18:55 Donald Trump is nominating Kelly Knight Craft to be the United States’ ambassador to the United Nations. Knight is currently the US’ ambassador to Canada. In December 2018, Knight Craft made headlines about a key UN concern when she was asked in a television interview: “Do you believe in climate change?” She answered: “I believe there are scientists on both sides that are accurate.” Asked if she believed “there is science that proves that man is not causing climate change”, she said: “Well, I think that both sides have, you know, their own results from their studies, and I appreciate and respect both sides of the science.” Knight Craft, who has donated to the Republican party, is married to Joseph Kraft, a billionaire coal magnate from Kentucky. Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) I am pleased to announce that Kelly Knight Craft, our current Ambassador to Canada, is being nominated to be United States Ambassador to the United Nations.... The president’s announcement comes a week after Trump’s first choice to replace Nikki Haley at the UN, former Fox News host and state department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, withdrew her candidacy.<doc-sep>Michael Cohen, the former attorney for President Donald Trump, walks out after his sentencing in New York. (Source: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times/File) Michael Cohen, the former attorney for President Donald Trump, walks out after his sentencing in New York. (Source: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times/File) Written by Ben Protess, William K. Rashbaum and Maggie Haberman Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, met last month with federal prosecutors in Manhattan, offering information about possible irregularities within the president’s family business and about a donor to the inaugural committee, according to people familiar with the matter. Cohen, who worked at the Trump Organization for a decade, spoke with prosecutors about insurance claims the company had filed over the years, said the people, who did not elaborate on the nature of the possible irregularities. While it was not clear whether the prosecutors found Cohen’s information credible and whether they intended to pursue it, the meeting suggests that they are interested in broader aspects of the Trump Organization, beyond their investigation into the company’s role in the hush money payments made before the 2016 election to women claiming to have had affairs with Trump. Cohen pleaded guilty last summer to arranging those payments. The prosecutors also questioned Cohen about a donor to the president’s inaugural committee, Imaad Zuberi, a California venture capitalist and political fundraiser, according to the people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to discuss the confidential meeting. Around the time that Zuberi contributed $900,000 to the committee, he also tried to hire Cohen as a consultant and wrote him a substantial check, one of the people said. Although Cohen did not go through with the arrangement, he was building a consulting business at the time with clients who sought to understand and have access to the Trump administration. A spokesman for Zuberi, Steve Rabinowitz, confirmed the check Friday, saying it was for $100,000 and never cashed. Zuberi, the only person directly referenced in a recent subpoena prosecutors sent the inaugural committee, had previously denied having any dealings with Cohen beyond a few conversations. There was no indication that Cohen, who is scheduled to begin serving a three-year prison sentence in May, implicated Trump in the possible irregularities discussed during the meeting last month. If prosecutors concluded that Cohen’s information was truthful and valuable, they could ask the judge who sentenced him to reduce his prison term. The White House referred questions to the Trump Organization. A spokeswoman at the company did not respond to requests for comment. In the past, the president has accused Cohen of lying to try to reduce his sentence. Lanny Davis, a lawyer and adviser to Cohen, would not comment on the investigations beyond saying that his client was “interested in cooperating with and assisting” the prosecutors “in any way they believe is helpful.” A spokesman for the US attorney’s office in Manhattan, known as the Southern District of New York, declined to comment. The prosecutors recently sought to interview Trump Organization executives, according to a person briefed on the request, which was previously reported by CNN. The nature of the questions they were seeking to ask was not known. Cohen is the only person sentenced to significant prison time in various investigations connected to Trump. In August, Cohen pleaded guilty to breaking campaign finance laws for his role in the hush money payments, as well as tax and bank crimes. In a separate case brought by Robert Mueller, the special counsel, Cohen pleaded guilty in November to lying to Congress about the timing of negotiations to build a Trump skyscraper in Moscow, and about the extent of Trump’s involvement in the plans. In a memo to the court before he was sentenced in December, Cohen’s lawyers wrote that he was being disproportionately punished for “conduct that is routinely pursued through noncriminal enforcement,” referring to his admission of tax evasion. His lawyers drew a comparison to celebrities who received either fines or far less time after being charged with extensive tax fraud. The session with the Southern District prosecutors was not the first time Cohen provided information that could possibly lead to a reduced sentence. Earlier, Cohen met twice with the prosecutors to assist their investigation of the payments to women, including the Trump Organization’s decision to reimburse Cohen for $130,000 he paid to pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels. In an interview in December, Cohen told George Stephanopoulos of ABC News that he was “done with the lying.” He went on: “I am done being loyal to President Trump, and my first loyalty belongs to my wife, my daughter, my son and this country. Federal law allows prosecutors to seek — and a judge to grant — a reduced prison term for a defendant who offers “substantial assistance in investigating or prosecuting another person” within a year of being sentenced. The same rule would also allow the judge to consider assistance Cohen provided, before his sentencing, to the special counsel. Last year, he met seven times with prosecutors from Mueller’s office. The continued scrutiny of the Trump family business and inaugural committee from the Southern District comes as Mueller is said to be wrapping up his investigation. Once he completes a report with his findings, various aspects of his investigation are expected to live on in the Southern District and other U.S. attorneys offices. Cohen declined to seek a formal cooperation deal with the Southern District, which would have required him to disclose any crimes he had committed or had been aware of, and would have delayed his sentencing. His decision to forgo such an agreement most likely contributed to the severity of his sentence; his lawyer had argued for no prison time. Trump had offered a different view, saying late last year that Cohen should serve a “full and complete” prison sentence. And as Cohen remained in the spotlight as a likely witness before Congress, Trump intensified his attacks on his former employee, urging prosecutors and the media to scrutinize Cohen’s family. The attacks led Cohen to postpone a planned appearance before the House oversight committee this month.<doc-sep>Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Jussie Smollett has hired Michael Cohen’s criminal defense lawyer, the attorney confirmed this week, amid the deepening mystery of the “Empire” actor’s claim that he was the victim of a hate attack. “Yes, at the moment, I am,” Michael Monico, a former federal prosecutor in Illinois’ Northern District, told WGN’s “The Roe Conn Show” on Thursday. Monico did not say how long he’s been representing Smollett, or in what capacity. Cohen, President Trump’s former personal attorney, hired Monico to his defense team last month to represent him as he faces federal charges that he violated campaign finance laws and lied to Congress. The openly gay actor claims he was ambushed on Jan. 29 as he was walking home through Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood. He says his masked assailants tied a noose around his neck, poured bleach on him and yelled homophobic slurs and “MAGA country!” Police arrested two “Empire” extras, brothers Ola and Abel Osundairo, in connection with the alleged assault Friday, but released them later in the day. Cops also raided their Chicago-area apartment and confiscated bleach and a black face mask. Police confirmed Saturday the brothers were present at the scene of the attack and provided new evidence that “is now central to the investigation,” without providing details.<doc-sep>Rep. Elijah Cummings Elijah Eugene CummingsLawmakers press AbbVie CEO on increased US prices of two drugs Overnight Health Care: AstraZeneca may have included outdated data on vaccine trial, officials say | Pelosi says drug pricing measure under discussion for infrastructure package | Biden administration extends special ObamaCare enrollment until August Pelosi: Drug pricing measure under discussion for infrastructure package MORE (D-Md. ), the chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, said Friday the panel believes two attorneys for President Trump Donald TrumpTrump lashes out after grand jury seated for New York criminal probe Schumer tees up vote on Jan. 6 commission bill Senators struggle to save Jan. 6 commission MORE may have given false information to government ethics officials. Cummings said the panel has reviewed newly uncovered documents from the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) suggesting Trump's personal lawyer Sheri Dillon and former White House lawyer Stefan Passantino gave false info about payments to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. ADVERTISEMENT “It now appears that President Trump’s other attorneys — at the White House and in private practice — may have provided false information about these payments to federal officials,” Cummings wrote in a letter to White House counsel Pat Cipollone. Cummings said Dillon “repeatedly stated to federal officials at OGE that President Trump never owed any money to Mr. Cohen in 2016 and 2017” and Passantino falsely told officials that Trump and his former lawyer Michael Cohen had a “retainer agreement.” The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment. Cohen, who arranged the payments for the women claiming affairs with Trump in 2006, was sentenced in December to three years in prison on a slew of charges, including some related to the payments. A federal judge ruled the payments violated campaign finance laws. Trump has denied the alleged affairs. “President Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, is now going to prison in part for his role in these hush-money payments,” Cummings wrote. “During his guilty plea, Mr. Cohen said that he did this ‘in coordination with, and at the direction of’ the President ‘for the principal purpose of influencing the election.’ ” “It now appears that President Trump’s other attorneys—at the White House and in private practice—may have provided false information about these payments to federal officials. This raises significant questions about why some of the President’s closest advisers made these false claims and the extent to which they too were acting at the direction of, or in coordination with, the President.” Cummings also sent Alan Futerfas, who represents the Trump Organization and Donald Trump Jr. Don TrumpBook claims Trump family members were 'inappropriately' close with Secret Service agents Trump Jr. shares edited video showing father knocking Biden down with golf ball Trump: 'I can't imagine' any Republican would beat me in 2024 primary if I run MORE, a second letter saying the Trump Organization had not complied with the committee’s request for several documents. Futerfas had initially declined to forfeit the documents since they were currently in the possession of federal authorities who are probing the business. “Congress takes great care not to impair the outcome of criminal cases while exercising its own constitutional authority to conduct robust oversight,” Cummings said.<doc-sep>
Michael Monico, the high-powered criminal defense attorney representing longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, revealed Thursday that he is also representing Empire star Jussie Smollett, the actor-singer reports indicate may have been involved in staging an attack on himself last month. Monico, appearing on WGN’s The Roe Conn Show, discussed Cohen and special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation for several minutes, before confirming the actor is a client of his. “I’d like to get your thoughts [on] Jussie Smollett here, but we can’t get your thoughts on Jussie Smollett because [of] this big developing story today, and it turns out you’re the attorney for Jussie Smollett, too,” Conn said to Monico. “Yes, at the moment, I am,” Monico replied. “Oh for god sakes!” Conn joked. “Can you stop getting clients so I can talk to you about the stories?” It is unclear when Monico began representing Smollett, and in what capacity he is doing so. Monico, a former federal prosecutor in the Northern District of Illinois, and his law partner, Barry Spevack, took over as Cohen’s attorney, the longtime Trump lawyer’s press representative Lanny Davis said January 28. Monico and Spevack took over for Guy Petrillo, a criminal defense attorney who previously served as the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office’s criminal division chief. The development comes as an investigation into Smollett’s account of being beaten in a racist, anti-gay attack took a sharp turn Friday when police announced the arrest of two black men they believe assaulted him. At least one of the men worked on the TV show, police said. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said authorities had probable cause to believe the suspects committed assault and battery against Smollett. However, they had not been charged as of Friday afternoon. Guglielmi would not comment on a possible motive. Smollett, who is gay, has said two masked men shouting racial and anti-gay slurs and “This is MAGA country!” beat him and looped a rope around his neck early on Jan. 29 before running away. Further, he claimed they also poured some kind of chemical on him. The police spokesman said that there is “no evidence to say that this is a hoax” and that Smollett “continues to be treated by police as a victim, not a suspect.” The two suspects, identified only as Nigerian brothers, were picked up at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport on Wednesday on their return from Nigeria after police learned at least one worked on Empire, according to police. Guglielmi said police have not found any surveillance video of an attack but continue to look. He said police also are contacting stores in the hope of finding out who bought the rope that was around Smollett’s neck. In an interview with ABC News, the singer and actor said he didn’t remove the rope from around his neck before police arrived “because I wanted them to see.” Smollett also said he initially refused to give police his cellphone because the device contained private content and phone numbers. He later gave detectives heavily redacted phone records that police have said are insufficient for an investigation. The Associated Press contributed to this report.