Cohen and his attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
At the time of the payments, there was an active FBI counterintelligence investigation — which special counsel Robert Mueller took over last May — into Russian election interference and any possible coordination with Trump associates.
Vekselberg was targeted for U.S. sanctions by the Trump administration last month. He built his fortune, currently estimated by Forbes at $14.6 billion, by investing in the aluminum and oil industries. More recently, he has expanded his assets to include industrial equipment and high technology.
Offering confirmation for at least one of the payments, AT&T said in a statement that Essential Consultants was one of several firms it “engaged in early 2017 to provide insights into understanding the new administration.”
“They did no legal or lobbying work for us, and the contract ended in December 2017,” the company said.
Such a confidential relationship would not violate federal lobbying laws if Cohen did not seek to influence Trump on the companies’ behalf. But hiring the president’s personal attorney for advice on how to woo Trump would be highly unusual, especially given that Cohen was never formally involved in the campaign or Trump’s administration.
Making the arrangement even stranger, the blue-chip companies’ payments to Cohen were routed to Essential Consultants LLC — the same company Cohen used to buy Stormy Daniels’ silence about her alleged affair with the President.
Novartis and Korea Aerospace did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Article Appeared @https://www.mprnews.org/story/2018/05/08/porn-star-lawyer-says-russian-paid-trump-attorney-cohen