New bombshell ties Michael Cohen to large sums of Kremlin money
Breaking news from the law firm, Avenatti & Associates, APC, is that after months of investigation, they have found the following interesting money source:
Mr. Cohen has previously claimed that the source of funds from the $130,000 payment was a home equity line of credit advance conducted on October 26, 2016. This has yet to be confirmed. However, as detailed below, within approximately 75 days of the payment to Ms. Clifford, Mr. Viktor Vekselberg, a Russian Oligarch with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, caused substantial funds to be deposited into the bank account from which Mr. Cohen made the payment. It appears that these funds may have replenished the account following the payment to Ms. Clifford.
Michael Avenatti has published his “Preliminary Report of Findings (May 8, 2018)” for “Project Sunlight,” which is the name he has given for the investigation into the Stormy Daniels settlement and payments. The report has several areas that have significant interest, including several payments to Essential Consultants, LLC from Novartis Investments SARL, AT&T and others, including the approximately $500,000 that was received from Columbus Nova LLC, controlled by Viktor Vekselberg and his cousin, Andrew Intrater, according to the Preliminary Report.
A payment of $150,000 is also referenced in the Preliminary Report from Korea Aerospace Industries LTD, paid on November 27, 2017. Korea Aerospace is a South Korean company that “manufactures and sells fixed and rotary wing aircrafts, and airframe components in South Korea,” according to www.bloomberg.com.
The Preliminary Report, if correct, raises some very troubling questions about what Michael Cohen and the company he formed, Essential Consultants, were up to and what President Donald J. Trump knew about this business being conducted by his lawyer. According to Avenatti, Cohen used the account he opened in 2016 at First Republic to engage in financial transactions totaling $4.4 million. Perhaps some of the findings in the Preliminary Report are why the president and his fixer are fretting so much – they appear to have a lot of explaining to do with respect to what these transactions represent and how the money was funneled through Essential Consultants. Was it from Russian oligarchs close to Putin, with love?
Daniel is a lawyer writing and teaching about SCOTUS, and is the author of the book “The Chief Justices” about the SCOTUS as seen through the center seat.