Chuck Ross on May 9, 2018
Michael Avenatti, porn star Stormy Daniels’ lawyer, released a seven-page dossier on Tuesday containing a list of payments purportedly made to Michael Cohen, the lawyer for President Donald Trump.
But there is one problem with the document: two of the allegedly “fraudulent” payments were made to men named Michael Cohen who have no affiliation with Trump.
Avenatti’s report includes a section listing “possible fraudulent and illegal financial transactions” involving Trump’s lawyer. One of the payments is a $4,250 wire transfer from a Malaysian company, Actuarial Partners, to a bank in Toronto.
The other is a $980 transfer from a Kenyan bank to Bank Hapoalim — the largest bank in Israel.
Zainal Kassim, a representative for Actuarial Partners, told The Daily Caller News Foundation Avenatti’s report is a case of mistaken identity. He forwarded an email the falsely accused Michael Cohen sent to Avenatti requesting the lawyer “correct this error forthwith and make it known publicly” there is no connection to Trump’s Michael Cohen.
“You are surely aware of the fact that this is an extremely common name and would request that you take care before involving innocent parries in this sordid affair,” wrote Cohen, who told Avenatti he is an international consultant who was paid by Actuarial Partners for work on a project in Tanzania.
“Actuarial Partners have already received inquiries from the press in this regard, and we would like to see this scurrilous rumour spiked as soon as possible.”
Haaretz, the Israeli news outlet, found another case of mistaken identity in Avenatti’s report.
“Mr. Cohen received one wire transfer in the amount of $980.00 from a Kenyan bank from account holders Netanel Cohen and Stav Hayun to an account in Israel at Bank Hapoalim,” Avenatti wrote.
Haaretz caught up with Netanel Cohen, who acknowledged having a bank account in Kenya and transferring money to a Michael Cohen. But the Michael Cohen in questions is his brother, Netanel told the news outlet. And his brother is not Trump’s lawyer.
“I’ve never heard of Michael Cohen, and I have no connection to this affair,” Netanel told Haaretz.
It is unclear how Avenatti obtained the financial records cited in his report. But various news outlets, including The New York Times, also appear to have viewed the documents. The Treasury Department’s office of the inspector general opened an investigation into whether someone leaked Cohen’s financial documents to Avenatti and the press, it was reported on Wednesday.
It remains a mystery how the financial records of a completely separate Michael Cohen would have ended up in the tranche of documents provided to Avenatti.
Other transfers tied to Michael Cohen, the Trump lawyer, actually did occur. Several companies, including AT&T, Novartis and Columbus Nova, a firm linked to Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, acknowledged paying Cohen’s company, Essential Consultants.
Cohen used that firm to route a $130,000 payment to Daniels in October 2016. Daniels, who claims she had an affair with Trump in 2006, is suing Cohen and the president to get out of a non-disclosure agreement she signed in exchange for the money.
This article has been updated with additional information.
This comes very close to libel. This particular Michael Cohen is a public person — or at the very least, a public person for a special purpose. That means that actual malice must be showed under New York v Sullivan. But that is likely here because reckless indifference to the truth of the statement is sufficient for the actual malice standard.
But there is a deeper issue. How did Avenatti get his hands on these bank records? They are simply not discoverable in his ridiculous defamation suit against Cohen. Which leads us back to the special counsel. That office has been notorious for its leaks to the media. Did they leak to Cohen? If so, must we now conclude that the special counsel investigation is nothing more than a political operation with no interest in prosecuting actual crimes and complete focus on distracting from the real issue: the utter corruption of our law enforcement, national security and intelligence institutions by the Obama administration.
Michael Avenatti is in real danger here. Not only could he be sued for slander AND liable, He should also be investigated for how he obtained the information he has. Illegally obtained evidence is not permissible in court
The deep state cretin in the Treasury department who handed up the info should be in prison by the weekend. What makes these leftwing Trump haters think it is okay to break the law without even thinking about the consequences? Justice delayed is justice denied. Find this person and throw them in jail, NOW.
Paid $135000 extortion money to keep quiet about a sexual affaor that she admitted never happened and at a time that she knew Trump would not waqnt her BS lies spred right before an election. Now she is making much more than the $135000 by traveling where Trump goes and spreading her legs for profits for anyway willing to buy into her filthy scheme.
Leave it to a dum-dum liberal lunatic to screw things up. Too bad someone doesn’t go after HIM now and check out his back round and while they’re at it pull some of HIS skeletons out of the closet. It’s a positive they are there, because no DECENT person would ever be involved in a nefarious scandal such as this.
This dirtbag is so anxious to get attention that he doesn’t bother to check to see if there might be another Michael Cohen…gets his documentation from another person’s files- and runs out with his fantastic story- which of course is hungrily grabbed by the anti-Trump media and spreads it like butter on hot toast…only to find out LATER- it was not the same Michael Cohen who is Trump’s lawyer!!! I hope he and his prostitute client gets fried!!! By the way- guess who is paying her legal fees…one of Obama’s organizations.
I suggest the wrong Michael Cohen sue the crap out of Avenatti and file criminal charges against him for possession of stolen property, i.e. financial documents which cannot be disclosed.
This ambulance chaser dirtbag and his whore client are in big trouble. It is illegal to possess financial documents not belonging to you. Plus disclosure of them is a felony as well. He’s so dumb that he didn’t even check to see if there is another Michael Cohen. What an imbecile!
I hope he gets sent to prison for it and becomes Bubba’s bubby.
This comes very close to libel. This particular Michael Cohen is a public person — or at the very least, a public person for a special purpose. That means that actual malice must be showed under New York v Sullivan. But that is likely here because reckless indifference to the truth of the statement is sufficient for the actual malice standard.
But there is a deeper issue. How did Avenatti get his hands on these bank records? They are simply not discoverable in his ridiculous defamation suit against Cohen. Which leads us back to the special counsel. That office has been notorious for its leaks to the media. Did they leak to Cohen? If so, must we now conclude that the special counsel investigation is nothing more than a political operation with no interest in prosecuting actual crimes and complete focus on distracting from the real issue: the utter corruption of our law enforcement, national security and intelligence institutions by the Obama administration.
Michael Avenatti is in real danger here. Not only could he be sued for slander AND liable, He should also be investigated for how he obtained the information he has. Illegally obtained evidence is not permissible in court
The deep state cretin in the Treasury department who handed up the info should be in prison by the weekend. What makes these leftwing Trump haters think it is okay to break the law without even thinking about the consequences? Justice delayed is justice denied. Find this person and throw them in jail, NOW.
Paid $135000 extortion money to keep quiet about a sexual affaor that she admitted never happened and at a time that she knew Trump would not waqnt her BS lies spred right before an election. Now she is making much more than the $135000 by traveling where Trump goes and spreading her legs for profits for anyway willing to buy into her filthy scheme.
Leave it to a dum-dum liberal lunatic to screw things up. Too bad someone doesn’t go after HIM now and check out his back round and while they’re at it pull some of HIS skeletons out of the closet. It’s a positive they are there, because no DECENT person would ever be involved in a nefarious scandal such as this.
This dirtbag is so anxious to get attention that he doesn’t bother to check to see if there might be another Michael Cohen…gets his documentation from another person’s files- and runs out with his fantastic story- which of course is hungrily grabbed by the anti-Trump media and spreads it like butter on hot toast…only to find out LATER- it was not the same Michael Cohen who is Trump’s lawyer!!! I hope he and his prostitute client gets fried!!! By the way- guess who is paying her legal fees…one of Obama’s organizations.
I suggest the wrong Michael Cohen sue the crap out of Avenatti and file criminal charges against him for possession of stolen property, i.e. financial documents which cannot be disclosed.
This ambulance chaser dirtbag and his whore client are in big trouble. It is illegal to possess financial documents not belonging to you. Plus disclosure of them is a felony as well. He’s so dumb that he didn’t even check to see if there is another Michael Cohen. What an imbecile!
I hope he gets sent to prison for it and becomes Bubba’s bubby.