write a book and have his experiences made into a film.

In doing so, he would be following the example of Richard Nixon's ex-lawyer John Dean, who pleaded guilty for having bought the silence of the Watergate scandal burglars, and then wrote a book about his experience.

The Otisville prison conditions should allow Cohen to spend at least some time on such projects.

He is due to be held in the detention centre's low-security "camp," which holds detainees who are not considered to be dangerous, including many other white-collar criminals.

Practising Jews who are sentenced often request to be placed at Otisville because it provides kosher meals and detainees are allowed to follow the Shabbat day of rest.

The 120-some prisoners of this wing of the centre can use libraries, as well as basketball and tennis courts while wearing their beige uniforms.

Can Cohen hope for an expedited release for good behaviour?

"Because Congress eliminated parole in 1987, the best he can hope for is a 15 per cent reduction off his sentence for 'good behaviour,'" said criminal defence attorney Harlan Protass.

"He'll also likely spend the last six months of his sentence in a halfway house, like where former Congressman Anthony Weiner is now."

After dramatic appeals and testimony in Congress, Donald Trump's one-time personal lawyer Michael Cohen is due to report to jail Monday to serve a sentence he deems unjust because he was simply following his boss's orders.

After dramatic appeals and testimony in Congress, Donald Trump's one-time personal lawyer Michael Cohen is due to report to jail Monday to serve a sentence he deems unjust because he was simply following his boss's orders. The longtime Trump admirer who once said he was ready to "take a bullet" for Trump is awaited at the federal prison in Otisville, New York by 2:00 pm (1800 GMT). He was sentenced to three years in prison in December, after admitting to having paid hush money during the 2016 election to two women who said they had had affairs with Trump -- in violation of electoral laws -- having committed tax fraud and having lied to Congress. The father of two children in their twenties, Cohen had hoped until the last moment that his sentence would be reduced, offering information to investigators that could compromise Trump and his family, including over the Russia investigation. But even if Special Counsel Robert Mueller referred to the ex-attorney more than a hundred times in his report on Russian meddling in the US elections, prosecutors have not budged on Cohen's sentence. Why Cohen? The child of a Holocaust survivor and a nurse will become one of just two close aides of the president jailed for a lengthy period of time after Paul Manafort, Trump's ex-campaign manager who was sentenced to 7.5 years of prison. Cohen worked for the Trump Organization for a decade and insists that all reprehensible acts took place at the behest of the president, who the ex-attorney claims would be ready to cling to power even if he loses his bid for a second term in 2020. "How come I'm the only one?" Cohen asked in an interview with The New Yorker. "I didn't work for the campaign. I worked for him. And how come I'm the one that's going to prison? I'm not the one that slept with the porn star," he added, referring to Stormy Daniels, one of the women who received hush money. Cohen's lawyer Lanny Davis said Friday that the president's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, should have gone to prison since he "signed hush money checks." For the American president and his allies, Cohen's prison sentence has the taste of payback after the one-time attorney turned on his boss. Trump called him "weak" and a "rat" ready to make up any lies necessary to avoid prison. Final statements Cohen, who has been disbarred and is running out of cash, has not said his last word. This weekend, he told reporters following him in Manhattan as he spent his last moments of freedom with his son Jake, a student in Miami, that he would make some final statements Monday before going behind bars. When he spoke to lawmakers earlier this year, Cohen mentioned plans to write a book and have his experiences made into a film. In doing so, he would be following the example of Richard Nixon's ex-lawyer John Dean, who pleaded guilty for having bought the silence of the Watergate scandal burglars, and then wrote a book about his experience. The Otisville prison conditions should allow Cohen to spend at least some time on such projects. He is due to be held in the detention centre's low-security "camp," which holds detainees who are not considered to be dangerous, including many other white-collar criminals. Practising Jews who are sentenced often request to be placed at Otisville because it provides kosher meals and detainees are allowed to follow the Shabbat day of rest. The 120-some prisoners of this wing of the centre can use libraries, as well as basketball and tennis courts while wearing their beige uniforms. Can Cohen hope for an expedited release for good behaviour? "Because Congress eliminated parole in 1987, the best he can hope for is a 15 per cent reduction off his sentence for 'good behaviour,'" said criminal defence attorney Harlan Protass. "He'll also likely spend the last six months of his sentence in a halfway house, like where former Congressman Anthony Weiner is now."

Michael Cohen, Trump's one-time aide who turned on him, due to report to jail today

Cleared by Mueller, Trump still faces some ongoing investigations & lawsuits

US investigators sought warrants to read<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trumps-ex-lawyer-cohen-says-testimony-could-have-been-clearer-lawyer-203200"> Michael Cohen's emails </a>in July 2017, nine months before the FBI raided the home and office of President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, according to documents made public on Tuesday.

The requests were made six months into Trump's presidency. Emails were sought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office as well as by the FBI, dating back as far as June 2015, according to the documents.

Mueller is investigating Russia's role in the 2016 US election and possible coordination with Trump campaign members.

The nearly 900 pages of documents released by a federal judge in New York provide more detailed accounts of Cohen's financial relationships than previously known.

Cohen had been Trump's personal lawyer and self-described fixer for more than a decade, but began cooperating with federal investigators soon after the April 2018 raids on his home, office and hotel room.

He later pleaded guilty in separate prosecutions to lying to Congress, bank fraud and campaign finance violations. The latter included paying hush money to silence two women who said they had sexual encounters with Trump.

Cohen is scheduled to begin a three-year prison term on May 6.

Trump has denied having had sexual relationships with the two women: Stormy Daniels, the porn actress whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.

Much of the discussion about campaign finance issues in the released documents was redacted.

They were released after US District Judge William Pauley on Monday ordered prosecutors to make redacted versions public, in response to requests by news media organizations.

Lanny Davis, a lawyer for Cohen, said in a statement on Monday night that the document release "only furthers his interest in continuing to cooperate and providing information and the truth about Donald Trump and the Trump organization to law enforcement and Congress."

Since pleading guilty, Cohen has publicly turned on Trump, telling the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Feb. 27 that his former boss was a "racist," "con man" and "cheat."

In his congressional testimony, Cohen said he was "ashamed of my weakness and misplaced loyalty, of the things I did for Mr. Trump in an effort to protect and promote him."

Cohen began working for Trump in 2007. The Republican president in December called his former lawyer "a rat" and in January said Cohen was "lying to reduce his jail time."

Moscow has denied meddling in the 2016 election, though US intelligence agencies have concluded that it interfered to help Trump win.

Trump has denied that his campaign colluded with Russia, and described the Mueller probe as a political witch hunt.

The newly released documents showed how the FBI made extensive use of its access to Cohen's Apple iCloud account, which allowed him to coordinate his work across such devices as an iPhone, iPad Mini and laptop.

FBI agents said they located a hotel room in New York's Loews Regency Hotel where Cohen was staying by using a device known as a Triggerfish that mimics cell phone towers to find a specific device.

The bank fraud case stemmed from Cohen dealings unrelated to Trump, and suggest that his financial situation was dire.

According to the documents, Cohen was in default by December 2017 on more than $20 million in loans backed by New York taxicab medallions he owned.

The FBI believed Cohen misrepresented his finances to banks he owed money to.

According to the documents, Cohen concealed fees being paid to Essential Consultants, a firm he controlled, for political consulting, including from international clients with issues pending before the Trump administration.

Among the payments Cohen was believed to have received was $600,000 from AT&amp;T Inc for consulting about "political issues, including net neutrality, the merger between AT&amp;T and Time Warner and tax reform."

Another $583,333 came from an investment firm controlled by Russian businessman Viktor Vekselberg, the documents showed.

Republicans in Congress have criticized Cohen's consulting work, arguing he should have made his contracts public through disclosures. The warrant does not appear to detail any violations to lobbying disclosure laws.

Cohen also used Essential Consultants to pay hush money to Daniels.

US investigators sought warrants to read Michael Cohen's emails in July 2017, nine months before the FBI raided the home and office of President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, according to documents made public on Tuesday.

US investigators sought warrants to read Michael Cohen's emails in July 2017, nine months before the FBI raided the home and office of President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, according to documents made public on Tuesday. The requests were made six months into Trump's presidency. Emails were sought by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office as well as by the FBI, dating back as far as June 2015, according to the documents. Mueller is investigating Russia's role in the 2016 US election and possible coordination with Trump campaign members. The nearly 900 pages of documents released by a federal judge in New York provide more detailed accounts of Cohen's financial relationships than previously known. Cohen had been Trump's personal lawyer and self-described fixer for more than a decade, but began cooperating with federal investigators soon after the April 2018 raids on his home, office and hotel room. He later pleaded guilty in separate prosecutions to lying to Congress, bank fraud and campaign finance violations. The latter included paying hush money to silence two women who said they had sexual encounters with Trump. Cohen is scheduled to begin a three-year prison term on May 6. Trump has denied having had sexual relationships with the two women: Stormy Daniels, the porn actress whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Much of the discussion about campaign finance issues in the released documents was redacted. They were released after US District Judge William Pauley on Monday ordered prosecutors to make redacted versions public, in response to requests by news media organizations. Lanny Davis, a lawyer for Cohen, said in a statement on Monday night that the document release "only furthers his interest in continuing to cooperate and providing information and the truth about Donald Trump and the Trump organization to law enforcement and Congress." Since pleading guilty, Cohen has publicly turned on Trump, telling the House Committee on Oversight and Reform on Feb. 27 that his former boss was a "racist," "con man" and "cheat." In his congressional testimony, Cohen said he was "ashamed of my weakness and misplaced loyalty, of the things I did for Mr. Trump in an effort to protect and promote him." Cohen began working for Trump in 2007. The Republican president in December called his former lawyer "a rat" and in January said Cohen was "lying to reduce his jail time." Moscow has denied meddling in the 2016 election, though US intelligence agencies have concluded that it interfered to help Trump win. Trump has denied that his campaign colluded with Russia, and described the Mueller probe as a political witch hunt. The newly released documents showed how the FBI made extensive use of its access to Cohen's Apple iCloud account, which allowed him to coordinate his work across such devices as an iPhone, iPad Mini and laptop. FBI agents said they located a hotel room in New York's Loews Regency Hotel where Cohen was staying by using a device known as a Triggerfish that mimics cell phone towers to find a specific device. The bank fraud case stemmed from Cohen dealings unrelated to Trump, and suggest that his financial situation was dire. According to the documents, Cohen was in default by December 2017 on more than $20 million in loans backed by New York taxicab medallions he owned. The FBI believed Cohen misrepresented his finances to banks he owed money to. According to the documents, Cohen concealed fees being paid to Essential Consultants, a firm he controlled, for political consulting, including from international clients with issues pending before the Trump administration. Among the payments Cohen was believed to have received was $600,000 from AT&T Inc for consulting about "political issues, including net neutrality, the merger between AT&T and Time Warner and tax reform." Another $583,333 came from an investment firm controlled by Russian businessman Viktor Vekselberg, the documents showed. Republicans in Congress have criticized Cohen's consulting work, arguing he should have made his contracts public through disclosures. The warrant does not appear to detail any violations to lobbying disclosure laws. Cohen also used Essential Consultants to pay hush money to Daniels.

US investigators sought ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's emails months before raids

US President Donald Trump`s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen`s testimony to Congress regarding any potential pardon for his crimes "could have been clearer," but he never personally asked the president for such a reprieve, Cohen`s lawyer said.

In a statement to lawmakers on Tuesday, Cohen`s legal team sought to clarify his recent testimony amid questions over whether Cohen sought, or Trump offered, a pardon to the man who once declared he would take a bullet for the Republican president but later flipped to cooperate with federal prosecutors.&nbsp;

Cohen, who is to report to prison in May for campaign finance crimes and previously lying to Congress, said at a public hearing before a US House of Representatives panel last month, "I have never asked for, nor would I accept, a pardon from President Trump."

Trump himself challenged that claim. In a tweet on Friday, Trump said that Cohen "directly asked me for a pardon. I said NO. He lied again!" Cohen, in his own tweet, responded, calling the president`s assertion "another set of lies."

On Wednesday, two Republicans on the House Oversight and Reform Committee, which publicly questioned Cohen about possible pardons, asked Representative Elijah Cummings, the Democratic committee chairman, to join them in referring Cohen to the Justice Department for a possible perjury investigation.&nbsp;

Cummings said he did not "see the need for further action - at least at this time."&nbsp;

"Our practice on this Committee is to give witnesses an opportunity to clarify their testimony, and that is what Mr. Cohen has done," Cummings said in a statement.&nbsp;

In Tuesday`s letter, an attorney for Cohen said his testimony about not seeking a pardon referred to the period after Cohen decided to break from Trump in June 2018 and left their joint defence agreement.&nbsp;

"Cohen rejected the opportunity to ask for and receive a pardon even though he knew he was going to prison with hardships to his family," Cohen lawyer Michael Monico said in the letter to the Oversight Committee.

Another attorney, Robert Costello, said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday that Cohen instructed him last year to ask Trump`s lawyer Rudy Giuliani about the possibility of a pardon.

"We have documents to back our position up, and are preparing to provide these to the U.S. Attorney’s office, who has asked for them," Costello said in a statement to Reuters.

Giuliani told Reuters last week that Costello called him around May 2018 and said, "Cohen has asked me to raise with you, can he get a pardon?"

"I told him, no, you’re not going to get a pardon," Giuliani said, adding that at one point Costello told him "Cohen was upset, but he never asked again about a pardon."

Lanny Davis, another Cohen lawyer, said later on Wednesday that "Mr. Cohen’s testimony was truthful. The letter provided greater time frame context for that testimony."&nbsp;

Davis complained that Oversight Committee Republicans had never "mentioned the hush money checks signed by President Trump, proving that the president committed a felony as part of the Stormy Daniels illegal hush money scheme" and questioned why Representative Jim Jordan, one of Trump`s most avid defenders on the committee, had ignored this.

Cohen has met with congressional committees four times since being sentenced, including a televised Feb. 27 hearing led by Cummings.

US President Donald Trump`s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen`s testimony to Congress regarding any potential pardon for his crimes "could have been clearer," but he never personally asked the president for such a reprieve, Cohen`s lawyer said.

US President Donald Trump`s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen`s testimony to Congress regarding any potential pardon for his crimes "could have been clearer," but he never personally asked the president for such a reprieve, Cohen`s lawyer said. In a statement to lawmakers on Tuesday, Cohen`s legal team sought to clarify his recent testimony amid questions over whether Cohen sought, or Trump offered, a pardon to the man who once declared he would take a bullet for the Republican president but later flipped to cooperate with federal prosecutors. Cohen, who is to report to prison in May for campaign finance crimes and previously lying to Congress, said at a public hearing before a US House of Representatives panel last month, "I have never asked for, nor would I accept, a pardon from President Trump." Trump himself challenged that claim. In a tweet on Friday, Trump said that Cohen "directly asked me for a pardon. I said NO. He lied again!" Cohen, in his own tweet, responded, calling the president`s assertion "another set of lies." On Wednesday, two Republicans on the House Oversight and Reform Committee, which publicly questioned Cohen about possible pardons, asked Representative Elijah Cummings, the Democratic committee chairman, to join them in referring Cohen to the Justice Department for a possible perjury investigation. Cummings said he did not "see the need for further action - at least at this time." "Our practice on this Committee is to give witnesses an opportunity to clarify their testimony, and that is what Mr. Cohen has done," Cummings said in a statement. In Tuesday`s letter, an attorney for Cohen said his testimony about not seeking a pardon referred to the period after Cohen decided to break from Trump in June 2018 and left their joint defence agreement. "Cohen rejected the opportunity to ask for and receive a pardon even though he knew he was going to prison with hardships to his family," Cohen lawyer Michael Monico said in the letter to the Oversight Committee. Another attorney, Robert Costello, said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday that Cohen instructed him last year to ask Trump`s lawyer Rudy Giuliani about the possibility of a pardon. "We have documents to back our position up, and are preparing to provide these to the U.S. Attorney’s office, who has asked for them," Costello said in a statement to Reuters. Giuliani told Reuters last week that Costello called him around May 2018 and said, "Cohen has asked me to raise with you, can he get a pardon?" "I told him, no, you’re not going to get a pardon," Giuliani said, adding that at one point Costello told him "Cohen was upset, but he never asked again about a pardon." Lanny Davis, another Cohen lawyer, said later on Wednesday that "Mr. Cohen’s testimony was truthful. The letter provided greater time frame context for that testimony." Davis complained that Oversight Committee Republicans had never "mentioned the hush money checks signed by President Trump, proving that the president committed a felony as part of the Stormy Daniels illegal hush money scheme" and questioned why Representative Jim Jordan, one of Trump`s most avid defenders on the committee, had ignored this. Cohen has met with congressional committees four times since being sentenced, including a televised Feb. 27 hearing led by Cummings.

Trump's ex-lawyer Cohen says testimony 'could have been clearer': Lawyer

US President Donald Trump said on Friday his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, who has since turned against him and pleaded guilty to multiple crimes, had asked him directly for a pardon but was rejected.

"Bad lawyer and fraudster Michael Cohen said under sworn testimony that he never asked for a Pardon. His lawyers totally contradicted him. He lied!," Trump tweeted. "Additionally, he directly asked me for a pardon. I said NO."

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Bad lawyer and fraudster Michael Cohen said under sworn testimony that he never asked for a Pardon. His lawyers totally contradicted him. He lied! Additionally, he directly asked me for a pardon. I said NO. He lied again! He also badly wanted to work at the White House. He lied!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1104050224052396032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2019</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

US President Donald Trump said on Friday his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, who has since turned against him and pleaded guilty to multiple crimes, had asked him directly for a pardon but was rejected.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, who has since turned against him and pleaded guilty to multiple crimes, had asked him directly for a pardon but was rejected. "Bad lawyer and fraudster Michael Cohen said under sworn testimony that he never asked for a Pardon. His lawyers totally contradicted him. He lied!," Trump tweeted. "Additionally, he directly asked me for a pardon. I said NO." Bad lawyer and fraudster Michael Cohen said under sworn testimony that he never asked for a Pardon. His lawyers totally contradicted him. He lied! Additionally, he directly asked me for a pardon. I said NO. He lied again! He also badly wanted to work at the White House. He lied! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 8, 2019 ×

Trump says ex-lawyer Cohen asked him for a pardon, but he said no

Michael Cohen, the former personal lawyer of US President Donald Trump, on Thursday, sued the Trump Organisation, saying it reneged on its obligation to reimburse him for millions of dollars of legal fees and costs related to his work.

In a complaint filed in the New York state supreme court in Manhattan, Cohen said the Trump Organisation stopped paying him last May after it became clear he would <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/my-loyalty-to-donald-trump-has-cost-me-everything-says-former-lawyer-michael-cohen-in-congressional-testimony-200137">cooperate with various probes into his work</a>.

These include Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian influence in the 2016 US presidential election, as well as multiple congressional probes.

Cohen said the Trump Organisation owes him at least $3.8 million, and its failure to pay breached a reimbursement agreement that predated his cooperation.

The Trump Organization did not respond to requests for comment.

Rudolph Giuliani, an adviser to Trump and former New York City mayor, suggested in an interview that Cohen was owed nothing.

"You’re getting in trouble because you work for me, you're getting reimbursed," Giuliani said. "You're getting in trouble for your own stuff, I can't reimburse you."

Thursday's lawsuit marks a further break for Cohen, Trump's longtime "fixer," from his former boss.

It came as Cohen, 52, prepares this spring to begin a three-year prison term, following his guilty plea to campaign finance violations.

These included "hush money" payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who both said they had sexual encounters with Trump.

The president has denied their claims. He has also said his campaign did not collude with Moscow.

According to the complaint, Cohen and the Trump Organisation entered the July 2017 reimbursement agreement when they were pursuing a "joint defense" to various investigations.

The organisation reaffirmed its payment obligations in December 2017 after Cohen complained to Trump's adult sons Donald Jr. and Eric, who both worked there, about "repeated delays," according to the complaint.

Cohen said he has employed at least seven law firms in the last year on matters related to Trump.

He said these include two lawsuits by Daniels, the New York attorney general's lawsuit concerning Trump's namesake charity, the Mueller and congressional probes, and his criminal case.

The alleged missed reimbursements include $1.9 million for legal fees and costs, plus another $1.9 million that Cohen owes in his criminal case.

Cohen this week completed meetings with congressional investigators looking into Trump's activities.

Testifying on Feb. 27 before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Cohen called Trump a "con man" and "cheat," but offered no direct evidence that Trump or his campaign colluded with Moscow in the 2016 election.

The case is Cohen v Trump Organization LLC, New York State Supreme Court, New York County, No. 651377/2019.

Michael Cohen, the former personal lawyer of US President Donald Trump, on Thursday, sued the Trump Organisation, saying it reneged on its obligation to reimburse him for millions of dollars of legal fees and costs related to his work.

Michael Cohen, the former personal lawyer of US President Donald Trump, on Thursday, sued the Trump Organisation, saying it reneged on its obligation to reimburse him for millions of dollars of legal fees and costs related to his work. In a complaint filed in the New York state supreme court in Manhattan, Cohen said the Trump Organisation stopped paying him last May after it became clear he would cooperate with various probes into his work. These include Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian influence in the 2016 US presidential election, as well as multiple congressional probes. Cohen said the Trump Organisation owes him at least $3.8 million, and its failure to pay breached a reimbursement agreement that predated his cooperation. The Trump Organization did not respond to requests for comment. Rudolph Giuliani, an adviser to Trump and former New York City mayor, suggested in an interview that Cohen was owed nothing. "You’re getting in trouble because you work for me, you're getting reimbursed," Giuliani said. "You're getting in trouble for your own stuff, I can't reimburse you." Thursday's lawsuit marks a further break for Cohen, Trump's longtime "fixer," from his former boss. It came as Cohen, 52, prepares this spring to begin a three-year prison term, following his guilty plea to campaign finance violations. These included "hush money" payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who both said they had sexual encounters with Trump. The president has denied their claims. He has also said his campaign did not collude with Moscow. According to the complaint, Cohen and the Trump Organisation entered the July 2017 reimbursement agreement when they were pursuing a "joint defense" to various investigations. The organisation reaffirmed its payment obligations in December 2017 after Cohen complained to Trump's adult sons Donald Jr. and Eric, who both worked there, about "repeated delays," according to the complaint. Cohen said he has employed at least seven law firms in the last year on matters related to Trump. He said these include two lawsuits by Daniels, the New York attorney general's lawsuit concerning Trump's namesake charity, the Mueller and congressional probes, and his criminal case. The alleged missed reimbursements include $1.9 million for legal fees and costs, plus another $1.9 million that Cohen owes in his criminal case. Cohen this week completed meetings with congressional investigators looking into Trump's activities. Testifying on Feb. 27 before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Cohen called Trump a "con man" and "cheat," but offered no direct evidence that Trump or his campaign colluded with Moscow in the 2016 election. The case is Cohen v Trump Organization LLC, New York State Supreme Court, New York County, No. 651377/2019.

Michael Cohen sues Trump Organisation for unpaid legal fees

US President Donald Trump on Monday blasted the&nbsp;Democrats and said that&nbsp;decision to interview his longtime fixer, lawyer Michael Cohen, on the same day as a meeting with Kim Jong Un may have led to the North Korea summit ending with no deal.

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For the Democrats to interview in open hearings a convicted liar &amp; fraudster, at the same time as the very important Nuclear Summit with North Korea, is perhaps a new low in American politics and may have contributed to the “walk.” Never done when a president is overseas. Shame!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1102373344987496448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
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"For the Democrats to interview in open hearings a convicted liar &amp; fraudster, at the same time as the very important Nuclear Summit with North Korea, is perhaps a new low in American politics and may have contributed to the 'walk.'" Trump said on Twitter, referring to his decision to walk away from what he previously said was a bad deal with Kim.

"Never done when a president is overseas. Shame!"

Last week in Hanoi Trump and Kim met for the second time to try to negotiate a deal that would surrender some of North Korea's nuclear weapons arsenal in return for sanctions relief.

At the same time in Washington, Trump's former aide Cohen was testifying before the US House of Representatives’ Oversight Committee, accusing Trump of ordering his personal attorney to make threats for him about 500 times over the last 10 years.

US President Donald Trump on Monday blasted the Democrats and said that decision to interview his longtime fixer, lawyer Michael Cohen, on the same day as a meeting with Kim Jong Un may have led to the North Korea summit ending with no deal.

US President Donald Trump on Monday blasted the Democrats and said that decision to interview his longtime fixer, lawyer Michael Cohen, on the same day as a meeting with Kim Jong Un may have led to the North Korea summit ending with no deal. For the Democrats to interview in open hearings a convicted liar & fraudster, at the same time as the very important Nuclear Summit with North Korea, is perhaps a new low in American politics and may have contributed to the “walk.” Never done when a president is overseas. Shame! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2019 × "For the Democrats to interview in open hearings a convicted liar & fraudster, at the same time as the very important Nuclear Summit with North Korea, is perhaps a new low in American politics and may have contributed to the 'walk.'" Trump said on Twitter, referring to his decision to walk away from what he previously said was a bad deal with Kim. "Never done when a president is overseas. Shame!" Last week in Hanoi Trump and Kim met for the second time to try to negotiate a deal that would surrender some of North Korea's nuclear weapons arsenal in return for sanctions relief. At the same time in Washington, Trump's former aide Cohen was testifying before the US House of Representatives’ Oversight Committee, accusing Trump of ordering his personal attorney to make threats for him about 500 times over the last 10 years.

Trump says Cohen hearing may have contributed to North Korea summit failure

Donald Trump accused his former lawyer of perjury on Friday, saying Michael Cohen's scathing testimony to Congress this week contradicted a manuscript he wrote last year that complimented the US president.

"Wow, just revealed that Michael Cohen wrote a 'love letter to Trump' manuscript for a new book that he was pushing," Trump tweeted Friday.

"Book is the exact opposite of his fake testimony, which now is a lie!"

The president called on Congress to demand the transcript, given to publishers a short time ago and yet to go on sale.

"Michael Cohen's book manuscript shows that he committed perjury on a scale not seen before," Trump added.

Cohen, who worked for the president for a decade as his top "fixer" at the Trump Organization, assailed his ex-boss as "a racist... a conman... a cheat" in testimony Wednesday to the House Oversight Committee.

In a book proposal, Cohen sent to publishers in early 2018 -- before he was sentenced to three years in prison, partly for crimes related to his work for Trump -- the attorney promised a glowing picture of the real estate billionaire.

The manuscript was entitled "Trump Revolution: From the Tower to the White House, Understanding Donald J. Trump" -- and according to the Daily Beast, it was aimed at offsetting books deeply critical of the president.

The proposal was pulled back after FBI agents raided Cohen's home and offices in April 2018 in an investigation probing the attorney's taxes and hush payments he arranged for women who claimed affairs with the president.

"Sometime in early 2018, Mr Cohen was offered a substantial advance for a proposal regarding a book on understanding Donald Trump," Cohen's lawyer Lanny Davis said.

"Mr Cohen ultimately elected not to proceed."

In the months after the raids, Cohen went from being a close ally of Trump to a foe, providing testimony in a plea deal with prosecutors that the president ordered him to make one hush payment and reimbursed him.

Trump scorned him as "a rat."

Cohen eventually pleaded guilty to felony charges of misuse of campaign funds in the hush payment, tax evasion and lying to Congress.

In five hours of testimony Wednesday, he compared employment with Trump to working for a "mobster."&nbsp;

Republican lawmakers however attacked Cohen as an unreliable witness, citing his earlier false testimony, and accused him of trying to cash in on his work for Trump with book and film deals.

Cohen said there were no deals in the works, but confirmed he had been approached and was open to the idea.

Donald Trump accused his former lawyer of perjury on Friday, saying Michael Cohen's scathing testimony to Congress this week contradicted a manuscript he wrote last year that complimented the US president.

Donald Trump accused his former lawyer of perjury on Friday, saying Michael Cohen's scathing testimony to Congress this week contradicted a manuscript he wrote last year that complimented the US president. "Wow, just revealed that Michael Cohen wrote a 'love letter to Trump' manuscript for a new book that he was pushing," Trump tweeted Friday. "Book is the exact opposite of his fake testimony, which now is a lie!" The president called on Congress to demand the transcript, given to publishers a short time ago and yet to go on sale. "Michael Cohen's book manuscript shows that he committed perjury on a scale not seen before," Trump added. Cohen, who worked for the president for a decade as his top "fixer" at the Trump Organization, assailed his ex-boss as "a racist... a conman... a cheat" in testimony Wednesday to the House Oversight Committee. In a book proposal, Cohen sent to publishers in early 2018 -- before he was sentenced to three years in prison, partly for crimes related to his work for Trump -- the attorney promised a glowing picture of the real estate billionaire. The manuscript was entitled "Trump Revolution: From the Tower to the White House, Understanding Donald J. Trump" -- and according to the Daily Beast, it was aimed at offsetting books deeply critical of the president. The proposal was pulled back after FBI agents raided Cohen's home and offices in April 2018 in an investigation probing the attorney's taxes and hush payments he arranged for women who claimed affairs with the president. "Sometime in early 2018, Mr Cohen was offered a substantial advance for a proposal regarding a book on understanding Donald Trump," Cohen's lawyer Lanny Davis said. "Mr Cohen ultimately elected not to proceed." In the months after the raids, Cohen went from being a close ally of Trump to a foe, providing testimony in a plea deal with prosecutors that the president ordered him to make one hush payment and reimbursed him. Trump scorned him as "a rat." Cohen eventually pleaded guilty to felony charges of misuse of campaign funds in the hush payment, tax evasion and lying to Congress. In five hours of testimony Wednesday, he compared employment with Trump to working for a "mobster." Republican lawmakers however attacked Cohen as an unreliable witness, citing his earlier false testimony, and accused him of trying to cash in on his work for Trump with book and film deals. Cohen said there were no deals in the works, but confirmed he had been approached and was open to the idea.

Trump accuses ex-lawyer Michael Cohen of perjury, citing unpublished book

President Donald Trump's ex-attorney will return to Congress next week for more testimony, US lawmakers said Thursday, after three days of marathon appearances during which Michael Cohen accused his longtime boss of being a conman engaged in illegal activity.

House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff also revealed that Felix Sater, a Russian-born real estate developer who claims strong connections to the Kremlin, and who reportedly pitched the Moscow Trump Tower project to Trump's team, will testify before the committee on March 14.

The public hearing is believed to be the first scheduled appearance before Congress for Sater, who once had an office in Trump Tower and is seen as a mysterious figure who could shed light on dealings between the Trump organization, his campaign and Russia.

Cohen meanwhile will return on March 6 for additional closed-door testimony to the Intelligence Committee, Schiff said.

"It was a very productive interview today, where he was able to shed light on a lot of issues that are very core to our investigation, and we were able to drill down in great detail," Schiff said, adding that he intended to publicly release transcripts of Cohen's testimony "at the appropriate point."

News of the upcoming hearings came after Cohen's gruelling three days on Capitol Hill, including his explosive nationally televised testimony on Wednesday, during which he called Trump an inveterate liar, "racist," and "cheat."

Cohen -- who is to report to prison on May 6 to begin serving a three-year sentence for fraud, tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions and lying to Congress -- expressed regret for his years of devoted service to Trump.

The onetime lawyer, who has been disbarred, said Trump directed him to lie about hush payments made to a porn actress to silence her claims of a 2006 affair with the real estate tycoon.

He also said Trump knew in advance in mid-2016 that WikiLeaks would publish emails stolen by the Russians from rival Hillary Clinton's campaign.

And Cohen asserted that lawyers for Trump and his family reviewed and edited his written testimony to Congress in 2017 in which he lied about the Moscow real estate deal.

Nevertheless, Cohen produced no fresh evidence that Trump or his campaign colluded with Russia during the election, the subject of an investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

'Lied a lot'

Speaking in Vietnam after a summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, Trump sought to discredit Cohen, saying his former lawyer and fixer had "lied a lot" -- although not about "one thing."

"He said, no collusion with the Russian hoax," Trump said. "And I said, I wonder why he didn't lie about that, too, like everything else."

The president did not address any of Cohen's specific, explosive allegations about his decade of working with Trump.

On Thursday, two Republicans on the House Oversight Committee said they had petitioned the Justice Department to investigate Cohen for perjury.

They alleged that he lied in Wednesday's testimony about his alleged desire to get a job in the Trump White House, and about whether he had committed bank fraud in the past.

Cohen's lawyer Lanny Davis rejected their claims.

"Mr. Cohen testified truthfully before the House Oversight Committee.... He also backed up much of his testimony with documents," Davis said, calling the complaint "baseless."

'Our boy can become president'

As for Sater, lawmakers will seek to quiz him on his dealings with the Trump Organization and the campaign.

Sater has boasted of his ties to Vladimir Putin, saying he could get the Russian president to say "great things" about Trump, and suggested that the Trump Tower deal would help him get elected.

"Our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it," Sater wrote in a November 2015 email quoted by The New York Times.

"I will get all of Putin's team to buy in on this, I will manage this process."

Cohen has testified that Trump was negotiating on the Moscow building deal in 2016, contradicting Trump's repeated declarations during the presidential campaign that he had no business ties to the country.

President Donald Trump's ex-attorney will return to Congress next week for more testimony, US lawmakers said Thursday, after three days of marathon appearances during which Michael Cohen accused his longtime boss of being a conman engaged in illegal activity.

President Donald Trump's ex-attorney will return to Congress next week for more testimony, US lawmakers said Thursday, after three days of marathon appearances during which Michael Cohen accused his longtime boss of being a conman engaged in illegal activity. House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff also revealed that Felix Sater, a Russian-born real estate developer who claims strong connections to the Kremlin, and who reportedly pitched the Moscow Trump Tower project to Trump's team, will testify before the committee on March 14. The public hearing is believed to be the first scheduled appearance before Congress for Sater, who once had an office in Trump Tower and is seen as a mysterious figure who could shed light on dealings between the Trump organization, his campaign and Russia. Cohen meanwhile will return on March 6 for additional closed-door testimony to the Intelligence Committee, Schiff said. "It was a very productive interview today, where he was able to shed light on a lot of issues that are very core to our investigation, and we were able to drill down in great detail," Schiff said, adding that he intended to publicly release transcripts of Cohen's testimony "at the appropriate point." News of the upcoming hearings came after Cohen's gruelling three days on Capitol Hill, including his explosive nationally televised testimony on Wednesday, during which he called Trump an inveterate liar, "racist," and "cheat." Cohen -- who is to report to prison on May 6 to begin serving a three-year sentence for fraud, tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions and lying to Congress -- expressed regret for his years of devoted service to Trump. The onetime lawyer, who has been disbarred, said Trump directed him to lie about hush payments made to a porn actress to silence her claims of a 2006 affair with the real estate tycoon. He also said Trump knew in advance in mid-2016 that WikiLeaks would publish emails stolen by the Russians from rival Hillary Clinton's campaign. And Cohen asserted that lawyers for Trump and his family reviewed and edited his written testimony to Congress in 2017 in which he lied about the Moscow real estate deal. Nevertheless, Cohen produced no fresh evidence that Trump or his campaign colluded with Russia during the election, the subject of an investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. 'Lied a lot' Speaking in Vietnam after a summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, Trump sought to discredit Cohen, saying his former lawyer and fixer had "lied a lot" -- although not about "one thing." "He said, no collusion with the Russian hoax," Trump said. "And I said, I wonder why he didn't lie about that, too, like everything else." The president did not address any of Cohen's specific, explosive allegations about his decade of working with Trump. On Thursday, two Republicans on the House Oversight Committee said they had petitioned the Justice Department to investigate Cohen for perjury. They alleged that he lied in Wednesday's testimony about his alleged desire to get a job in the Trump White House, and about whether he had committed bank fraud in the past. Cohen's lawyer Lanny Davis rejected their claims. "Mr. Cohen testified truthfully before the House Oversight Committee.... He also backed up much of his testimony with documents," Davis said, calling the complaint "baseless." 'Our boy can become president' As for Sater, lawmakers will seek to quiz him on his dealings with the Trump Organization and the campaign. Sater has boasted of his ties to Vladimir Putin, saying he could get the Russian president to say "great things" about Trump, and suggested that the Trump Tower deal would help him get elected. "Our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it," Sater wrote in a November 2015 email quoted by The New York Times. "I will get all of Putin's team to buy in on this, I will manage this process." Cohen has testified that Trump was negotiating on the Moscow building deal in 2016, contradicting Trump's repeated declarations during the presidential campaign that he had no business ties to the country.

Donald Trump's ex-lawyer Michael Cohen again in Congress next week: US lawmaker

&nbsp;US&nbsp;President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen accused him of breaking the law while in office and said for the first time that Trump knew in advance about a WikiLeaks dump of stolen emails that hurt his 2016 election rival, Hillary Clinton.

In a dramatic televised hearing in Congress on Wednesday, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-jr-signed-checks-for-hush-money-related-to-affair-michael-cohen-200136">Cohen said Trump approved hush payments to cover up extra-marital sexual relationships</a> in violation of campaign finance laws and signed a personal check for $35,000 in 2017 to reimburse Cohen for at least one of those payments.

Cohen, 52, was a close aide of Trump for years and his testimony could increase the legal and political pressure on the Republican president, but he did not appear to disclose a "smoking gun" that could sink his former boss.

Cohen told a House of Representatives committee he had no direct evidence that Trump or his campaign colluded with Moscow during the election campaign.

Possible collusion is a key theme of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, which has dogged the president during his two years in office. Trump has repeatedly denied the allegation as has the Kremlin.

Assailing the president as a "conman" and a "cheat," Cohen said Trump knew ahead of time about WikiLeaks' release of emails in 2016 that undermined Democrat Clinton's presidential bid.

He also said Trump directed negotiations for a real estate project in Moscow during the White House race even as he publicly said he had no business interests in Russia.

"I wouldn't use the word colluding," Cohen said of Trump's dealings with Russia, adding that there was "something odd" about the president's good relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The White House had no comment on Cohen's testimony but Trump earlier on Wednesday accused his former employee of lying.

"He did bad things unrelated to Trump. He is lying in order to reduce his prison time," Trump wrote on Twitter from Vietnam, where he was meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Republican lawmakers at the hearing tried to undermine Cohen, portraying him as an irredeemable liar who had benefited from financial crimes he pleaded guilty to last year, and saying the hearing was an opening gambit in a Democratic push to impeach Trump.

"I don’t believe Michael Cohen is capable of telling the truth," said Republican Representative James Comer.

Cohen was mostly calm and contrite under the heated questioning from Republicans, and cautioned them not to make the same mistake he did in protecting Trump.

"I did the same thing as you're doing now, for 10 years. I protected Mr. Trump for 10 years," Cohen told the committee hearing. "The more people that follow Mr. Trump as I did blindly are going to suffer the same consequences that I am suffering."

As the hearing wrapped up, Cohen wiped away tears when the committee's Democratic chairman, Elijah Cummings, expressed sympathy for him.

Cohen said in his closing remarks that he worried about the ramifications if Trump loses his re-election bid in&nbsp;2020.

"Given my experience working for Mr. Trump, I fear that if he loses the election in&nbsp;2020, there will never be a peaceful transition of power," Cohen said.

Ally turned witness

Cohen was one of Trump's closest aides and fiercest defenders, working with him on business and personal deals for a decade.

But he turned against him last year and is cooperating with prosecutors after pleading guilty to tax evasion, bank fraud and campaign finance violations. Democrats took control of the House after last year's congressional elections and called Cohen to testify.

He begins serving a three-year prison sentence in May.

"I am ashamed because I know what Mr. Trump is.<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-is-a-racist-conman-and-cheat-ex-lawyer-michael-cohen-tells-congress-200117"> He is a racist. He is a conman. He is a cheat</a>," Cohen said.

He said he was directed by Trump in 2016 to make a $130,000 payment to adult-film star Stormy Daniels to cover up an extra-marital affair.

That payment could amount to an illegal in-kind contribution by Cohen to the campaign because it exceeded donation limits and was not disclosed in Trump's campaign finance reports, legal experts say.

Trump has denied having sex with Daniels and said the payments to her and another woman who claimed an affair were not illegal.

Cohen turned over to the committee a copy of a $35,000 check Trump signed on August 1, 2017, one in a series he said was to reimburse him for paying off Daniels after Trump took office.

Cohen said Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., co-signed another check, again for $35,000. A lawyer for Donald Jr. did not respond to a request for comment.

The sweeping claims against Trump, from a man who once said he would take a bullet for his boss, come as Mueller appears to be close to completing his investigation into possible collusion between Trump's campaign and Russian efforts to sway the vote.

Trump has called the Mueller investigation a "witch hunt."

US&nbsp;officials have said the emails released by WikiLeaks were stolen by Russia as part of Moscow's campaign of hacking and propaganda during the presidential race aimed at sowing discord in the United States and harming Clinton.

Trump has previously denied knowing in advance about the release of hacked Democratic National Committee emails during the election.

Cohen said he was in Trump's office in July 2016 when Roger Stone, a self-described "dirty trickster" and longtime political adviser to Trump, called the then-Republican presidential candidate.

Cohen said Stone told Trump he had been speaking with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who told him there would be a dump of emails within a couple of days that would damage Clinton's campaign.

The DNC emails drove a wedge between supporters of Clinton and her rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Senator Bernie Sanders. Although Clinton won the nomination, that rift weakened her candidacy.

"Mr. Cohen's statement is untrue," Stone said in an email, but did not specify which parts of the statement he meant.

Stone was indicted by Mueller on charges of lying to Congress about his communications with others related to WikiLeaks email dumps.

Cohen apologised for initially lying to Congress in 2017, when he said efforts to build a Trump skyscraper in Moscow had ceased by January 2016. He now says they continued through June 2016, during the height of the election campaign, and that Trump's lawyers "reviewed and edited" those false statements to Congress.

Cohen said Trump on multiple occasions inquired about the Moscow real estate project while telling the public he had no business dealings in Russia.

"He lied about it because he never expected to win the election. He also lied about it because he stood to make hundreds of millions of dollars," Cohen said.

US President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen accused him of breaking the law while in office and said for the first time that Trump knew in advance about a WikiLeaks dump of stolen emails that hurt his 2016 election rival, Hillary Clinton.

US President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen accused him of breaking the law while in office and said for the first time that Trump knew in advance about a WikiLeaks dump of stolen emails that hurt his 2016 election rival, Hillary Clinton. In a dramatic televised hearing in Congress on Wednesday, Cohen said Trump approved hush payments to cover up extra-marital sexual relationships in violation of campaign finance laws and signed a personal check for $35,000 in 2017 to reimburse Cohen for at least one of those payments. Cohen, 52, was a close aide of Trump for years and his testimony could increase the legal and political pressure on the Republican president, but he did not appear to disclose a "smoking gun" that could sink his former boss. Cohen told a House of Representatives committee he had no direct evidence that Trump or his campaign colluded with Moscow during the election campaign. Possible collusion is a key theme of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, which has dogged the president during his two years in office. Trump has repeatedly denied the allegation as has the Kremlin. Assailing the president as a "conman" and a "cheat," Cohen said Trump knew ahead of time about WikiLeaks' release of emails in 2016 that undermined Democrat Clinton's presidential bid. He also said Trump directed negotiations for a real estate project in Moscow during the White House race even as he publicly said he had no business interests in Russia. "I wouldn't use the word colluding," Cohen said of Trump's dealings with Russia, adding that there was "something odd" about the president's good relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The White House had no comment on Cohen's testimony but Trump earlier on Wednesday accused his former employee of lying. "He did bad things unrelated to Trump. He is lying in order to reduce his prison time," Trump wrote on Twitter from Vietnam, where he was meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Republican lawmakers at the hearing tried to undermine Cohen, portraying him as an irredeemable liar who had benefited from financial crimes he pleaded guilty to last year, and saying the hearing was an opening gambit in a Democratic push to impeach Trump. "I don’t believe Michael Cohen is capable of telling the truth," said Republican Representative James Comer. Cohen was mostly calm and contrite under the heated questioning from Republicans, and cautioned them not to make the same mistake he did in protecting Trump. "I did the same thing as you're doing now, for 10 years. I protected Mr. Trump for 10 years," Cohen told the committee hearing. "The more people that follow Mr. Trump as I did blindly are going to suffer the same consequences that I am suffering." As the hearing wrapped up, Cohen wiped away tears when the committee's Democratic chairman, Elijah Cummings, expressed sympathy for him. Cohen said in his closing remarks that he worried about the ramifications if Trump loses his re-election bid in 2020. "Given my experience working for Mr. Trump, I fear that if he loses the election in 2020, there will never be a peaceful transition of power," Cohen said. Ally turned witness Cohen was one of Trump's closest aides and fiercest defenders, working with him on business and personal deals for a decade. But he turned against him last year and is cooperating with prosecutors after pleading guilty to tax evasion, bank fraud and campaign finance violations. Democrats took control of the House after last year's congressional elections and called Cohen to testify. He begins serving a three-year prison sentence in May. "I am ashamed because I know what Mr. Trump is. He is a racist. He is a conman. He is a cheat," Cohen said. He said he was directed by Trump in 2016 to make a $130,000 payment to adult-film star Stormy Daniels to cover up an extra-marital affair. That payment could amount to an illegal in-kind contribution by Cohen to the campaign because it exceeded donation limits and was not disclosed in Trump's campaign finance reports, legal experts say. Trump has denied having sex with Daniels and said the payments to her and another woman who claimed an affair were not illegal. Cohen turned over to the committee a copy of a $35,000 check Trump signed on August 1, 2017, one in a series he said was to reimburse him for paying off Daniels after Trump took office. Cohen said Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., co-signed another check, again for $35,000. A lawyer for Donald Jr. did not respond to a request for comment. The sweeping claims against Trump, from a man who once said he would take a bullet for his boss, come as Mueller appears to be close to completing his investigation into possible collusion between Trump's campaign and Russian efforts to sway the vote. Trump has called the Mueller investigation a "witch hunt." US officials have said the emails released by WikiLeaks were stolen by Russia as part of Moscow's campaign of hacking and propaganda during the presidential race aimed at sowing discord in the United States and harming Clinton. Trump has previously denied knowing in advance about the release of hacked Democratic National Committee emails during the election. Cohen said he was in Trump's office in July 2016 when Roger Stone, a self-described "dirty trickster" and longtime political adviser to Trump, called the then-Republican presidential candidate. Cohen said Stone told Trump he had been speaking with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who told him there would be a dump of emails within a couple of days that would damage Clinton's campaign. The DNC emails drove a wedge between supporters of Clinton and her rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Senator Bernie Sanders. Although Clinton won the nomination, that rift weakened her candidacy. "Mr. Cohen's statement is untrue," Stone said in an email, but did not specify which parts of the statement he meant. Stone was indicted by Mueller on charges of lying to Congress about his communications with others related to WikiLeaks email dumps. Cohen apologised for initially lying to Congress in 2017, when he said efforts to build a Trump skyscraper in Moscow had ceased by January 2016. He now says they continued through June 2016, during the height of the election campaign, and that Trump's lawyers "reviewed and edited" those false statements to Congress. Cohen said Trump on multiple occasions inquired about the Moscow real estate project while telling the public he had no business dealings in Russia. "He lied about it because he never expected to win the election. He also lied about it because he stood to make hundreds of millions of dollars," Cohen said.

Peaceful transition of power at risk if Trump loses 2020 election, says Michael Cohen

President Donald Trump criticised his former attorney Michael Cohen on Thursday for lying in testimony to Congress but found a reason to praise him, too, for not alleging Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia in 2016.

Trump, speaking at a news conference in Vietnam after failing to achieve a peace deal with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, called the blockbuster hearing back in Washington fake and said it should not have been scheduled during his trip.

"He lied a lot, but it was very interesting because he didn’t lie about one thing, he said no collusion with the Russian hoax," Trump said.

"I wonder why he didn’t lie about that too like he did about everything else. I was actually impressed that he didn’t say, `well, I think there was collusion for this reason or that`. He didn’t say that."

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/tensions-between-india-pakistan-to-reduce-says-us-president-trump-200232">Cohen testified on Wednesday</a>, calling Trump a "conman" who knew in advance about the release of stolen emails aimed at hurting his Democratic rival in the 2016 election campaign.&nbsp;

Trump criticised the timing of the hearing saying it should not have happened while he was on an important trip.

"Having a fake hearing like that and having it in the middle of this very important summit is really a terrible thing. They could have made it two days later or next week," he said.

"But having it during this very important summit is sort of incredible."

Trump has called an investigation into possible collusion between Moscow and his presidential campaign a “witch hunt”.&nbsp;

Cohen, 52, was a close aide of Trump for years and his testimony could increase the legal and political pressure on the Republican president.

But Cohen did not appear to disclose a "smoking gun" that could sink his former boss.

Cohen said he had no direct evidence that Trump or his campaign colluded with Moscow during the election campaign.

Possible collusion is a key theme of Special Counsel Robert Mueller`s Russia investigation, which has dogged the president during his two years in office. Trump has repeatedly denied the allegation as has the Kremlin.&nbsp;

President Donald Trump criticised his former attorney Michael Cohen on Thursday for lying in testimony to Congress but found a reason to praise him, too, for not alleging Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia in 2016.

President Donald Trump criticised his former attorney Michael Cohen on Thursday for lying in testimony to Congress but found a reason to praise him, too, for not alleging Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia in 2016. Trump, speaking at a news conference in Vietnam after failing to achieve a peace deal with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, called the blockbuster hearing back in Washington fake and said it should not have been scheduled during his trip. "He lied a lot, but it was very interesting because he didn’t lie about one thing, he said no collusion with the Russian hoax," Trump said. "I wonder why he didn’t lie about that too like he did about everything else. I was actually impressed that he didn’t say, `well, I think there was collusion for this reason or that`. He didn’t say that." Cohen testified on Wednesday, calling Trump a "conman" who knew in advance about the release of stolen emails aimed at hurting his Democratic rival in the 2016 election campaign. Trump criticised the timing of the hearing saying it should not have happened while he was on an important trip. "Having a fake hearing like that and having it in the middle of this very important summit is really a terrible thing. They could have made it two days later or next week," he said. "But having it during this very important summit is sort of incredible." Trump has called an investigation into possible collusion between Moscow and his presidential campaign a “witch hunt”. Cohen, 52, was a close aide of Trump for years and his testimony could increase the legal and political pressure on the Republican president. But Cohen did not appear to disclose a "smoking gun" that could sink his former boss. Cohen said he had no direct evidence that Trump or his campaign colluded with Moscow during the election campaign. Possible collusion is a key theme of Special Counsel Robert Mueller`s Russia investigation, which has dogged the president during his two years in office. Trump has repeatedly denied the allegation as has the Kremlin.

Trump derides 'fake' hearing but says Cohen truthful on 'no collusion'

Ex-lawyer Michael Cohen and Donald Trump on hush money, Moscow plans and WikiLeaks

President Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen testified to Congress on Wednesday that some reimbursement checks issued to him for hush-money payments to an adult film star were signed by Donald Trump Jr. and the Trump Organization's chief financial officer.

Cohen said Donald Trump himself, while president, signed a $35,000 while he was president to repay him for "hush money I paid on his behalf," Cohen told a House of Representatives committee.

"Other checks to reimburse me for the hush money payments were signed by Don Jr. and Allen Weisselberg," he said, referring to the president's son and the Trump Organization CFO.

Cohen's testimony raises the possibility that Donald Trump Jr. could be prosecuted for violating campaign finance laws, depending on whether he knew what the payments were intended for, said lawyer Andy Wright, who served as associate counsel to President Barack Obama.

Cohen pleaded guilty in August to campaign finance violations relating to arranging payments to adult film star Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, and to former Playboy model Karen McDougal, to maintain silence about their affairs with Trump ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Alan Futerfas, a lawyer for Trump Jr., did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Rudy Giuliani, a lawyer for Trump, declined to immediately comment on Cohen's testimony.

On Wednesday, Cohen said Trump directed him to use his own funds from a home equity line of credit to pay Clifford to avoid any money being traced back to Trump.

Cohen said he was going to jail, in part, because of his decision "to help Mr. Trump hide that payment from the American people before they voted a few days later."

Cohen testified that Weisselberg knew the most about the payments, while Donald Trump Jr. had "cursory information."

A lawyer for Weisselberg declined to comment on Cohen's testimony.

Weisselberg received grand jury immunity during the Cohen prosecution, Reuters has reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.

A spokesman for the US Attorney's office in Manhattan, which prosecuted Cohen, declined to comment on whether Trump Jr. could be charged with campaign finance violations.

It depends "on what Donald Trump Jr. knew about what he was paying for and when," Wright said. He added that the president's son could be an accomplice after the fact, or part of the original scheme to engage in hush-money payments.

His father may not be prosecuted because of Justice Department policy to not indict a sitting president.

President Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen testified to Congress on Wednesday that some reimbursement checks issued to him for hush-money payments to an adult film star were signed by Donald Trump Jr.

President Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen testified to Congress on Wednesday that some reimbursement checks issued to him for hush-money payments to an adult film star were signed by Donald Trump Jr. and the Trump Organization's chief financial officer. Cohen said Donald Trump himself, while president, signed a $35,000 while he was president to repay him for "hush money I paid on his behalf," Cohen told a House of Representatives committee. "Other checks to reimburse me for the hush money payments were signed by Don Jr. and Allen Weisselberg," he said, referring to the president's son and the Trump Organization CFO. Cohen's testimony raises the possibility that Donald Trump Jr. could be prosecuted for violating campaign finance laws, depending on whether he knew what the payments were intended for, said lawyer Andy Wright, who served as associate counsel to President Barack Obama. Cohen pleaded guilty in August to campaign finance violations relating to arranging payments to adult film star Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, and to former Playboy model Karen McDougal, to maintain silence about their affairs with Trump ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Alan Futerfas, a lawyer for Trump Jr., did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Rudy Giuliani, a lawyer for Trump, declined to immediately comment on Cohen's testimony. On Wednesday, Cohen said Trump directed him to use his own funds from a home equity line of credit to pay Clifford to avoid any money being traced back to Trump. Cohen said he was going to jail, in part, because of his decision "to help Mr. Trump hide that payment from the American people before they voted a few days later." Cohen testified that Weisselberg knew the most about the payments, while Donald Trump Jr. had "cursory information." A lawyer for Weisselberg declined to comment on Cohen's testimony. Weisselberg received grand jury immunity during the Cohen prosecution, Reuters has reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. A spokesman for the US Attorney's office in Manhattan, which prosecuted Cohen, declined to comment on whether Trump Jr. could be charged with campaign finance violations. It depends "on what Donald Trump Jr. knew about what he was paying for and when," Wright said. He added that the president's son could be an accomplice after the fact, or part of the original scheme to engage in hush-money payments. His father may not be prosecuted because of Justice Department policy to not indict a sitting president.

Donald Trump Jr. signed checks for hush money related to affair: Michael Cohen

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/michael-cohen-accuses-trump-over-wikileaks-moscow-project-hush-payments-200061">Michael Cohen</a>, Donald Trump's longtime lawyer and fixer, assailed his former former boss as a "racist" and a &nbsp;"conman" in explosive testimony before the US Congress Wednesday.

Addressing the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Cohen -- who has been sentenced to jail for crimes related in part to his work for Trump -- expressed regret for his past loyalty.

"I am ashamed that I chose to take part in concealing Mr. Trump's illicit acts rather than listening to my own conscience," Cohen said.

"He is a racist. He is a conman. He is a cheat."

Cohen said he was presenting "irrefutable" evidence of Trump's wrongdoing including a check reimbursing "hush money" paid to two women shortly before the 2016 election.&nbsp;

He also said Trump directed negotiations for a Trump Tower in Moscow through the 2016 election campaign even while denying any business ties with the Russians.

Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's longtime lawyer and fixer, assailed his former former boss as a "racist" and a "conman" in explosive testimony before the US Congress Wednesday.

Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's longtime lawyer and fixer, assailed his former former boss as a "racist" and a "conman" in explosive testimony before the US Congress Wednesday. Addressing the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Cohen -- who has been sentenced to jail for crimes related in part to his work for Trump -- expressed regret for his past loyalty. "I am ashamed that I chose to take part in concealing Mr. Trump's illicit acts rather than listening to my own conscience," Cohen said. "He is a racist. He is a conman. He is a cheat." Cohen said he was presenting "irrefutable" evidence of Trump's wrongdoing including a check reimbursing "hush money" paid to two women shortly before the 2016 election. He also said Trump directed negotiations for a Trump Tower in Moscow through the 2016 election campaign even while denying any business ties with the Russians.

Trump is a 'racist,' 'conman' and 'cheat,' ex-lawyer Michael Cohen tells Congress

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/us-urges-india-pakistan-to-exercise-restraint-secretary-of-state-pompeo-199949">US</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/us-urges-india-pakistan-to-exercise-restraint-secretary-of-state-pompeo-199949"> urges India, Pakistan to 'exercise restraint': Secretary of State Pompeo</a>

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday called for India and Pakistan to "exercise restraint" amid escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours while urging Islamabad to take action against militants.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/sushma-swaraj-raises-pulwama-terror-attack-with-her-chinese-counterpart-report-199940">Sushma Swaraj raises Pulwama terror attack with Chinese counterpart: Report</a>

A day after Indian Air Force carried out airstrikes targeting terror launch pads in Pakistan's Balakot, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday met her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Wuzhen.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-house-strikes-down-trumps-border-emergency-199924">US House strikes down US President Trump's border emergency</a>

The US House of Representatives dealt a blow to President Donald Trump on Tuesday, approving a resolution blocking him from obtaining funding for a Mexican border wall through his declaration of a national emergency.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trumps-ex-lawyer-cohen-to-offer-new-russia-details-to-congress-source-199926">Trump's ex-lawyer Cohen to offer new Russia details to Congress: Source</a>

US President Donald Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen will tell lawmakers on Wednesday that Trump asked him several times about a proposed skyscraper project in Moscow long after he secured the Republican presidential nomination, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pakistan-violates-ceasefire-along-loc-yet-again-5-army-personnel-injured-199925">Pakistan violates ceasefire along LoC yet again, 5 Army personnel injured</a>

Pakistan on Tuesday violated ceasefire as they resorted to heavy shelling at around 12 to 15 places along the Line of Control (LoC) in Memander area of Shopian district, leaving five Indian Army personnel injured.

US urges India, Pakistan to 'exercise restraint': Secretary of State Pompeo US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday called for India and Pakistan to "exercise restraint" amid escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours while urging Islamabad to take action against militants.

US urges India, Pakistan to 'exercise restraint': Secretary of State Pompeo US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday called for India and Pakistan to "exercise restraint" amid escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours while urging Islamabad to take action against militants. Sushma Swaraj raises Pulwama terror attack with Chinese counterpart: Report A day after Indian Air Force carried out airstrikes targeting terror launch pads in Pakistan's Balakot, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Wednesday met her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Wuzhen. US House strikes down US President Trump's border emergency The US House of Representatives dealt a blow to President Donald Trump on Tuesday, approving a resolution blocking him from obtaining funding for a Mexican border wall through his declaration of a national emergency. Trump's ex-lawyer Cohen to offer new Russia details to Congress: Source US President Donald Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen will tell lawmakers on Wednesday that Trump asked him several times about a proposed skyscraper project in Moscow long after he secured the Republican presidential nomination, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. Pakistan violates ceasefire along LoC yet again, 5 Army personnel injured Pakistan on Tuesday violated ceasefire as they resorted to heavy shelling at around 12 to 15 places along the Line of Control (LoC) in Memander area of Shopian district, leaving five Indian Army personnel injured.

News brief: Big stories of the day

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/after-kim-trump-arrives-in-hanoi-for-summit-talks-199903">US President Donald Trump</a>'s former <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/michael-cohen-gave-prosecutors-information-on-trump-family-business-report-199063">personal attorney Michael Cohen</a> will tell lawmakers on Wednesday that Trump asked him several times about a proposed skyscraper project in Moscow long after he secured the Republican presidential nomination, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.

As Special Counsel Robert Mueller appears to near the end of his probe into whether Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election in collusion with Trump's campaign, Cohen's assertion that Trump was inquiring about the skyscraper project as late as June 2016, if true, would show Trump remained personally engaged in the venture well into his candidacy.

Cohen was set to offer lawmakers new information about Trump's private affairs over three consecutive days of in-depth discussion with congressional committees that began on Tuesday with a closed hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

The focus of the session, which lasted for roughly 9 hours, was mainly on what Cohen knows about Trump's dealings with Russia, as well as about Cohen's previous lies, two congressional sources said. Cohen apologised to the committee for lying to it in 2017, according to CNN.

In brief comments to the media after the Senate session ended, Cohen said he was looking forward to Wednesday's open hearing in the House where he plans to make his case for why people should believe him over Trump.

"I'm going to let the American people decide exactly who is telling the truth," Cohen said.

Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate committee, suggested Cohen's testimony was important to its probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

"Two years ago when this investigation started, I said it may be the most important thing I'm involved in my public life in the Senate and nothing I have heard today dissuades me from that view," Warner told reporters outside the hearing room.

As Cohen testified, Republican US Representative Matt Gaetz, a Trump ally, suggested in a tweet that there was compromising information about Cohen's private life.

Gaetz later told the Daily Beast that he was not engaging in witness intimidation. "It is challenging the veracity and character of a witness. We do it every day," he said.

The lawmaker does not sit on the House Oversight Committee, which will be conducting Wednesday's hearing with Cohen and therefore will not be allowed to ask him questions.

Lanny Davis, an attorney for Cohen, said: "We will not respond to Mr Gaetz's despicable lies and personal smears, except to say we trust that his colleagues in the House, both Republicans and Democrats, will repudiate his words and his conduct."

Cohen was one of Trump's closest aides and once said he would "take a bullet" for him. But he turned against his former boss last year and is cooperating with prosecutors after pleading guilty to tax evasion, bank fraud and campaign finance violations.

Cohen has said Trump directed him to make hush-money payments to two women who said they had sexual relationships with Trump, in violation of campaign finance laws before the 2016 election.

Trump called Cohen a "rat" after he turned on him, and the White House again attacked Cohen's credibility on Tuesday.

"It's laughable that anyone would take a convicted liar like Cohen at his word, and pathetic to see him given yet another opportunity to spread his lies," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.

Trump has denied any collusion between his campaign and Moscow. Russia denies US intelligence agencies' assertions that it interfered in the election.

Cohen has been disbarred, according to a decision by a New York state appeals court in Manhattan made public on Tuesday. Disbarment is automatic in New York for lawyers convicted of felonies.

Michael Monico, a lawyer for Cohen, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

'GRANULAR DETAILS'

On Wednesday, in a public session before the House Oversight Committee, Cohen intends to give lawmakers "granular details" about a hush-money payment to adult-film actress Stephanie Clifford, known as Stormy Daniels, and information about a "money trail" after Trump became president, said the person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified.

Cohen will also offer new information on Trump's financial statements that "have never been produced before" relating to how Trump represented the values of his assets in financial transactions and other matters, that person said.

Cohen will also offer first-hand anecdotes to illustrate Trump's "lies, racism and cheating" during the decade Cohen worked for the real estate mogul and provide "evidence of criminal conduct" since he became president, the source said.

Like Tuesday's hearing, his testimony on Thursday with the House Intelligence Committee will also be behind closed doors.

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee plan to question Cohen publicly about Trump's personal finances, including the payments to women, as well as alleged efforts by Trump and his lawyers to intimidate Cohen to try to keep him from testifying.

Last November, Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress by telling lawmakers in 2017 that all efforts relating to the Moscow project had ceased by January 2016. In fact, Cohen said, those efforts continued until June 2016.

US President Donald Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen will tell lawmakers on Wednesday that Trump asked him several times about a proposed skyscraper project in Moscow long after he secured the Republican presidential nomination, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.

US President Donald Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen will tell lawmakers on Wednesday that Trump asked him several times about a proposed skyscraper project in Moscow long after he secured the Republican presidential nomination, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. As Special Counsel Robert Mueller appears to near the end of his probe into whether Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election in collusion with Trump's campaign, Cohen's assertion that Trump was inquiring about the skyscraper project as late as June 2016, if true, would show Trump remained personally engaged in the venture well into his candidacy. Cohen was set to offer lawmakers new information about Trump's private affairs over three consecutive days of in-depth discussion with congressional committees that began on Tuesday with a closed hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee. The focus of the session, which lasted for roughly 9 hours, was mainly on what Cohen knows about Trump's dealings with Russia, as well as about Cohen's previous lies, two congressional sources said. Cohen apologised to the committee for lying to it in 2017, according to CNN. In brief comments to the media after the Senate session ended, Cohen said he was looking forward to Wednesday's open hearing in the House where he plans to make his case for why people should believe him over Trump. "I'm going to let the American people decide exactly who is telling the truth," Cohen said. Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate committee, suggested Cohen's testimony was important to its probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. "Two years ago when this investigation started, I said it may be the most important thing I'm involved in my public life in the Senate and nothing I have heard today dissuades me from that view," Warner told reporters outside the hearing room. As Cohen testified, Republican US Representative Matt Gaetz, a Trump ally, suggested in a tweet that there was compromising information about Cohen's private life. Gaetz later told the Daily Beast that he was not engaging in witness intimidation. "It is challenging the veracity and character of a witness. We do it every day," he said. The lawmaker does not sit on the House Oversight Committee, which will be conducting Wednesday's hearing with Cohen and therefore will not be allowed to ask him questions. Lanny Davis, an attorney for Cohen, said: "We will not respond to Mr Gaetz's despicable lies and personal smears, except to say we trust that his colleagues in the House, both Republicans and Democrats, will repudiate his words and his conduct." Cohen was one of Trump's closest aides and once said he would "take a bullet" for him. But he turned against his former boss last year and is cooperating with prosecutors after pleading guilty to tax evasion, bank fraud and campaign finance violations. Cohen has said Trump directed him to make hush-money payments to two women who said they had sexual relationships with Trump, in violation of campaign finance laws before the 2016 election. Trump called Cohen a "rat" after he turned on him, and the White House again attacked Cohen's credibility on Tuesday. "It's laughable that anyone would take a convicted liar like Cohen at his word, and pathetic to see him given yet another opportunity to spread his lies," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said. Trump has denied any collusion between his campaign and Moscow. Russia denies US intelligence agencies' assertions that it interfered in the election. Cohen has been disbarred, according to a decision by a New York state appeals court in Manhattan made public on Tuesday. Disbarment is automatic in New York for lawyers convicted of felonies. Michael Monico, a lawyer for Cohen, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 'GRANULAR DETAILS' On Wednesday, in a public session before the House Oversight Committee, Cohen intends to give lawmakers "granular details" about a hush-money payment to adult-film actress Stephanie Clifford, known as Stormy Daniels, and information about a "money trail" after Trump became president, said the person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified. Cohen will also offer new information on Trump's financial statements that "have never been produced before" relating to how Trump represented the values of his assets in financial transactions and other matters, that person said. Cohen will also offer first-hand anecdotes to illustrate Trump's "lies, racism and cheating" during the decade Cohen worked for the real estate mogul and provide "evidence of criminal conduct" since he became president, the source said. Like Tuesday's hearing, his testimony on Thursday with the House Intelligence Committee will also be behind closed doors. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee plan to question Cohen publicly about Trump's personal finances, including the payments to women, as well as alleged efforts by Trump and his lawyers to intimidate Cohen to try to keep him from testifying. Last November, Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress by telling lawmakers in 2017 that all efforts relating to the Moscow project had ceased by January 2016. In fact, Cohen said, those efforts continued until June 2016.

Trump's ex-lawyer Cohen to offer new Russia details to Congress: Source

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trumps-ex-lawyer-cohen-to-offer-new-russia-details-to-congress-source-199926">Michael Cohen</a>, the former "fixer" and personal lawyer for US President Donald Trump, will testify on Wednesday that Trump knew ahead of time about a leak of emails that would hurt his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.

Cohen will also tell Congress that Trump directed negotiations for a real estate project in Moscow even as he campaigned for the presidency and publicly stated he had no business interests in Russia, according to a draft of Cohen`s planned testimony.

In the text of his planned opening statement before a House of Representatives committee, Cohen calls Trump a "racist", a "conman" and a "cheat" and said he would be handing over documents to support his assertions. The draft statement was first reported by the New York Times.

Cohen says Trump ordered him to pay $130,000 to an adult film actress known as Stormy Daniels in order to cover up an affair in violation of campaign finance laws, and also told Cohen to lie about it to First Lady Melania Trump.

The sweeping claims against Trump from a man who was once a loyal ally come as Special Counsel Robert Mueller appears to be close to completing his investigation into possible collusion between Trump`s 2016 campaign team and Russian efforts to interfere in the election.

Trump has denied any collusion between his campaign and Moscow, dismisses the Mueller investigation as a "witch hunt" and has said Cohen is a liar and a "rat".&nbsp;

"He did bad things unrelated to Trump. He is lying in order to reduce his prison time," Trump said in a tweet on Wednesday from Vietnam, where he was to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to try to break a stalemate over the North`s nuclear weapons.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Michael Cohen was one of many lawyers who represented me (unfortunately). He had other clients also. He was just disbarred by the State Supreme Court for lying &amp; fraud. He did bad things unrelated to Trump. He is lying in order to reduce his prison time. Using Crooked’s lawyer!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1100683974899363840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2019</a></blockquote>
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He has denied knowing ahead of time about the WikiLeaks dump of Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails during the election.

Cohen, in his prepared comments, said he was in Trump`s office in July 2016 when Roger Stone, a self-described "dirty trickster" and longtime political adviser to Trump, called the Republican presidential candidate.

Cohen said Stone told Trump he had been speaking with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who told him there would be a dump of emails within a couple of days that would damage Clinton`s campaign.

On July 22, 2016, WikiLeaks released internal DNC emails that drove a wedge between supporters of Clinton and her rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Senator Bernie Sanders. Although Clinton won the nomination, that rift weakened her election bid.

Stone was indicted by Mueller on charges of lying to Congress about his communications with others related to WikiLeaks email dumps.

Stone denies having advance knowledge of WikiLeaks` plans, although text messages reviewed by Reuters show that during the campaign he made several attempts to make contact with Assange.&nbsp;

Although Cohen will accuse Trump on a wide range of issues in his testimony on Wednesday, he said in his draft statement that he does not have direct evidence that Trump or his campaign colluded with Russia.

"I do not. I want to be clear. But I have my suspicions," Cohen said.

It is not clear whether Cohen`s testimony will significantly alter public perception of Trump`s business practices or put him in greater legal peril.&nbsp;

Cohen, 52, was one of Trump`s closest aides and fiercest defenders, working with him on business and personal deals for a decade. But he turned against him last year and is cooperating with prosecutors after pleading guilty to tax evasion, bank fraud and campaign finance violations.

Cohen will start a three-year prison term in May.

MOSCOW DECEPTION

The prepared remarks show Cohen intends to apologize for his initial statements to Congress in 2017 in which he said efforts to build a Trump skyscraper in Moscow had ceased by January 2016 when in fact they continued through June 2016.

Cohen said Trump`s lawyers "reviewed and edited" those false statements to Congress.

Cohen said Trump on multiple occasions inquired about the project while telling the public he had no business dealings in Russia - a falsehood Cohen said reflected Trump`s view that the campaign was aimed only at building his brand.

"He lied about it because he never expected to win the election. He also lied about it because he stood to make hundreds of millions of dollars," Cohen says.

Cohen described an incident when Trump`s son, Donald Jr., walked behind his father`s desk and told him in a low voice: "The meeting is all set." Cohen said Trump replied: "Ok good ... let me know."

In hindsight, Cohen said he believed the son was referring to the June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower between a Russian lawyer promising "dirt" on Clinton and members of Trump`s campaign.

Trump has denied having advance knowledge of the meeting, which has come under intense scrutiny in the Mueller probe.

REGRET

Cohen said in his draft statement he regrets the things he did for Trump. They included, he said, hush-money payments to two women and writing letters on Trump`s orders that threatened Trump`s high school, colleges and the College Board not to release his grades.

Cohen said he planned to provide the committee with a copy of a $35,000 check Trump signed on August 1, 2017, one in a series to reimburse him for paying off Daniels after Trump took office.&nbsp;

"I am ashamed of my weakness and misplaced loyalty - of the things I did for Mr. Trump in an effort to protect and promote him," Cohen said. "I am ashamed because I know what Mr. Trump is. He is a racist. He is a conman. He is a cheat."

Republicans on the House oversight panel, including ranking member Jim Jordan, are likely to aggressively question Cohen`s credibility, given his guilty plea for lying to Congress last year.

Republican lawmaker Matt Gaetz, a Trump ally, caused controversy with a tweet on Tuesday suggesting compromising information about Cohen`s private life might soon be released.&nbsp;

How Cohen handles the Republican assault could determine whether he is perceived as credible and if he has anything like the impact of John Dean, who helped bring down President Richard Nixon in the Watergate scandal of the 1970s.

Advocates for Cohen have likened his decision to come clean to Mueller`s team and federal prosecutors in Manhattan to that of Dean.

But Dean, former White House counsel to Nixon, told Reuters the significance of Cohen`s testimony would depend on what he says and how he responds to Republican criticism.&nbsp;

"It could be historic," said Dean, now a frequent commentator on television. "But if he just gets beat up by the Republicans, it won`t be."&nbsp;

Michael Cohen, the former "fixer" and personal lawyer for US President Donald Trump, will testify on Wednesday that Trump knew ahead of time about a leak of emails that would hurt his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.

Michael Cohen, the former "fixer" and personal lawyer for US President Donald Trump, will testify on Wednesday that Trump knew ahead of time about a leak of emails that would hurt his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. Cohen will also tell Congress that Trump directed negotiations for a real estate project in Moscow even as he campaigned for the presidency and publicly stated he had no business interests in Russia, according to a draft of Cohen`s planned testimony. In the text of his planned opening statement before a House of Representatives committee, Cohen calls Trump a "racist", a "conman" and a "cheat" and said he would be handing over documents to support his assertions. The draft statement was first reported by the New York Times. Cohen says Trump ordered him to pay $130,000 to an adult film actress known as Stormy Daniels in order to cover up an affair in violation of campaign finance laws, and also told Cohen to lie about it to First Lady Melania Trump. The sweeping claims against Trump from a man who was once a loyal ally come as Special Counsel Robert Mueller appears to be close to completing his investigation into possible collusion between Trump`s 2016 campaign team and Russian efforts to interfere in the election. Trump has denied any collusion between his campaign and Moscow, dismisses the Mueller investigation as a "witch hunt" and has said Cohen is a liar and a "rat". "He did bad things unrelated to Trump. He is lying in order to reduce his prison time," Trump said in a tweet on Wednesday from Vietnam, where he was to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to try to break a stalemate over the North`s nuclear weapons. Michael Cohen was one of many lawyers who represented me (unfortunately). He had other clients also. He was just disbarred by the State Supreme Court for lying & fraud. He did bad things unrelated to Trump. He is lying in order to reduce his prison time. Using Crooked’s lawyer! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 27, 2019 × He has denied knowing ahead of time about the WikiLeaks dump of Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails during the election. Cohen, in his prepared comments, said he was in Trump`s office in July 2016 when Roger Stone, a self-described "dirty trickster" and longtime political adviser to Trump, called the Republican presidential candidate. Cohen said Stone told Trump he had been speaking with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who told him there would be a dump of emails within a couple of days that would damage Clinton`s campaign. On July 22, 2016, WikiLeaks released internal DNC emails that drove a wedge between supporters of Clinton and her rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Senator Bernie Sanders. Although Clinton won the nomination, that rift weakened her election bid. Stone was indicted by Mueller on charges of lying to Congress about his communications with others related to WikiLeaks email dumps. Stone denies having advance knowledge of WikiLeaks` plans, although text messages reviewed by Reuters show that during the campaign he made several attempts to make contact with Assange. Although Cohen will accuse Trump on a wide range of issues in his testimony on Wednesday, he said in his draft statement that he does not have direct evidence that Trump or his campaign colluded with Russia. "I do not. I want to be clear. But I have my suspicions," Cohen said. It is not clear whether Cohen`s testimony will significantly alter public perception of Trump`s business practices or put him in greater legal peril. Cohen, 52, was one of Trump`s closest aides and fiercest defenders, working with him on business and personal deals for a decade. But he turned against him last year and is cooperating with prosecutors after pleading guilty to tax evasion, bank fraud and campaign finance violations. Cohen will start a three-year prison term in May. MOSCOW DECEPTION The prepared remarks show Cohen intends to apologize for his initial statements to Congress in 2017 in which he said efforts to build a Trump skyscraper in Moscow had ceased by January 2016 when in fact they continued through June 2016. Cohen said Trump`s lawyers "reviewed and edited" those false statements to Congress. Cohen said Trump on multiple occasions inquired about the project while telling the public he had no business dealings in Russia - a falsehood Cohen said reflected Trump`s view that the campaign was aimed only at building his brand. "He lied about it because he never expected to win the election. He also lied about it because he stood to make hundreds of millions of dollars," Cohen says. Cohen described an incident when Trump`s son, Donald Jr., walked behind his father`s desk and told him in a low voice: "The meeting is all set." Cohen said Trump replied: "Ok good ... let me know." In hindsight, Cohen said he believed the son was referring to the June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower between a Russian lawyer promising "dirt" on Clinton and members of Trump`s campaign. Trump has denied having advance knowledge of the meeting, which has come under intense scrutiny in the Mueller probe. REGRET Cohen said in his draft statement he regrets the things he did for Trump. They included, he said, hush-money payments to two women and writing letters on Trump`s orders that threatened Trump`s high school, colleges and the College Board not to release his grades. Cohen said he planned to provide the committee with a copy of a $35,000 check Trump signed on August 1, 2017, one in a series to reimburse him for paying off Daniels after Trump took office. "I am ashamed of my weakness and misplaced loyalty - of the things I did for Mr. Trump in an effort to protect and promote him," Cohen said. "I am ashamed because I know what Mr. Trump is. He is a racist. He is a conman. He is a cheat." Republicans on the House oversight panel, including ranking member Jim Jordan, are likely to aggressively question Cohen`s credibility, given his guilty plea for lying to Congress last year. Republican lawmaker Matt Gaetz, a Trump ally, caused controversy with a tweet on Tuesday suggesting compromising information about Cohen`s private life might soon be released. How Cohen handles the Republican assault could determine whether he is perceived as credible and if he has anything like the impact of John Dean, who helped bring down President Richard Nixon in the Watergate scandal of the 1970s. Advocates for Cohen have likened his decision to come clean to Mueller`s team and federal prosecutors in Manhattan to that of Dean. But Dean, former White House counsel to Nixon, told Reuters the significance of Cohen`s testimony would depend on what he says and how he responds to Republican criticism. "It could be historic," said Dean, now a frequent commentator on television. "But if he just gets beat up by the Republicans, it won`t be."

Michael Cohen accuses Trump over WikiLeaks, Moscow project, hush payments

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-speaks-on-pulwama-attack-says-very-dangerous-situation-between-india-pakistan-199055">Trump speaks on Pulwama attack, says 'very dangerous situation' between India and Pakistan</a>

US President Donald Trump voiced alarm Friday at the "very dangerous situation" between India and Pakistan, warning that New Delhi was considering "very strong" action after Pulwama terror attack in Kashmir.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/un-chief-warns-venezuela-against-lethal-force-on-protesters-199058">UN chief warns Maduro government against lethal force on protesters</a>

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday urged authorities in Venezuela not to use lethal force against protesters, after soldiers shot dead two indigenous people who were attempting to prevent the sealing of a border crossing to Brazil.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/michael-cohen-gave-prosecutors-information-on-trump-family-business-report-199063">Michael Cohen gave prosecutors information on Trump family business: Report</a>

US President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen met last month with federal prosecutors in Manhattan and provided information about potential irregularities in the Trump family business, the New York Times reported on Friday.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/sudan-president-bashir-declares-year-long-state-of-emergency-across-the-country-199057">President Bashir declares </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/sudan-president-bashir-declares-year-long-state-of-emergency-across-the-country-199057">year-long</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/sudan-president-bashir-declares-year-long-state-of-emergency-across-the-country-199057"> state of emergency across Sudan</a>

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir declared a nationwide state of emergency on Friday and dissolved the government in an effort to quell weeks of demonstrations that have rocked his iron-fisted rule.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/apps-send-intimate-user-data-to-facebook-report-199073">Smartphone apps send intimate user data to Facebook: Report</a>

A news report Friday said many smartphone apps were sending highly personal information such as menstrual cycles and body weight to Facebook, without notifying users.

Trump speaks on Pulwama attack, says 'very dangerous situation' between India and Pakistan US President Donald Trump voiced alarm Friday at the "very dangerous situation" between India and Pakistan, warning that New Delhi was considering "very strong" action after Pulwama terror attack in Kashmir.

Trump speaks on Pulwama attack, says 'very dangerous situation' between India and Pakistan US President Donald Trump voiced alarm Friday at the "very dangerous situation" between India and Pakistan, warning that New Delhi was considering "very strong" action after Pulwama terror attack in Kashmir. UN chief warns Maduro government against lethal force on protesters UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday urged authorities in Venezuela not to use lethal force against protesters, after soldiers shot dead two indigenous people who were attempting to prevent the sealing of a border crossing to Brazil. Michael Cohen gave prosecutors information on Trump family business: Report US President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen met last month with federal prosecutors in Manhattan and provided information about potential irregularities in the Trump family business, the New York Times reported on Friday. President Bashir declares year-long state of emergency across Sudan Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir declared a nationwide state of emergency on Friday and dissolved the government in an effort to quell weeks of demonstrations that have rocked his iron-fisted rule. Smartphone apps send intimate user data to Facebook: Report A news report Friday said many smartphone apps were sending highly personal information such as menstrual cycles and body weight to Facebook, without notifying users.

US President Donald Trump's former <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/former-trump-lawyer-cohen-delays-congressional-testimony-until-february-28-195654">personal lawyer Michael Cohen</a> met last month with federal prosecutors in Manhattan and provided information about potential irregularities in the Trump family business, the New York Times reported on Friday.

The newspaper, citing people familiar with the matter, said prosecutors in the Southern District of New York also asked Cohen questions about Imaad Zuberi, a venture capitalist and donor to the president's inaugural committee.

Cohen, a former employee at the Trump Organization, provided the prosecutors with information about insurance claims filed by the company over the years, the New York Times reported. There was no indication that Cohen implicated Trump in the possible irregularities, the newspaper said.

James Margolin, a spokesman for the US&nbsp;Attorney in Manhattan, declined comment. Amanda Miller, a spokeswoman for the Trump Organization, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Cohen did not reply to a request for comment.

The meeting with Cohen indicates prosecutors are interested in matters at the Trump Organization that go beyond its role in the illegal hush payments before the 2016 presidential election made to women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump, the New York Times said.

Cohen pleaded guilty to arranging the payments in violation of campaign finance laws and other crimes last year in the same district. He is due to start a three-year prison term in May.

The New York Times said Cohen was also asked by the prosecutors about Zuberi, who contributed $900,000 to Trump's inaugural committee and separately wrote Cohen a $100,000 check that was never cashed.

A spokesman for Zuberi, Steve Rabinowitz, said his client wrote the check to Cohen as a retainer. Cohen had proposed representing Zuberi in possible real estate investments in New York but Zuberi never signed the contract, he said.

"Zuberi never pursued Cohen it was the other way around," Rabinowitz said.

Rabinowitz said Zuberi has not been questioned by federal prosecutors about the inaugural or his dealings with Cohen.

US President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen met last month with federal prosecutors in Manhattan and provided information about potential irregularities in the Trump family business, the New York Times reported on Friday.

US President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen met last month with federal prosecutors in Manhattan and provided information about potential irregularities in the Trump family business, the New York Times reported on Friday. The newspaper, citing people familiar with the matter, said prosecutors in the Southern District of New York also asked Cohen questions about Imaad Zuberi, a venture capitalist and donor to the president's inaugural committee. Cohen, a former employee at the Trump Organization, provided the prosecutors with information about insurance claims filed by the company over the years, the New York Times reported. There was no indication that Cohen implicated Trump in the possible irregularities, the newspaper said. James Margolin, a spokesman for the US Attorney in Manhattan, declined comment. Amanda Miller, a spokeswoman for the Trump Organization, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Cohen did not reply to a request for comment. The meeting with Cohen indicates prosecutors are interested in matters at the Trump Organization that go beyond its role in the illegal hush payments before the 2016 presidential election made to women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump, the New York Times said. Cohen pleaded guilty to arranging the payments in violation of campaign finance laws and other crimes last year in the same district. He is due to start a three-year prison term in May. The New York Times said Cohen was also asked by the prosecutors about Zuberi, who contributed $900,000 to Trump's inaugural committee and separately wrote Cohen a $100,000 check that was never cashed. A spokesman for Zuberi, Steve Rabinowitz, said his client wrote the check to Cohen as a retainer. Cohen had proposed representing Zuberi in possible real estate investments in New York but Zuberi never signed the contract, he said. "Zuberi never pursued Cohen it was the other way around," Rabinowitz said. Rabinowitz said Zuberi has not been questioned by federal prosecutors about the inaugural or his dealings with Cohen.

Michael Cohen gave prosecutors information on Trump family business: Report

Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen delayed his closed-door testimony planned for Friday before the US House Intelligence Committee, the panel said in a statement on Wednesday.

It was the second appearance Cohen has cancelled before Congress.&nbsp;

Last month, he postponed a public congressional hearing, citing threats from Trump, before later agreeing to testify behind closed doors.

Last year in December Cohen claimed that Trump was aware that the hush money payments were wrong.&nbsp;

News agency AFP quoted Cohen as saying, "Trump knew hush-money payments were wrong".

Michael Cohen has been sentenced to three years in jail for his role in the payment of hush money to women who said they had affairs with Trump and for lying to Congress about a proposed Trump Tower project in Russia discussed during the 2016 election campaign.

Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen delayed his closed-door testimony planned for Friday before the US House Intelligence Committee, the panel said in a statement on Wednesday.

Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen delayed his closed-door testimony planned for Friday before the US House Intelligence Committee, the panel said in a statement on Wednesday. It was the second appearance Cohen has cancelled before Congress. Last month, he postponed a public congressional hearing, citing threats from Trump, before later agreeing to testify behind closed doors. Last year in December Cohen claimed that Trump was aware that the hush money payments were wrong. News agency AFP quoted Cohen as saying, "Trump knew hush-money payments were wrong". Michael Cohen has been sentenced to three years in jail for his role in the payment of hush money to women who said they had affairs with Trump and for lying to Congress about a proposed Trump Tower project in Russia discussed during the 2016 election campaign.

Former Trump lawyer Cohen delays congressional testimony until February 28

President Donald Trump's former personal <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/muellers-office-disputes-report-that-trump-told-cohen-to-lie-to-congress-191342">lawyer Michael Cohen</a> is postponing his February 7 testimony to the US Congress because of threats against his family from Trump, his adviser said on Wednesday.

Cohen, who has pleaded guilty to crimes including campaign finance violations during Trump's 2016 election campaign and is cooperating with investigators, had received "ongoing threats against his family from Trump" and Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani, the adviser, attorney Lanny Davis, said in a statement.

Trump called Cohen a "rat" in a tweet last month for cooperating with prosecutors. Cohen had been Trump's self-described longtime "fixer" and once said he would take a bullet for the New York real estate developer.

In a Fox News interview this month, and other forums, Trump also suggested he had damaging information on Cohen's father-in-law. "That's the one that people want to look at," Trump said in the interview. Giuliani also referred to possible issues with him.

Cohen's father-in-law, Fima Shusterman, could not immediately be reached for comment. He has been involved in the taxicab business like Cohen himself.

Cohen was expected to appear before the US House of Representatives Oversight Committee. A new date has not been scheduled and he will go to a federal prison in March.

During an event at the White House, Trump was asked about Cohen saying he had been threatened by him and Giuliani.

"I would say he's been threatened by the truth. He's only been threatened by the truth," Trump said.

Giuliani told Reuters that the "president's response covers it."

Representative Elijah Cummings, chair of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Representative Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, both Democrats, said in a statement they understood the concerns for the safety of Cohen and his family in light of the attacks by Trump and Giuliani.

But the lawmakers said they would not "let the President’s tactics prevent Congress" from getting to the truth.

"I promise you that we will hear from Mr Cohen. ... Whatever we have to do to get him here, we're going to do it," Cummings told reporters in a Capitol hallway. He declined to say if that meant a subpoena.

Chicago attorney Andrew Boutros said he was not sure what to make of it all. "Mr Cohen's statement is long on conclusions and short on facts and details," said Boutros, a former federal prosecutor.

Cohen was sentenced in December to three years in prison for crimes including orchestrating hush payments to women in violation of campaign laws before the 2016 election. He said in the guilty plea that he was directed to make the payments by Trump. The president and his lawyers have argued the payments were a personal matter unrelated to the election.

Cohen had volunteered to testify before the congressional panel. Davis said Cohen looked forward to testifying at a later date.

President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen is postponing his February 7 testimony to the US Congress because of threats against his family from Trump, his adviser said on Wednesday.

President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen is postponing his February 7 testimony to the US Congress because of threats against his family from Trump, his adviser said on Wednesday. Cohen, who has pleaded guilty to crimes including campaign finance violations during Trump's 2016 election campaign and is cooperating with investigators, had received "ongoing threats against his family from Trump" and Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani, the adviser, attorney Lanny Davis, said in a statement. Trump called Cohen a "rat" in a tweet last month for cooperating with prosecutors. Cohen had been Trump's self-described longtime "fixer" and once said he would take a bullet for the New York real estate developer. In a Fox News interview this month, and other forums, Trump also suggested he had damaging information on Cohen's father-in-law. "That's the one that people want to look at," Trump said in the interview. Giuliani also referred to possible issues with him. Cohen's father-in-law, Fima Shusterman, could not immediately be reached for comment. He has been involved in the taxicab business like Cohen himself. Cohen was expected to appear before the US House of Representatives Oversight Committee. A new date has not been scheduled and he will go to a federal prison in March. During an event at the White House, Trump was asked about Cohen saying he had been threatened by him and Giuliani. "I would say he's been threatened by the truth. He's only been threatened by the truth," Trump said. Giuliani told Reuters that the "president's response covers it." Representative Elijah Cummings, chair of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and Representative Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, both Democrats, said in a statement they understood the concerns for the safety of Cohen and his family in light of the attacks by Trump and Giuliani. But the lawmakers said they would not "let the President’s tactics prevent Congress" from getting to the truth. "I promise you that we will hear from Mr Cohen. ... Whatever we have to do to get him here, we're going to do it," Cummings told reporters in a Capitol hallway. He declined to say if that meant a subpoena. Chicago attorney Andrew Boutros said he was not sure what to make of it all. "Mr Cohen's statement is long on conclusions and short on facts and details," said Boutros, a former federal prosecutor. Cohen was sentenced in December to three years in prison for crimes including orchestrating hush payments to women in violation of campaign laws before the 2016 election. He said in the guilty plea that he was directed to make the payments by Trump. The president and his lawyers have argued the payments were a personal matter unrelated to the election. Cohen had volunteered to testify before the congressional panel. Davis said Cohen looked forward to testifying at a later date.

Ex-Trump lawyer Cohen postpones testimony to Congress, citing 'threats'

US President Donald Trump had conversations about a proposed project to build a Trump Tower in Moscow throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, far later than previously acknowledged, his lawyer said Sunday.

Trump's conversations with his then personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, who was spearheading the negotiations in Moscow, continued throughout the year until October or November 2016, Rudy Giuliani said.

"It's our understanding that they went on throughout 2016 -- there weren't a lot of them, but there were conversations," the former New York mayor said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

"Can't be sure the exact dates, but the president can remember having conversations with him about it," he said.

Cohen, who was sentenced to three years in prison for an assortment of felonies, has pleaded guilty to lying to Congress in 2017 when he testified that the negotiations had ended by January of 2016.

In fact, he later admitted, they had gone on much longer, until June of 2016, when Trump had become the presumptive nominee of the Republican party.

The latest disclosure extends that timeline right up to the presidential elections in November.

The Trump Tower project has been a subject of scrutiny because Trump had denied any business dealings with the Russians.

He has since acknowledged that Cohen pursued a deal with the Russians well into 2016, but has insisted there was nothing wrong with seeking business opportunities while running for office.

Giuliani said Trump had fully answered questions about the Trump Tower project put to him by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Mueller is investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with a Russian effort to sway the 2016 elections in the Republican's favor, as well as possible obstruction by the president.

Giuliani portrayed Trump's role in the Moscow negotiations as that of a passive participant who was too busy running for president to pay much attention to it.

"It was Michael Cohen driving the project," he told CNN in a separate interview on its "State of the Union" show.

Candidate Trump, he said, was "tied up 18 hours a day with that (the campaign). If he could devote a minute a day to this, it would be a lot. A minute here, a minute there.

"Your recollection of that is not going to be as strong. The guy running it is going to remember it," he said.

Cohen is scheduled to testify before the House Oversight Committee on February 7.&nbsp;

US President Donald Trump had conversations about a proposed project to build a Trump Tower in Moscow throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, far later than previously acknowledged, his lawyer said Sunday.

US President Donald Trump had conversations about a proposed project to build a Trump Tower in Moscow throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, far later than previously acknowledged, his lawyer said Sunday. Trump's conversations with his then personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, who was spearheading the negotiations in Moscow, continued throughout the year until October or November 2016, Rudy Giuliani said. "It's our understanding that they went on throughout 2016 -- there weren't a lot of them, but there were conversations," the former New York mayor said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "Can't be sure the exact dates, but the president can remember having conversations with him about it," he said. Cohen, who was sentenced to three years in prison for an assortment of felonies, has pleaded guilty to lying to Congress in 2017 when he testified that the negotiations had ended by January of 2016. In fact, he later admitted, they had gone on much longer, until June of 2016, when Trump had become the presumptive nominee of the Republican party. The latest disclosure extends that timeline right up to the presidential elections in November. The Trump Tower project has been a subject of scrutiny because Trump had denied any business dealings with the Russians. He has since acknowledged that Cohen pursued a deal with the Russians well into 2016, but has insisted there was nothing wrong with seeking business opportunities while running for office. Giuliani said Trump had fully answered questions about the Trump Tower project put to him by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Mueller is investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with a Russian effort to sway the 2016 elections in the Republican's favor, as well as possible obstruction by the president. Giuliani portrayed Trump's role in the Moscow negotiations as that of a passive participant who was too busy running for president to pay much attention to it. "It was Michael Cohen driving the project," he told CNN in a separate interview on its "State of the Union" show. Candidate Trump, he said, was "tied up 18 hours a day with that (the campaign). If he could devote a minute a day to this, it would be a lot. A minute here, a minute there. "Your recollection of that is not going to be as strong. The guy running it is going to remember it," he said. Cohen is scheduled to testify before the House Oversight Committee on February 7.

Trump had conversations on Moscow tower up to the 2016 US elections: Lawyer Rudy Giuliani

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office on Friday disputed key elements of a media report that President Donald Trump directed his former lawyer to lie to Congress about a Moscow real estate deal, raising questions about a story that has dominated US&nbsp;news coverage for the past 24 hours.

BuzzFeed News reported late on Thursday that Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer who is slated to go to prison for lying to Congress and other crimes, told investigators working for Mueller that Trump had instructed him to lie about efforts to build a skyscraper in Moscow while he was running for president.

"BuzzFeed’s description of specific statements to the Special Counsel’s Office, and characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this office, regarding Michael Cohen’s Congressional testimony are not accurate," Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller, said in the special counsel's first comment on a media report since its probe started 20 months ago.

While Carr did not directly address whether there was evidence that Trump directed Cohen to lie to Congress, he disputed portions of the story about how BuzzFeed corroborated the explosive allegations against Trump.

Citing information from two federal law enforcement officials, BuzzFeed said Cohen told the special counsel that after the 2016 presidential election Trump instructed him to tell Congress that negotiations over the Moscow project had ended earlier than they had in order to obscure Trump's involvement.

Carr's statement also appeared to dispute BuzzFeed's assertion that the special counsel learned about Trump's directive from interviews with employees of the Trump Organization, emails, text messages and other documents.

BuzzFeed editor-in-chief Ben Smith said in a statement: "We stand by the reporting and the sources who informed it, and we urge the Special Counsel to make clear what he's disputing."

After the BuzzFeed report was published on Thursday night, investigators in the US&nbsp;Senate and House of Representatives said they planned to investigate the allegations, while some Democrats described the report as a game-changer that, if true, could be grounds for impeaching the president.

Earlier on Friday, the White House said the story was false. "Look, that's absolutely ridiculous," spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters.

David Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor, said Mueller's decision to comment highlighted the significance of the allegations made in the BuzzFeed article and the attention it was getting in the media and among lawmakers.

"They are making a public comment to tell everyone to calm down," Weinstein said. "He doesn’t want people to think his silence is confirming the truthfulness of the report."

Trump said on Twitter that Cohen was lying to get less prison time. Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, said in a statement that any suggestion that Trump told Cohen to lie is "categorically false."

Representatives for the Trump Organization did not respond to a request for comment on the BuzzFeed report.

Cohen, who once said he was so loyal to Trump that he would "take a bullet" for him, is scheduled to begin a three-year prison sentence in March after pleading guilty to charges including campaign finance violations, tax evasion and lying to Congress.

If Trump did tell Cohen to lie, that would constitute criminal activity, said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat. He added that he would look into the matter.

"Directing a subordinate to lie to Congress is a federal crime," Nadler said on Twitter.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said the allegation that Trump may have directed Cohen to lie under oath "is among the most serious to date."

"We will do what's necessary to find out if it's true," Schiff, also a Democrat, said on Twitter.

Some Senate Intelligence Committee investigators hope to ask Cohen about the BuzzFeed report when he testifies behind closed doors in February, a committee source told Reuters. He also will face questions about it in testimony before the House Oversight Committee on February&nbsp;7.

Yet Mueller's move to push back on the BuzzFeed report could give some lawmakers pause, while also giving ammunition to allies of Trump in their efforts to criticize the media and in their calls for Mueller to complete his probe.

"Today's development only underscores the need for the special counsel to wrap this investigation up immediately," Republican Representative Mark Meadows said on Twittter. "The constant secrecy and breathless speculation helps no one."

"Seismic event"

Legal experts said the allegation, if true, exposed Trump to a new level of risk in an investigation that has already resulted in convictions of or guilty pleas from four former campaign aides, including ex-campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

If true, "it's a seismic event," Andy Wright, an associate White House counsel under former Democratic President Barack Obama, told Reuters.

Cohen, his left arm in a sling, did not comment as he entered his apartment building in New York on Friday. His adviser, Lanny Davis, also declined to comment to Reuters, and his lawyer, Guy Petrillo, did not respond to a request for comment.

Trump denounced Cohen as a "rat" after he began cooperating with investigators while Cohen, whose duties included making payoffs to two women who said they had affairs with Trump, said on Thursday he regretted giving "my blind loyalty to a man who doesn't deserve it."

Directing or encouraging someone to lie under oath is a crime known as subornation of perjury. The report also raises questions about obstruction of justice and conspiracy.

William Barr, Trump's nominee to be attorney general, said at his confirmation hearing on Tuesday that a president would be committing obstruction if he directed a subordinate to lie under oath. A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment.

While the Justice Department has previously concluded that a sitting president cannot be charged while in office, such an allegation, if found true, could fuel impeachment proceedings in Congress.

Trump repeatedly has denied collusion with Russia and slammed Mueller's investigation as a "witch hunt." Russia also has rejected US&nbsp;intelligence findings that Moscow interfered in US&nbsp;politics in the 2016 election in an effort to boost Trump.

Trump said during the presidential campaign that he had no ties or business dealings with Russia.

Democrats, who took over the US&nbsp;House of Representatives this month, have generally been cautious regarding any talk of impeachment to remove Trump from office although some rank-and-file members have pushed for such a resolution.

Impeachment proceedings would face an uphill battle in the Senate, where Trump's fellow Republicans have a majority.

BuzzFeed also reported that Cohen regularly updated Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. and his daughter Ivanka Trump, who is now a top White House adviser, about the Moscow project.

A spokesman for Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for Ivanka Trump, said she was minimally involved in the development. Trump Jr., who has also testified previously before Congress, in a Twitter post called&nbsp;the BuzzFeed report "fake news."

After Mueller's statement disputing the report, Trump Jr. called out the media and Schiff in a series of Twitter posts. "Hey Adam, turns out it was Full of Schiff!" he wrote.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office on Friday disputed key elements of a media report that President Donald Trump directed his former lawyer to lie to Congress about a Moscow real estate deal, raising questions about a story that has dominated US news coverage for the past 24 hours.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office on Friday disputed key elements of a media report that President Donald Trump directed his former lawyer to lie to Congress about a Moscow real estate deal, raising questions about a story that has dominated US news coverage for the past 24 hours. BuzzFeed News reported late on Thursday that Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer who is slated to go to prison for lying to Congress and other crimes, told investigators working for Mueller that Trump had instructed him to lie about efforts to build a skyscraper in Moscow while he was running for president. "BuzzFeed’s description of specific statements to the Special Counsel’s Office, and characterization of documents and testimony obtained by this office, regarding Michael Cohen’s Congressional testimony are not accurate," Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller, said in the special counsel's first comment on a media report since its probe started 20 months ago. While Carr did not directly address whether there was evidence that Trump directed Cohen to lie to Congress, he disputed portions of the story about how BuzzFeed corroborated the explosive allegations against Trump. Citing information from two federal law enforcement officials, BuzzFeed said Cohen told the special counsel that after the 2016 presidential election Trump instructed him to tell Congress that negotiations over the Moscow project had ended earlier than they had in order to obscure Trump's involvement. Carr's statement also appeared to dispute BuzzFeed's assertion that the special counsel learned about Trump's directive from interviews with employees of the Trump Organization, emails, text messages and other documents. BuzzFeed editor-in-chief Ben Smith said in a statement: "We stand by the reporting and the sources who informed it, and we urge the Special Counsel to make clear what he's disputing." After the BuzzFeed report was published on Thursday night, investigators in the US Senate and House of Representatives said they planned to investigate the allegations, while some Democrats described the report as a game-changer that, if true, could be grounds for impeaching the president. Earlier on Friday, the White House said the story was false. "Look, that's absolutely ridiculous," spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters. David Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor, said Mueller's decision to comment highlighted the significance of the allegations made in the BuzzFeed article and the attention it was getting in the media and among lawmakers. "They are making a public comment to tell everyone to calm down," Weinstein said. "He doesn’t want people to think his silence is confirming the truthfulness of the report." Trump said on Twitter that Cohen was lying to get less prison time. Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, said in a statement that any suggestion that Trump told Cohen to lie is "categorically false." Representatives for the Trump Organization did not respond to a request for comment on the BuzzFeed report. Cohen, who once said he was so loyal to Trump that he would "take a bullet" for him, is scheduled to begin a three-year prison sentence in March after pleading guilty to charges including campaign finance violations, tax evasion and lying to Congress. If Trump did tell Cohen to lie, that would constitute criminal activity, said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat. He added that he would look into the matter. "Directing a subordinate to lie to Congress is a federal crime," Nadler said on Twitter. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said the allegation that Trump may have directed Cohen to lie under oath "is among the most serious to date." "We will do what's necessary to find out if it's true," Schiff, also a Democrat, said on Twitter. Some Senate Intelligence Committee investigators hope to ask Cohen about the BuzzFeed report when he testifies behind closed doors in February, a committee source told Reuters. He also will face questions about it in testimony before the House Oversight Committee on February 7. Yet Mueller's move to push back on the BuzzFeed report could give some lawmakers pause, while also giving ammunition to allies of Trump in their efforts to criticize the media and in their calls for Mueller to complete his probe. "Today's development only underscores the need for the special counsel to wrap this investigation up immediately," Republican Representative Mark Meadows said on Twittter. "The constant secrecy and breathless speculation helps no one." "Seismic event" Legal experts said the allegation, if true, exposed Trump to a new level of risk in an investigation that has already resulted in convictions of or guilty pleas from four former campaign aides, including ex-campaign chairman Paul Manafort. If true, "it's a seismic event," Andy Wright, an associate White House counsel under former Democratic President Barack Obama, told Reuters. Cohen, his left arm in a sling, did not comment as he entered his apartment building in New York on Friday. His adviser, Lanny Davis, also declined to comment to Reuters, and his lawyer, Guy Petrillo, did not respond to a request for comment. Trump denounced Cohen as a "rat" after he began cooperating with investigators while Cohen, whose duties included making payoffs to two women who said they had affairs with Trump, said on Thursday he regretted giving "my blind loyalty to a man who doesn't deserve it." Directing or encouraging someone to lie under oath is a crime known as subornation of perjury. The report also raises questions about obstruction of justice and conspiracy. William Barr, Trump's nominee to be attorney general, said at his confirmation hearing on Tuesday that a president would be committing obstruction if he directed a subordinate to lie under oath. A Justice Department spokeswoman declined to comment. While the Justice Department has previously concluded that a sitting president cannot be charged while in office, such an allegation, if found true, could fuel impeachment proceedings in Congress. Trump repeatedly has denied collusion with Russia and slammed Mueller's investigation as a "witch hunt." Russia also has rejected US intelligence findings that Moscow interfered in US politics in the 2016 election in an effort to boost Trump. Trump said during the presidential campaign that he had no ties or business dealings with Russia. Democrats, who took over the US House of Representatives this month, have generally been cautious regarding any talk of impeachment to remove Trump from office although some rank-and-file members have pushed for such a resolution. Impeachment proceedings would face an uphill battle in the Senate, where Trump's fellow Republicans have a majority. BuzzFeed also reported that Cohen regularly updated Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. and his daughter Ivanka Trump, who is now a top White House adviser, about the Moscow project. A spokesman for Abbe Lowell, a lawyer for Ivanka Trump, said she was minimally involved in the development. Trump Jr., who has also testified previously before Congress, in a Twitter post called the BuzzFeed report "fake news." After Mueller's statement disputing the report, Trump Jr. called out the media and Schiff in a series of Twitter posts. "Hey Adam, turns out it was Full of Schiff!" he wrote.

Mueller's office disputes report that Trump told Cohen to lie to Congress

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