US President Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen exits Federal Court after entering a guilty plea in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., November 29, 2018. Reuters
US President Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen exits Federal Court after entering a guilty plea in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., November 29, 2018. Reuters

Trump’s ex-lawyer pleads guilty to lying over Russia probe to protect president



Michael Cohen, the former lawyer of Donald Trump, made a surprise appearance in a New York court on Thursday and pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about the US president's erstwhile plan to build a skyscraper in Moscow, deepening the legal troubles around the White House incumbent's election inner circle and its possible ties to the Russian government.

Mr Cohen, who appeared around 9a.m. in federal court in Manhattan, admitted that he had played down his links to the Kremlin and made false statements in a written submission last year to the Senate Intelligence Committee about efforts to build a Trump Tower in the Russian capital. He said he did so to protect the president.

Mr Trump reacted on Thursday by saying his former lawyer was a “weak person” who is “lying” to try and get a reduced sentence. The president’s lawyer-spokesman Rudy Giuliani called Mr Cohen a “proven liar”.

The Moscow property deal has been a focus of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible collusion between Mr Trump's 2016 election campaign team and the Russian government. Mr Cohen is a central figure in the probe, having already plead guilty in August to multiple criminal charges including tax evasion, bank fraud and the breaking of election campaign rules.

However, Thursday's guilty plea was the first charge brought by lawyers working on Mr Mueller's inquiry who were in court when the defendant said that his work on the Moscow Trump Tower, never eventually built, had lasted until June 2016, rather than January that year as he told Congress.

That admission places his involvement in the project much further into the presidential election campaign, which culminated in Mr Trump's unexpected defeat of Hillary Clinton in November of that year.

Mr Cohen said that contrary to his original statement of having limited contact with Mr Trump concerning the Moscow tower project, it had in fact been "more extensive".

"I made these misstatements to be consistent with individual 1's political messaging and out of loyalty to individual 1," Mr Cohen said in court of his lies to Congress. He previously identified individual one as Mr Trump.

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Mr Cohen, 52, said he also falsely told Congress he never took any steps towards travelling to Russia, when in reality he had. Although, in the end, he never did go there.

By pleading guilty and cooperating with prosecutors Mr Cohen is likely hoping for less jail time. He is due for sentencing in the first case – brought by federal prosecutors in Manhattan – within two weeks.

Thursday's guilty plea comes at a time of renewed pressure for Mr Trump over the Russia probe. In recent days the president and his lawyers have stepped up their attacks against the Justice Department and Mr Mueller's inquiry.

Earlier this week, Mr Mueller accused Mr Trump's former election campaign manager Paul Manafort of repeatedly lying to investigators, in breach of a plea deal previously struck to try and limit his sentence over criminal charges.

The decision of Mr Manafort to do so has raised speculation that he is continuing to feed information on the probe to Mr Trump's aides in exchange for an eventual pardon from the president.

However Mr Cohen's case is the most notable example of the collapse in relations between Mr Trump and a former acolyte.

Having once said he would “take a bullet” for the president the New York born lawyer stood up in court three months ago and confessed to directing hush-money payments for his idol during the 2016 campaign to conceal sex scandals involving adult actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Ms Daniels was given $130,000 and Ms McDougal was paid $150,000.

Mr Trump has since sought to distance himself from Mr Cohen, despite their long association. The latter testified in August that Mr Trump directed him to commit a crime by arranging the payments to the two women who alleged before the election that they had affairs with him.

Mr Trump in October said that Mr Cohen's testimony was "totally false," downplaying their relationship and describing his former lawyer as "a PR person who did small legal work".

WRESTLING HIGHLIGHTS
TOUR RESULTS AND FIXTURES

 

June 3: NZ Provincial Barbarians 7 Lions 13
June 7: Blues 22 Lions 16
June 10: Crusaders 3 Lions 12
June 13: Highlanders 23 Lions 22
June 17: Maori All Blacks 10 Lions 32
June 20: Chiefs 6 Lions 34
June 24: New Zealand 30 Lions 15
June 27: Hurricanes 31 Lions 31
July 1: New Zealand 21 Lions 24
July 8: New Zealand v Lions

The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

The specs

Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 400hp

Torque: 475Nm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Price: From Dh215,900

On sale: Now

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
%3Cp%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%201.9km%20King%20Salman%20Boulevard%2C%20a%20Parisian%20Champs-Elysees-inspired%20avenue%2C%20is%20scheduled%20for%20completion%20in%202028%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20Royal%20Diriyah%20Opera%20House%20is%20expected%20to%20be%20completed%20in%20four%20years%3Cbr%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%20first%20of%2042%20hotels%2C%20the%20Bab%20Samhan%20hotel%2C%20will%20open%20in%20the%20first%20quarter%20of%202024%3Cbr%3E-%20On%20completion%20in%202030%2C%20the%20Diriyah%20project%20is%20forecast%20to%20accommodate%20more%20than%20100%2C000%20people%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20%2463.2%20billion%20Diriyah%20project%20will%20contribute%20%247.2%20billion%20to%20the%20kingdom%E2%80%99s%20GDP%3Cbr%3E-%20It%20will%20create%20more%20than%20178%2C000%20jobs%20and%20aims%20to%20attract%20more%20than%2050%20million%20visits%20a%20year%3Cbr%3E-%20About%202%2C000%20people%20work%20for%20the%20Diriyah%20Company%2C%20with%20more%20than%2086%20per%20cent%20being%20Saudi%20citizens%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

FIXTURES

Fixtures for Round 15 (all times UAE)

Friday
Inter Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
Saturday
Atalanta v Verona (6pm)
Udinese v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Juventus (11.45pm)
Sunday
Lecce v Genoa (3.30pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (6pm)
SPAL v Brescia (6pm)
Torino v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sampdoria v Parma (9pm)
Bologna v AC Milan (11.45pm)

MATCH INFO

Manchester United v Brighton, Sunday, 6pm UAE

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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