Breaking News Emails
Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
Nov. 29, 2018 / 2:36 PM GMT / Updated 2:52 PM GMT
By Tom Winter, Jane C. Timm and Ken Dilanian
Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former longtime personal attorney and fixer, pleaded guilty in federal court on Thursday to a single count of making false statements to Congress about the project to build a Trump Tower in Moscow.
Cohen’s plea marked the first time that Trump and his private business dealings in Moscow were named in open court as part of Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s ties to the Trump campaign. Trump had said during his campaign in 2016 that he had no business interests in Russia, but Cohen, 52, said in his plea that those business interests were not severed and in fact continued into Trump’s presidency in 2017.
Cohen, dressed in a navy suit and a white shirt for a surprise appearance in Manhattan court, said he made false statements regarding discussions with people within the Trump Organization, as well as people in Russia, about the project.
The plea also indicates that Cohen is cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller’s prosecutors.
Cohen’s false statements were made in closed-door testimony to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence last year about his contacts with Russians during the 2016 presidential campaign.
ABC News reported that Cohen had reached a new plea deal with prosecutors after some 70 hours of interviews with the Mueller team.
Cohen pleaded guilty in federal court to campaign finance and bank fraud charges in August.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
