The FBI was searching for records of payments to two women when agents raided Michael Cohen‘s offices, home, and hotel room Monday, The New York Times reports. They were also looking for “information related to the publisher of The National Enquirer’s role in silencing one of the women, several people briefed on the investigation said.”
The Times notes that the search warrant was “carried out by the public corruption unit of the Manhattan federal attorney’s office,” which previously had not been widely reported.
It “seeks information about Karen McDougal, an ex-Playboy model who claims she carried on a nearly yearlong affair with Mr. Trump shortly after the birth of his son in 2006. Ms. McDougal was paid $150,000 by American Media Inc., the Enquirer’s parent company, whose chief executive is a friend of Mr. Trump’s.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York says its Public Corruption Unit “works, in close partnership with the FBI and other federal, state and city investigative agencies to maintain and protect the integrity of all levels of government. The unit oversees the investigation and prosecution of corruption crimes committed by elected and appointed officials, government employees, and individuals and companies doing business with the city, state, and federal government. Corruption crimes investigated by the unit include bribery, embezzlement, and frauds committed against local, state, and federal government agencies.”
The content of the search warrant is unknown, but it was described in news reports as “broad,” so it’s likely the FBI was searching for more than just the records named by The Times.
The Wall Street Journal in a just-published report adds that “Federal prosecutors in New York asked the Trump Organization, President Donald Trump’s flagship company, for records relating to a $130,000 payment made by his personal lawyer to a former adult-film actress, according to a person familiar with the matter.”
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