President Trump’s personal attorney and long-time “fixer” Michael Cohen remains in his position as deputy finance chair of the Republican National Committee, even though he’s under criminal investigation related to the payment of $130,000 to the porn star, Stormy Daniels, RNC spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany told Cheddar on Friday.
"There's ongoing litigation, and we'll take it step by step, but yes, he is still” in the position within the party, McEnany told Cheddar’s J.D. Durkin.
The Justice Department announced last month that Cohen had been under criminal investigation for months over his business dealings in New York City, and his office and home were raided by the FBI which seized records about Cohen’s clients and personal finances.
According to The Washington Post, among the records seized were those related to Cohen’s 2016 payment to Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, which ensured that she would not discuss her claims to have had a sexual encounter with Trump years before he became president.
Among the avenues of investigation are wire fraud and campaign finance violations related to the payment to Daniels.
In the interview with Cheddar, McEnany was asked if she had concerns with a person being investigated for campaign finance violations also being responsible for overseeing campaign finance at the RNC.
“I have concerns about the violation of attorney-client privilege when the Southern District of New York invaded his office, swept up material, violating the president’s privacy, his client’s privacy, Michael Cohen’s privacy,” she said. “That’s where my concerns lie.”
Only a few days ago, Evgeny Friedman, a business partner of Cohen, who was known as the Taxi King of New York, pleaded guilty to charges of criminal tax fraud and grand larceny and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in state and federal investigations.
The plea deal led to speculation that Friedman could provide the government leverage to pressure Cohen into working with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/rnc-stands-by-michael-cohen-despite-ongoing-investigation).
Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama says his new Cabinet will include an artificial intelligence “minister” in charge of fighting corruption. The AI, named Diella, will oversee public funding projects and combat corruption in public tenders. Diella was launched earlier this year as a virtual assistant on the government's public service platform. Corruption has been a persistent issue in Albania since 1990. Rama's Socialist Party won a fourth consecutive term in May. It aims to deliver EU membership for Albania in five years, but the opposition Democratic Party remains skeptical.
The Trump administration has asked an appeals court to remove Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve’s board of governors by Monday, before the central bank’s next vote on interest rates. Trump sought to fire Cook Aug. 25, but a federal judge ruled late Tuesday that the removal was illegal and reinstated her to the Fed’s board.
President Donald Trump's administration is appealing a ruling blocking him from immediately firing Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook as he seeks more control over the traditionally independent board. The notice of appeal was filed Wednesday, hours after U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb handed down the ruling. The White House insists the Republican president had the right to fire Cook over mortgage fraud allegations involving properties in Michigan and Georgia from before she joined the Fed. Cook's lawsuit denies the allegations and says the firing was unlawful. The case could soon reach the Supreme Court, which has allowed Trump to fire members of other independent agencies but suggested that power has limitations at the Fed.
Chief Justice John Roberts has let President Donald Trump remove a member of the Federal Trade Commission, the latest in a string of high-profile firings allowed for now by the Supreme Court.
President Donald Trump has fired one of two Democratic members of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to break a 2-2 tie ahead of the board considering the largest railroad merger ever proposed.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
