Exclusive: Michael Cohen interviewed for Trump Organization investigation

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Officials of the prosecutor's office, led by Cyrus Vance, interrogated Cohen at the federal prison in Otisville, New York State, where he is serving a three-year prison sentence after having pleaded guilty to several crimes, including campaign funding violations related to the payment of two women's business with Trump a decade ago. Trump denied having relationships with women.

The Attorney General opened the investigation last month and sent subpoenas to Trump and American Media Inc. to collect payment documents for Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal to silence their allegations before the 2016 presidential election.

The investigation seeks to find out if the Trump organization has violated a New York state law that makes false business documents. The investigators investigate whether the real estate company falsified its records by describing the repayment made to Cohen.

Prosecutors met with Cohen shortly after opening their investigation, according to one of the people close to the case. Cohen is one of many people who know about payments that may interest investigators, but he has credibility issues for any potential business. Cohen pleaded guilty last year to having lied to Congress about the construction project of a Trump tower in Moscow.

Lanny Davis, a Cohen lawyer, declined to comment. A spokesman for Vance's office also declined to comment.

Marc L. Mukasey, a Trump Organization lawyer, responded, "When you lie down with a dog, you wake up with fleas." When the Trump Organization was summoned at the beginning of last month, Mukasey called it "political work".

The investigation is a sign that legal problems continue to swirl around Trump and his business. House Democrats are suing for Trump's tax and banking records and family members. The Attorney General of New York State has summoned Trump's banks to obtain loan documents for certain Trump Organization projects.
The state's investigation, which is still in its infancy, was opened after the US Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York closed its own investigation in July.

Cohen was the only individual prosecuted as part of the federal investigation. He pled guilty to paying $ 130,000 to Daniels to prevent him from disclosing his allegation before the election.

American Media Inc., publisher of National Enquirer, has signed a non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors for its own role in the hidden money scheme. AMI admitted making a $ 150,000 payment in cooperation with some members of the Trump campaign to prevent McDougal's claims from becoming public.

Federal prosecutors have alleged that the Trump Organization paid Cohen $ 420,000 to reimburse him for the payment of $ 130,000 of hidden money, increasing the amount to cover taxes and a bonus. Cohen was instructed to submit monthly invoices and payments were made in increments of $ 35,000 over 12 months, according to prosecutors in the Cohen case. The Trump organization has accounted for the fees as legal fees, although, according to prosecutors, Cohen has not performed any legal work for the company in 2017. The Trump organization n & # 39; 39; has been accused of any wrongdoing.

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