Investigative Group
Millionaire Michael Cohen Solicits Donations To Cover His Legal Bills
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Borrowing a page from newly-minted Resistance heroes like Peter Strzok and Andrew McCabe, former Trump attorney Michael Cohen has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for his legal fees.
“On August 21, Michael Cohen made the decision to take legal responsibility and to continue his commitment to tell the truth,” reads a statement on the “Michael Cohen Truth Fund,” a GoFundMe page set up by Cohen lawyer Lanny Davis.
Cohen, a millionaire, pleaded guilty Tuesday to eight counts of bank fraud, tax evasion and campaign finance violation. The campaign finance charges stem from Cohen’s payments to two women who claimed they had affairs with President Donald Trump. Cohen said during his arraignment in a Manhattan courtroom that he acted at the direction of Trump.
Cohen is also accused of failing to report $4 million in income he received from 2012 to 2016 for his family’s taxi medallion business. By not reporting the income, Cohen avoided paying $1.4 million in taxes he owed to the IRS.
Cohen entered a plea agreement, though he is not currently cooperating with prosecutors.
“Michael decided to put his family and his country first. Now Michael needs your financial help — to pay his legal fees,” the fundraiser states. “The Michael Cohen Truth Fund is a transparent trust account, with all donations going to help Michael Cohen and his family as he goes forward on his journey to tell the truth about Donald Trump.”
Davis set the goal of the fundraiser at $500,000. Ten hours after the page was set up, it had raised $25,000.
The online fundraiser is part of a new trend for Trump critics facing legal problems.
Strzok, the former deputy chief of counterintelligence, set up a GoFundMe page on Aug. 13, shortly after he was fired from the FBI for sending anti-Trump text messages.
Strzok initially set his fundraiser goal at $150,000 but quickly increased the threshold as donations poured in. He has raised $440,000 to cover his legal bills and lost income.
McCabe, the former deputy director of the FBI, raised more than $500,000 towards his legal fees. McCabe was fired two days before his retirement after the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General determined that he misled investigators about authorizing leaks to the media.
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