Ukraine reportedly paid Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to arrange White House talks
Updated
US President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, received a secret payment of at least $US400,000 ($531,000) to arrange talks between Mr Trump and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko last year, the BBC reports.
Key points:
- Donald Trump met with Petro Poroshenko at the White House on June 2017
- Mr Poroshenko came away pleased with what he called a "full, detailed meeting"
- Michael Cohen and Mr Poroshenko have both denied the story
The payment was arranged by intermediaries acting for Mr Poroshenko who wanted to open a back channel to the US President, the BBC said, citing unnamed sources in Kiev.
Mr Cohen, who was not registered as a representative of Ukraine, was brought in because Ukraine's registered lobbyists and its embassy in Washington could get Mr Poroshenko little more than a photo op with Mr Trump while the Ukrainian leader, "needed something that could be portrayed as 'talks'," the broadcaster reported.
"This story is completely false," Mr Cohen said in a text message to Reuters.
The White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
In a statement to Reuters, Mr Poroshenko's office also said the story was false.
"Blatant lie, slander and fake," it said.
The two Ukrainians said to have opened the back channel also denied the story, the BBC reported.
Mr Trump met with Mr Poroshenko at the White House on June 20, 2017, in what was officially called a "drop-by" visit after the Ukrainian leader's separate talks with Vice-President Mike Pence.
Mr Poroshenko, speaking to reporters after his session with Mr Trump, said he came away pleased with what he called a "full, detailed meeting".
There is no suggestion Mr Trump was aware of the payment to Mr Cohen, the BBC said.
Mr Poroshenko was desperate to meet with Mr Trump because of what had happened during the 2016 US presidential campaign, the BBC said.
According to the BBC, several sources in Ukraine said Mr Poroshenko, believing Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton was sure to win the presidency, had authorised the leak of a document published by the New York Times in August 2016.
The document appeared to show Paul Manafort, Mr Trump's presidential campaign manager, had received millions of dollars from pro-Russian interests in Ukraine. Mr Manafort resigned a few days later.
A week after Mr Poroshenko returned home from the meeting with Mr Trump, Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau announced it was no longer investigating Mr Manafort, the BBC said.
A Ukrainian official said Mr Cohen was paid $US400,000 while another source put the figure at $US600,000 ($796,000), the BBC reported.
The BBC also said the lawyer representing porn actress Stormy Daniels, in legal action against Mr Trump, supported the account.
Michael Avenatti — who has uncovered details of Mr Cohen's finances — said Suspicious Activity Reports filed by Mr Cohen's bank to the US Treasury showed he had received money from "Ukrainian interests", according to the BBC.
Mr Cohen is being investigated for possible bank and tax fraud, possible campaign law violations linked to a hush-money payment to Daniels, and perhaps other matters related to Mr Trump's presidential campaign, a person familiar with the probe has said.
Reuters
Topics: world-politics, donald-trump, united-states, ukraine
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