President Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen said he will be asserting his Fifth Amendment rights in his legal battle with porn star Stormy Daniels.
Cohen said in a Wednesday court filing that he will assert his constitutional right against self-incrimination “in connection with all proceedings” of the civil case with Stormy Daniels due to “the ongoing criminal investigation by the FBI and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.”
On April 9, the FBI raided his home, office, and hotel room, following a referral by special counsel Robert Mueller to federal prosecutors. During the search, officials seized information pertaining to his $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels, the porn star with whom Cohen signed a nondisclosure agreement for her silence about her alleged affair with President Trump. Cohen serves as Trump’s personal lawyer.
Cohen has admitted to facilitating the payment to Daniels but has rejected claims she had an affair with Trump. In response to that denial, Daniels slapped a defamation lawsuit against Cohen.
Earlier this month, Cohen called reports that he will be using his Fifth Amendment rights in this case “inaccurate” and said that he had not made a decision yet.
