From the New York Times are Michael Burma, this is the daily. Today the FBI has read the offices of president trumps the same lawyer who says he wrote the one hundred and thirty thousand dollar check to Stephanie Cliff. What are they looking it's Tuesday April. Ok, I'm ready! I dont here we're alive. We are definitely love, let's go

I'm so sorry to make you, I just I feel like such a jerk. That way, though, what happened on Monday Monday morning in New York City, the FBI showed up and graded Office Rockefeller Centre used by down from long time, lawyer, Michael Cohen, and they also searched a hotel room that he was using park avenue. I, while his parents being renovated- and this was a really aggressive move. It's, been no secret that, in this world of federal investigations, that Michael Cohen, was a potential witness. Her subjects and he had a lawyer and he had been cooperating with Congress and so there's typically this understanding that, if you can just peanut asked them for records. You do that rather than show up

so by showing up with a search warrant and after a lawyers documents, the FBI and the Justice Department are really basically saying we do not trust the sky give us the records we gotta go get em ourselves. This is investigators, saying we saw distrust you that were actually gonna like bust into your spaces and grab. These things Right, we don't even trust you to comply with the grand jury subpoena to turn him over. You won't be the ones this because you're quite humble, you were actually the first person to break this. The worry at the red. So how did you find out that has happened? There is no secrets on the one hand and the we got a tip, and I called his lawyer and his lawyer in response to my inquiry, give quote and that sort of the three step process to doing journalism talk to people right now what they say and then tell

others. So the Renault meetings in parking ragists this was pretty for and, as you would expect it to be in New York City right when the FBI shows up Rockefeller Centre and a park avenue hotel that can only kind of Stacy Grits along. So we just got a tip and I called his lawyer and Africa Comment and that's that You called the lawyer of the president's lawyer lawyers bombers and just to be clear, Bout Michael, come because the present has many lawyers at this moment. How does he fit in to the president's legal universe? Michael Cohen, has banned with present tromp for a decade and e plays different roles, differ, Times, he's a trusted confident and he is a reliable attack. Talk is a fixer. He makes problems. Go way and he's extremely loyal to the president- I mean my experience of them as it you're calling on Trump you're running

story, eventually Michael calling get on the phone and you feel menace Yeah I mean, I think he gives, All then, when whether its reporter war, whether there is a situation that needs to be resolved. He gives called in to fix it, and sometimes at means to deserve do his best, make it go away, and sometimes Agatha means to go on the attack, but most recently, when we think of Michael Kine, what we think about is his own personal disclosure, that he wrote: a Czech four hundred and thirty thousand dollars to Stephanie Clifford, the adult film star, who says that she had a sexual affair with Donald Trump. So is what your reporting this raid connected to that? Yes, this is definitely related to the payment to stir

Nay, Clifford, whose also known as Stormy Daniels, but the documents that were seized go so much deeper than that, and so our understanding is that the Justice Department is investigating Mr Collins for bank fraud, but they didn't just come. Looking for bank records greater transaction records, they came looking for financial documents, emails correspondence between Michael Cohen and the president's files related to his practice of a law, and you all that could touch on the Stormy Daniels Payment by they ve all who just dumb is incredibly broad, deep dive into the world of Michael Cohen in the world of Morocco is just an extension of the world of dollar from and what does not suggest that the Justice Department is interested in about Michael Cashman. That

They took so many different kinds of documents, and not just necessarily those related to Stephanie quivered, and how is it that the just department has the right to go in and taken? many different documents, so the way it works is to get a search warrant, which is what this was. He have to persuade a federal judge that searching that location will produce evidence of criminal activity, so that in itself is significantly the tells you that prosecutors cleared at least preliminary hurdle of his problem will cause that a crime is committed and you ll find evidence here. Yes, ok, you give a search warrant

significant to me here is that this wasn't Bob Mahler and when we think about the Justice Department and the Trump world these days, we think about Bob Mahler. But this is a different group were prosecutors. This was executed by the FBI in New York and applied for unsupervised by federal prosecutors in Manhattan, independent Bob Mahler. But there's a twist columns lawyer, says that he was advised. This search was prompted by referral from Mahler to the. U S turn his office in my hand, so basically Mahler found something that was evidence of a potential crime and pass that two prosecutors in New York, presumably because.

Mothers mandate is to go after russian Interference and election potential collusion with from campaign and whatever he saw a dozen relate to that back its past two prosecutors in New York, and that happens all the time and prosecution. Your can run with that, and it appears that they are very much running with that, so just regular in the courts. Of its investigation. The special councils office found something something that led them to believe a crime might have been committed, but that wasn't directly relevant to the scope of a special councils mission, which was, of course, russian meddling in the election and the question of whether or not that trunk campaign may have colluded with Russia in carrying that out.

So. They therefore suggests that someone else look into it. Exactly that's our understanding. Based on what Cohen's lawyer said tonight. Ok, do you have any idea what the mother team saw that would have caused them to refer this case over to another law enforcement agency. We don't know for sure. Bank fraud is a really broad crime and I'm not sure rain. Now how that fits in with this definite Clifford stuff, But there are a lot of questions about are a well. If you give somebody a hundred thirty thousand dollars was that our campaign contribution your house record, and there are a lot of questions that come with just giving somebody a hundred and thirty thousand dollars in so in that certainly an area that is ripe for exploration.

But we don't know what mother saw that made him one or refer that out and you're talking about bang fraud, because your reporting suggests that that's the crime being investigated, exactly. I guess, I'm a little surprised to learn that the more investigation would find something about the president's lawyer that seemed worth referring to another long force agency, but wouldn't be of interest to its own investigation. I'm sure was of interest, but the way the special council regularly Mueller can't kind of just go off and you know pursue his interest. If you will, he has to stick to his mandate and when he was appointed, the deputy attorney general rod. Rosenstein's said here's what you can investigate and it's russian interference mean. Human potential coordination with the term campaign and like other matters as you discover them by

There is a real reluctance in Washington to having a special council who kind of just follows his heart and in fact, Mahler has been criticised by from former campaign chairman Pollyanna Fort for an essentially having a mandate to broad or he's not well defined. So in this instance, it appears that mothers saying I found something, but it's not really my place to go down that avenue and the right place for that is fairer prosecutors in Iraq, but their suspicion that what this really is is an overreach by Mahler. This suspicion is that mother says pull. This is totally not part of my mandate and I really can justify going around fishing in

Cohen's emails and correspondence with present from by. If I kick this to southern risking our prosecutors and they get a search warrant, will then, if they come up with anything really good, they can always just kick it might Where was I can? And so there is real suspicion in and around the White House that that's what's going on here, that this is money by proxy, so mother could essentially be using other law enforcement agencies to do an additional investigation that would benefit I'm kind of finding a back door to getting stuff. He wants from a character like Michael common right. Look. There are plenty of reasons to believe that is not the case, and that is absolutely what present tromp Michael COIN and people around him believe is happening. What we know is that, in order to get a search warrant,

Of a lawyer related to interactions with his client, that's like the most intrusive sensitive thing, the federal government does. You have to go through an extra level overview nurse special rules at the Justice Department for how to handle those situations, additional oversight, special scrutiny. This is not something that can be done just on the fly produce because of attorney clear profit. So your thing as it is no joke to go after the presents lawyer given the baseline of attorney, clap privilege and then a train climb privilege involving the president. Is it

that's actually right end. The significance here is it's getting harder for the president to credibly say: look it Bob Mahler, I'm the subject of a witch hunt, so I just heard that they broke into the office of what are my personal attorneys good man and it's a disgraceful situation, its total, which I have been saying for a long time. I've wanted to keep it down. We ve, given, I believe, over a million paid is worth of documents to the special council, and the reason is getting harder is because this wasn't PA mothers. Teeth and there were additional checks out. Sighed the normal mother process- and so you know, if he's got a grievance with this he's gotta Even with a larger group of people in federal law enforcement, then just team moment attitudes

grace is frankly a real disgrace and see an attack on our country in the true sense of the attack on what we all stand for So what I saw this and what I heard it I heard it like you did. I said that really. Now. No level of unfairness? Men is the target of this red, Michael Cohen, or is the target actually present tromp with whom Michael Con has had so much communication that might be of interest to investigators who want access to those documents? Or is it both man? That's a great question, and that is front and centre to why this is important. Now, Michael Cohen, is the focus of this search warrant. Full stop. Prosecutors are only supposed to review documents

and to be related to whatever crimes they think Michael Cohen may have committed they're not supposed to go rummaging through a clients, conversations or his emails with his lawyer, but there are exceptions here if they believe that Cowan Trump are working together to commit a crime, those emails or fair game, and so gonna happen, I'm sure, is that there's gonna be a fight over will what records can prosecutors even get a hold of? But ultimately you can't look at Michael Cohen at this death without also looking about trouble. He is such a fixture in the president's world. So if corn was complicit in any kind of crime, investigators can look at the communications between him and his client, the president. Otherwise they cannot look at those because of attorney climb from which he had. Generally speaking up,

right. If you have a lawyer, you seek out advice from your lawyer. You say hey. I think I might have committed a crime which I do here in your lawyer says I we should do x Y and see the government is not allowed to just come in and read your letters email to be like a hot. While there is the evidence of the crime, it's in the client's on mouth, that's the purpose of the attorney client privilege, and so if prosecutors in Manhattan are going to pierce that right they have to either find things that they would say our evidence that are not protected by attorney, client, privilege or They have to say look. This is part of something that's an ongoing violation of the law or that may be Cohen, was in on it. This is going to have to be worked out carefully, both to protect the attorney clam privilege and because the treaties office does not want this to block their entire resignation that what we are discussing is genuinely confusing and it's got a lotta layers to it. If you know what a bar after what I'm sure

than any credibly long day for you. How would you describe what we ve learned today and how would you explain it in simple terms, I think I would say and I wish I were at a bar that what this means is that the intense scrutiny that Donald Trump is under by the Justice Department right now has just gotten much more intense in present trumps world Now this is the Justice Department reaching Hannah really invasive way. To your inner circle into your private communications with your life,

we are in, it doesn't really matter whether its Bob Mahler or the? U S, attorney's office, a bunch of prosecutors and FBI agents. Just seized a ton of documents and files and emails from a man who has been one of the most trusted figures endowed from life the last decade, and that is why this is a big deal that will appreciate and hoping to get that drink tonight, thanks man

why? Don't I just fire mother? Well, I think it's a disgrace. What's going on, well see what happens, but I think it's really a sad situation. Will you look at what happened and many people have said you should fire him again. They found nothing the times is reporting that special council Rama Mahler, is investing being a one hundred and fifty thousand dollar payment made to the Trump Organization in twenty fifteen, by a ukrainian steel, magnet and billionaire in exchange for an appearance the trump made by video connection at a conference in Kiev. The

donor. Victor Pinchbeck is known to have sought closer ties between Ukraine and the West, his contribution, the largest to the Trump Foundation that year other than war. From Trump himself was solicited by Michael calling, we'll be right back hp. Those I'll be gone in. The dark is in new documentary series based on the late author Michel Mcnamara's investigation of the Golden State killer directed by

me winning director Liz garb S. It weaves Michel's riding with survivor accounts and rare archival footage to explore the twisted case. Watch new episodes of I'll be gone in the dark Sundays at ten p m on HBO and stream. It on HBO Max and subscribe to HBO I'll begun in the dark, companion podcast for in depth. Conversations after every episode use what else Unita Nerdy elect him again by condemning the danish attack or addition syringe with bad chemical weapons was an atrocious you jack. Honourable you don't see things like that as bad as the news is around the world, you just don't see those images on Monday, President Trump open a cabinet meeting at the White House by addressing the chemical attacks in Syria over the weekend and promising to quickly decide on what

to retaliate. We are studying that situation extremely closely. We are meeting with our military and everybody else will be making some major decisions over the next twenty four to forty eight hours. The times reports that the White House is feeling pressure from France to act fast

on Sunday, Tromp spoke to french President Emmanuel Mccrone and they, U Greed, to quote strong joint response if its Russia, if it Syria, if it's a ram and it's all of them together, we'll figure it out and will know the edges poyser. So we're looking at that very very strongly averse. That's it within a micro, Marble Cinema Zone, spent more than a decade. Building conic hadda me the free remote learning platform. Now, all of a sudden, it seems custom made for today we realize what a those moments where you look left. Look right, you're, like I think this is us: our militia per hosted. The pod cast net made all the difference. I'll be talking to some incredible people like

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