Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating a $150,000 payment from Ukrainian billionaire Victor Pinchuk to the Donald J. Trump Foundation, according to a new report.
The payment by the Ukrainian steel magnate was made in exchange for a 20-minute video appearance by Trump at a conference in Kiev. The payment and appearance were made in September 2015 as Trump was pursuing the Republican nomination for the 2016 presidential election.
According to the New York Times, Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen solicited the payment.
The report comes hours after it was revealed FBI agents searched and seized documents from Cohen’s office in Manhattan in regard to a separate case. Cohen is under investigation for potentially committing bank fraud and violating campaign finance rules, sources familiar with the situation told the Washington Post.
Additionally, documents regarding Cohen’s payment of $130,000 in hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels were obtained by agents during the raid, the New York Times reports. Daniels has been engaged in a legal battle with Trump over an alleged extramarital affair, and it was previously reported Cohen paid her in exchange for silence about the relationship.
However, the White House says Trump denies being involved in an extramarital relationship with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.
