Trump’s personal lawyer denies report of Prague meeting with Russians during campaign
President Donald Trump’s longtime personal attorney on Saturday denied a report that he’d met with Kremlin-linked Russians in Prague during the 2016 campaign.
Michael Cohen tweeted a response to a McClatchy report published Friday that says special counsel Robert Mueller has evidence he visited the Czech Republic in late summer, citing two sources familiar with the matter, contradicting Cohen’s previous denials and jibing with details contained in the infamous Trump-Russia dossier compiled by a former British spy.
“Bad reporting, bad information and bad story by same reporter Peter Stone @McClatchyDC. No matter how many times or ways they write it, I have never been to Prague. I was in LA with my son. Proven!” he tweeted.
The Trump dossier, much of which remains uncorroborated, suggests Cohen met with prominent Russians linked to President Vladimir Putin to coordinate the hacking and release of internal Democratic Party emails.
Trump, campaign and White House officials have repeatedly denied that the campaign colluded with Russians to tip the election in Trump’s favor.
Cohen, a lawyer who worked at a senior level for the Trump Organization, was present when FBI officials raided his office, apartment and hotel room earlier this week. Prosecutors have said Cohen is under criminal investigation, although no charges have been filed.
On Friday, Cohen’s lawyers went to federal court to try to stop prosecutors from looking at materials seized in the raid, which they claim are subject to attorney-client privilege.
Cohen is also at the center of a legal dispute over alleged hush money payouts given to adult film actress Story Daniels, who alleges a sexual encounter with Trump over a decade ago.