NYT: Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen Received Payments From Russian Oligarch

Michael Cohen

You have to ask - is this the Russian collusion?

The New York Times has the details:

A shell company that Michael D. Cohen used to pay hush money to a pornographic film actress received payments totaling more than $1 million from an American company linked to a Russian oligarch and several corporations with business before the Trump administration, according to documents and interviews.

Financial records reviewed by The New York Times show that Mr. Cohen, President Trump’s personal lawyer and longtime fixer, used the shell company, Essential Consultants L.L.C., for an array of business activities that went far beyond what was publicly known. Transactions totaling at least $4.4 million flowed through Essential Consultants starting shortly before Mr. Trump was elected president and continuing to this January, the records show.

Among the previously unreported transactions were payments last year totaling about $500,000 from Columbus Nova, an investment firm in New York whose biggest client is a company controlled by Viktor Vekselberg, the Russian oligarch. A lawyer for Columbus Nova, in a statement Tuesday, described the money as a consulting fee that had nothing to do with Mr. Vekselberg.

After significant investigation, we have discovered that Mr. Trump’s atty Mr. Cohen received approximately $500,000 in the mos. after the election from a company controlled by a Russian Oligarc with close ties to Mr. Putin. These monies may have reimbursed the $130k payment.

— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) May 8, 2018

The claims in @MichaelAvenatti's document are the ultimate "Whoa, if true." He's basically saying Cohen's LLC was a slush vehicle for illegal contributions/payments from a Russian oligarch and who knows who else.

— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) May 8, 2018

BREAKING: Michael Cohen accused of taking $500,000 from a *sanctioned* Russian Oligarch *while Trump was President* and misleading the bank about it.

This allegation comes from @MichaelAvenatti & involves the company Cohen created to pay Stormy Daniels

Implicates Bank Fraud Act pic.twitter.com/57KbcIHYsW

— Ari Melber (@AriMelber) May 8, 2018