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Michael Cohen. Brendan McDermid/Reuters

President Donald Trump's former longtime lawyer Michael Cohen chatted with the Reverend Al Sharpton for an hour, Sharpton announced on Twitter on Friday morning.

Cohen responded to Sharpton's tweet minutes later, saying there wasn't anyone "better to talk to!"

"Just spent an hour w/ Michael Cohen, Trump's former attorney," Sharpton, the host of MSNBC's "PoliticsNation," tweeted Friday morning. "I bet you're wondering what we could be talking about! Stay tuned."

"I have known Rev for almost 20 years," Cohen responded. "No one better to talk to!"

Cohen is the focus of a criminal investigation in the Southern District of New York into whether he violated campaign-finance laws, committed bank fraud and/or wire fraud, engaged in illegal lobbying, or participated in other crimes. The FBI raided Cohen's home, hotel room, and office in April, seizing more than 4 million documents.

At the center of Cohen's troubles is a $130,000 hush-money payment he facilitated weeks before the 2016 presidential election to porn star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, to keep her from talking about her allegation of a 2006 affair with Trump. The FBI sought documents related to that payment and other similar agreements with women.

Trump, Cohen, and the White House denied that an affair took place. Originally, Cohen said Trump did not reimburse him for the payment. In May, Trump admitted to paying back his lawyer for the cost.

Cohen has split with Trump dramatically in recent weeks. During an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos that was published earlier this month, Cohen said his family "and this country" have his "first loyalty."

Cohen also split with his legal team and hired a pair of new attorneys. Cohen's defense will now be guided by Guy Petrillo, a partner at Petrillo Klein & Boxer who has extensive experience in the Southern District of New York and is the kind of lawyer a person would choose if they were seeking to cut a deal with prosecutors, experts told Business Insider. In addition, Cohen brought on Lanny Davis, notable for his work as a lawyer and representative for President Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

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Al Sharpton talks to Michael Cohen, who says there's 'no one ...

3:53 PM 07/21/2018

Chuck Ross | Reporter

Former Trump attorney Michael Cohens meeting on Friday with Al Sharpton was intended to send a signal to the president, the civil rights activist says.

Out of all the people he could reach out to, reaching out to me is sending a signal to Mr. Trump and I think, probably, to prosecutors that he was not one who would not deal with someone who has been fighting Donald Trump for decades on social justice issues, Sharpton said in an interview on MSNBC on Friday.

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Sharpton and Cohen met at a restaurant for over an hour on Friday morning, shortly before news broke that months before the 2016 election, Cohen secretly recorded a two-minute conversation with Trump regarding Karen McDougal, a Playboy playmate who allegedly had an affair with Trump in 2006.

The Washington Post reported that Cohen suggested purchasing the rights to McDougals story from AMI, the parent company of the National Enquirer. AMI paid McDougal $150,000 in August 2016 for her story.

According to The Post, Trump is mostly silent in the recording. At one point he asked Cohen how the payment would be made.

I received a text from him saying he wanted to meet, Sharpton said on Saturday. We met at a public restaurant and we spoke for over an hour. He was very troubled and felt in many ways cast wrongly.

And I feel he was saying that he had been abandoned by Mr. Trump, Sharpton continued, adding: He was adamant that he was opposed to things that Mr. Trump was doing.

Sharpton tweeted about his meeting with Cohen shortly after it ended.

Just spent an hour w/ Michael Cohen, Trumps former attorney, Sharpton wrote. I bet youre wondering what we could be talking about! Stay tuned.

Cohen confirmed the meeting, writing that I have known Rev for almost 20 years. No one better to talk to!

Trump blasted his former attorney in an early-morning tweet on Saturday.

Inconceivable that the government would break into a lawyers office (early in the morning) almost unheard of. Even more inconceivable that a lawyer would tape a client totally unheard of & perhaps illegal, he wrote. (RELATED: Perhaps Illegal: Trump Rails Against Cohen For Taping His Private Conversations)

The U.S. Attorneys Office in Manhattan is reportedly investigating Cohen over his business dealings and possible campaign finance violations. Cohens payments to women are reportedly a part of the investigation. Just before the 2016 election, Cohen paid $130,000 to Stormy Daniels, an adult film star who also allegedly had an affair with Trump in 2006.

The FBI raided Cohens home, office and hotel room on April 9.

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Michael Cohens Meeting With Al Sharpton Was Intended To Send ...

As the Russia-Washington situation grows more convoluted and scandalous by the day comes word that one of the NYC activist communitys most well-known advocates, the former Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen met with Rev. Al Sharpton, on Friday and had breakfast.

TheGrio does not know what was served at the meal, but the FBI has a recording of President Donald Trump and in which the two men prior to the 2016 election discussed a payment to a former Playboy model who had an alleged affair with Trump, Rudy Giuliani told CNN.

Sharpton appeared to downplay the meeting, tweeting that he has known Cohen for two decades and Cohen often offered himself up as an intermediary when Sharpton and Trump had a beef.

Ive known @MichaelCohen212 for 20 years, Sharpton tweetedFridaymorning. He was a Democrat. He used to broker meetings between Trump andIwhen we were fighting.

Sharpton discussed theFridaybreakfast meeting on MSNBCFridaynight.

I received a text from him saying he wanted to meet, Sharpton said. We met at a public restaurant and we spoke for over an hour. He was very troubled and felt in many ways cast wrongly. And I feel that he was saying that he had been abandoned by Mr. Trump.

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Cohen gave the impression he was going to divulge secrets related to Trump, Sharpton told MSNBCs Ali Velshi.

He kept saying to me over and over again, Rev., I am going to do what is right for the country and what is right for my family, Sharpton said. He was adamant that he was opposed to things that Mr. Trump was doing.

Sharpton said he felt that Cohens outreach to him was meant to send a signal to the president that Cohen was not on the side of the White House.

Out of all the people he could reach out to, reaching out to me is sending a signal to Mr. Trump and I think, probably, to prosecutors that he was not one who would not deal with someone who has been fighting Donald Trump for decades on social justice issues, Sharpton said.

The developments are tearing the country apart, Sharpton said Cohen told him.

He said the country is divided, Sharpton said. He said, This is awful and I want to stand up.

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Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen meets with Rev. Al Sharpton ...

Michael Cohen, President Trumps former private attorney and current thorn in the side, has chatted with Rev. Al Sharpton who is teasing about airing a possible interview with him on MSNBC.

Just spent an hour w/ Michael Cohen, Trumps former attorney. I bet youre wondering what we could be talking about! Stay tuned, the civil rights activist tweeted.

Ive known @MichaelCohen212 for maybe 20 years. He was a Democrat. He used to broker meetings between Trump and I when we were fighting, Sharpton said in a second tweet.

Cohen, whose recent comments have led some to speculate he may be cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Muellers probe into possible Russian collusion in the 2016 election, also trumpeted their sit-down.

I have know Rev for almost 20 years, Cohen wrote on Twitter about the host of MSNBCs Sunday show PoliticsNation. No one better to talk to!

Longtime Sharpton spokeswoman Rachel Noerdlinger said Cohen recently contacted Sharpton, a frequent Trump critic, and they met at a Manhattan hotel for about an hour.

MSNBC did not immediately reply to a question by The Post about if and when an interview might air.

An interview would be Cohens second with a news outlet in recent weeks after sitting with ABCs George Stephanopoulos earlier this month.

On Monday, Cohen tweeted his support for US intelligence agencies and berated Russia in a clear rebuke of his old bosss Helsinki press performance.

Cohen is under investigation by federal prosecutors in New York over his business dealings and had his home and office raided in April. He has not been charged with any crime.

He has been in the spotlight since it was revealed that he paid porn vixen Stormy Daniels $139,000 in the waning days of the 2016 presidential election to keep mum about an alleged decade-old sexual liaison with Trump.

The White House has denied that Trump had a sexual encounter with Daniels, though the president has more recently said he was aware Cohen was making the payment at the time.

With Post wires

Continued here:
Al Sharpton teases sit-down interview with Michael Cohen

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Michael D. Cohen appears to want the world to know that as former boss Donald Trump is besieged by investigations into Russian influence on the 2016 election and into alleged, pre-election hush payments to women who claimed they'd had affairs with the president, the attorney vows to do what's right.

Rev. Al Sharpton appeared Friday on "MSNBC Live with Ali Velshi" and spoke of his morning meeting with Cohen: "He kept saying to me over and over again, 'Reverend, Im going to do whats right for the country, Im going to do whats right for my family.'"

Sharpton said he's known Cohen as Trump's right-hand man for nearly 20 years, and that the president's former personal attorney requested the meeting "several days ago." The symbolic breaking of bread, Sharpton said, is a signal to Trump as the reverend and the president have previously been adversaries on social justice issues.

"I think the fact that, Ali, out of all of the people he could have reached out to reaching out to me in and of itself was sending a signal to President Trump and probably to prosecutors..." Sharpton told Velshi.

"What I sensed from him was that he is really trying to be very clear that hes independent of Mr. Trump," Sharpton said. "And that hes going to tell the truth whatever the truth is."

Cohen feels abandoned by Trump, the Reverend added.

Offered an opportunity to refute or clarify Sharpton's account, Cohen's attorney, Lanny J. Davis, said via email, "We respect Rev. Sharptons support and encouragement of Michael Cohen to put his family and country first and tell the truth."

Cohen's office and hotel room were raided in the spring and his phone calls were logged by the FBI in a U.S. Department of Justice probe of those alleged hush payments as possible violations of campaign finance law.

As Trump's self-described fixer, it's widely believed Cohen could have a lot of information for investigators. Earlier today multiple reports stated that Cohen had a recording of the president-elect discussing a $150,000 payment to a former Playboy model who alleged she had an affair with Trump.

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Al Sharpton says Michael Cohen wants to do what's right for ...