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In Surprise Court Hearing, Michael Cohen Pleads Guilty to Lying to Congress About Trump Tower in Moscow

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Michael Cohen

In a surprise court appearance on Thursday morning former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to lying in 2017 to the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence about a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, NBC News reports.

The Washington Post reports: “Cohen’s new guilty plea is the latest development in a wide-ranging investigation by Robert S. Mueller III into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Trump had insisted in the summer of 2016 that he had no business interests in Russia, statements that would be undermined if Cohen is now asserting conversations about the project continued past January 2016.”

CNN adds: ‘Cohen waived his right to an indictment in court Thursday morning. According to the information being read out in court, Cohen made a false statement regarding a proposed Trump Tower deal in Moscow that he was working on in 2015 and 2016. He had a discussion about the project at a later date. Cohen had previously said that the deal was stopped in January 2016.’

The NYT adds: ‘Mr. Cohen’s new guilty plea comes at a particularly perilous time for Mr. Trump, whose presidency has been threatened by Mr. Cohen’s statements to investigators. In recent days, the president and his lawyers have increased their attacks on the Justice Department and the special counsel’s office. The expected new guilty plea in Federal District Court marks the first time the office of the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, has charged Mr. Cohen. In exchange for pleading guilty and continuing to cooperate with Mr. Mueller, he may hope to receive a lighter sentence than he otherwise would.’

Developing…

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