WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on Michael Cohen’s guilty plea to lying to Congress about work he did on a Trump real estate deal (all times local):
7:50 p.m.
President Donald Trump’s eldest son and his daughter, Ivanka Trump, were involved in discussions about the Trump Tower Moscow project at the center of Michael Cohen’s guilty plea for lying to Congress.
That’s according to a person close to the Trump Organization. The person says Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump were copied in on emails about the project and Ivanka Trump suggested an architect for the building. The emails were exchanged in late 2015 and included in a tranche of emails turned over to congressional committees by the Trump Organization.
The person says the company doesn’t have any email traffic about the project post-January 2016. The person wasn’t authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.
- Associated Press writer Chad Day in Washington
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6:15 p.m.
President Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, has confessed that he lied to Congress about a Moscow real estate deal he pursued on Trump’s behalf during the heat of the 2016 Republican campaign.
Trump insisted repeatedly throughout the campaign that he had no business dealings in Russia. But Cohen’s plea arrangement makes clear that prosecutors believe he was continuing to pursue the Trump Tower Moscow project weeks after he had clinched the Republican nomination for president.
The negotiations about building the Moscow tower continued as late as June 2016 even though Cohen told two congressional committees last year that the talks ended that January.
Cohen also discussed the proposal with Trump on multiple occasions and with unidentified members of the president’s family, according to court papers.
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11:50 a.m.
President Donald Trump’s lawyer-spokesman is calling Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen a “proven liar” who is trying to get out of a lengthy prison sentence.
Rudy Giuliani (joo-lee-AH’-nee) is reacting to Cohen’s New York guilty plea to lying to Congress about a Trump real estate project in Russia. Cohen admitted Thursday he made the false statements about the project to be “consistent” with the president’s “political message.”
Giuliani says the documents special counsel Robert Mueller (MUHL’-ur) used to discover Cohen’s false statements came from the Trump Organization. He says they were “voluntarily disclosed” by the president’s company.
Giuliani also is criticizing the timing of Cohen’s guilty plea, saying it’s “hardly coincidental” it comes as Trump is heading to the G-20 summit with world leaders in Argentina.
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11:35 a.m.
U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff says he believes some witnesses were “untruthful” when testifying before the House intelligence committee when it was investigating Russian election interference.
The committee’s top Democrat spoke Thursday after President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty in New York to making false statements to the Senate.
Prosecutors say Cohen lied to the Senate intelligence committee about a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. Trump calls Cohen a “weak person” who’s “lying” to get a reduced sentence.
Schiff says he wants to provide committee transcripts to special counsel Robert Mueller. He says Mueller’s office was able to bring charges against Cohen because it had “the advantage” that Cohen made his testimony public.
Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Richard Burr says Cohen’s guilty plea shows “the reason people shouldn’t lie when they’re in front of a congressional investigation.”
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11 a.m.
The top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee says there’s a trend among close allies of President Donald Trump not telling the truth.
Sen. Mark Warner’s comments Thursday came after Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to making false statements to Warner’s committee.
Warner told reporters that associates of Trump are “pleading guilty about their ties to Russia and Russians, and what are they covering up for?”
Cohen admitted in court Thursday that he lied to the committee about a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. Cohen said he made the false statements to be consistent with Trump’s “political message.”
The charges against Cohen were brought by special counsel’s office, which is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible coordination with Trump associates.
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10:40 a.m.
President Donald Trump says his former lawyer Michael Cohen is a “weak person” who is “lying” to get a reduced sentence.
The president is reacting to Cohen’s guilty plea Thursday to lying to Congress about work he did on a Trump real estate project in Russia.
During a surprise court hearing, Cohen admitted to lying to the Senate intelligence committee about a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. Cohen said he made the false statements to be consistent with Trump’s “political message.”
Cohen’s lawyer says he continues to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference and possible coordination with Trump associates.
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9:58 a.m.
Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former lawyer, has pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about work he did on a Trump real estate project in Russia.
Cohen made a surprise appearance Thursday in a New York courtroom to enter the plea.
He admitted making false statements in 2017 to a Senate intelligence committee about a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow.
Cohen said he lied about the timing of the tower negotiations and other details to be consistent with Trump’s “political message.”
In August, Cohen pleaded guilty to other federal charges involving his taxi businesses, bank fraud and his campaign work for Trump.
One of the prosecutors working with Special Counsel Robert Mueller was present in the courtroom.
Cohen has been cooperating with Mueller’s probe.
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