Repeated overtures by Michael Cohen, President Trump’s personal lawyer, pushing Uber to hire him were rejected by the ride-hailing company, according to a report Sunday.
The reason? Because Cohen owned New York taxi medallions and Uber saw it as a potential conflict of interest, a source told the Wall Street Journal.
According to Bloomberg, Cohen and his wife own 32 New York City taxi licenses, which are known as medallions.
When he was denied by Uber, the person familiar with Cohen’s effort told the Journal he reportedly changed his pitch, stressing to the company that he was “the president’s lawyer.” The source said Uber was “bemused.”
Cohen shot back at the Journal’s reporting, which focused on his consulting career at large. “These falsehoods and gross inaccuracies are only being written in the hopes of maligning me for sensationalistic purposes. The truth will prevail and will ultimately be proven in court and not by pundits,” he said in a statement to the outlet.
The Bloomberg report from last month said that the value of the medallions have tanked as ride-hailing companies like Uber have prospered. Citing city records, the outlet reported that unpaid taxes and fines led to the suspension of about half of the medallions.
Previously the Journal reported Cohen’s offer to provide consulting services was also rejected by Ford.
Cohen is currently under federal investigation for possible bank fraud, wire fraud, and campaign finance violations. His office, hotel, and home were raided by the FBI last month. Cohen is also at the center of the ongoing legal fight between porn star Stormy Daniels and Trump, with whom she claims to have had an extramarital affair. Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 not long before the 2016 election as part of an agreement to keep her silent on her alleged sexual encounter with Trump. She is now trying to get out of a non-disclosure agreement she signed.
