Fired deputy charged with crimes had troubled past in law enforcementNew resolution could help fend off FEMA’s threat to pull flood insurance discount
The F.B.I. raided Trump attorney Michael Cohen’s office and seized material related to, among other things, his payments to porn actress Stephanie Clifford, the New York Times reported Monday. The Times reported that federal prosecutors in Manhattan obtained the search warrant, after the special counsel in the Russia probe, Robert Mueller, sent a referral. The Times said that the search “does not appear to be directly related to Mr. Mueller’s investigation, but likely resulted from information he had uncovered and gave” to New York prosecutors. Cohen has admitted paying Clifford — whose stage name is Stormy Daniels — $130,000 after she said she had an affair with President Trump over a decade ago. The Times also reported that Cohen’s lawyer, Stephen Ryan, said that Cohen has cooperated with authorities and turned over documents to congressional investigators looking into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The F.B.I. also took Cohen’s emails, tax documents and business records from his office, The Times reported, citing a person familiar with the search. This is a developing story and will be updated.