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As it happenedended

Mueller investigation - live: Michael Cohen gave information about Russian attempts to reach Trump campaign dating back to 2015

Robert Mueller says Cohen has cooperated with his investigation and so does not ask for any extra jail time

Clark Mindock
New York
,Chris Riotta
Friday 07 December 2018 19:11 EST
Comments
Head of Special Counsel investigation Robert Mueller
Head of Special Counsel investigation Robert Mueller (Getty)

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Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have asked a judge to sentence former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to a “substantial term of imprisonment” for paying an adult film star hush money on the president's behalf and evading taxes.

Earlier in the day Mr Trump has attacked Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe, although Mr Mueller and his team asked for no extra prison time for Cohen for lying to federal investigators, citing Cohen's cooperation with his investigation.

New court documents are also expected flesh out the case against Mr Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort.

Mr Mueller’s team has accused Manafort of breaching a plea bargain agreement by lying to prosecutors – something Manafort has denied – and he has submitted information on those alleged lies.

Elsewhere, the former head of the FBI James Comey – a frequent target for attacks from Mr Trump – took part in a behind-closed-doors hearing with two congressional committees on decisions made by the Justice Department during the 2016 presidential election.

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And on Wall Street, stocks have dropped sharply on Friday, concluding what has been a wild week. 

A weaker-than-expected US jobs report and China-US trade tensions sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 558.72 points to 24,388.95.

Chris Stevenson7 December 2018 21:11

And we have another tweet from the president.

He has called on the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for a vote on criminal justice reform.

It is unclear what proposals Mr Trump would back, but it comes after the president gave remarks in Kansas at a safer neighbourhoods conference where he again railed against illegal immigration and called for funding for a wall on the US-Mexico border.

 

Chris Stevenson7 December 2018 21:24

James Comey should be finishing up his testimony to the House soon if he hasn't already.

We are still waiting for the filings from Mr Mueller's team.

Remember, a judge has imposed a deadline of 5pm ET for the sentencing memo about Michael Cohen.

We then also have the filing relating to Paul Manafort, where the special counsel has to lay out what lies investigators are accusing Manafort of. He has denied being untruthful.

Chris Stevenson7 December 2018 21:34

James Comey is now speaking to reporters - he says he "Talked a whole lot" about Hillary Clinton's emails.

Chris Stevenson7 December 2018 21:46

"The presidents attacks on the Justice Department and the FBI are deeply troubling," he says. Mr Comey calls on politicians to keep speaking out when they happen.

Chris Stevenson7 December 2018 21:47

Comey is set to return to Congress on 17 December.

Chris Stevenson7 December 2018 21:49

And now we have ONE sentencing memo on Michael Cohen.

The headline: Prosecutors call for "substantial prison time" despite his co-operation with the Mueller probe.

Chris Stevenson7 December 2018 21:50

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have asked a judge to sentence Michael Cohen a "substantial term of imprisonment" for paying an adult film star hush money on Mr Trump's behalf and evading taxes.

Cohen, who has been cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into possible collusion between Russia and Trump's 2016 election campaign, pleaded guilty to the charges in August.

Mr Mueller is expected later on Friday to make a separate sentencing recommendation on a charge that Cohen lied to Congress about discussions over the construction of a proposed Trump Organization skyscraper in Moscow. Cohen pleaded guilty to that charge last week. 

Chris Stevenson7 December 2018 21:52

The guidelines from the southern district of New York - the federal prosecutors - call for a prison term of between 46 and 63 months for Cohen, who has been cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller. 

Cohen pleaded guilty in August to eight charges, including allegations that he violated campaign finance laws and unrelated charges of bank and tax fraud.

Chris Stevenson7 December 2018 21:56

There is quite a bit to unpack in the sentencing memo that was filed by the Southern District of New York and says that Cohen should see a "substantial" sentence.

We're going to unpack it a bit as we read through it, but here's a tl;dr from what it says so far: Cohen helped federal investigators, but his crimes overshadow. Cohen, the document says, acted greedily and misled many people, even though he already led a "priveleged" lifestyle. 

Clark Mindock7 December 2018 22:03

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