There were many breaking news at the G20 summit held in Argentina that demoralized U.S. President Donald Trump. Even the trade deal called “New NAFTA” signed at the summit between the U.S., Canada and Mexico was not enough to cheer him. One of the developments that gave Trump a headache was the new confessions that came from one of his former attorneys, Michael Cohen, who was convicted in Robert Mueller’s “Russia Investigation.”
Cohen, who was previously found guilty on eight financial charges within the scope of the Russian Investigation, confessed. The claim that he met with the Russians for a skyscraper project in Russia at the interval including Trump’s presidential campaign period was within the scope of the Russia Investigation. Cohen admitted to telling three lies to Congress with respect to this project. Cohen had said in the Congress sessions that the skyscraper project was cancelled before the presidential campaign. In his new confessions, he says the skyscraper was discussed with the Russians during Trump’s campaign period as well.
Yet, Trump and his attorneys repeated that Cohen is lying to secure a reduced sentence, and that the “Russia Investigation” is a “witch-hunt.” Answering the written list of questions prepared by Mueller and his team, Trump chose not to answer the questions covering the presidential period. His attorneys are advocating that Trump’s transactions as U.S. president, primarily the dismissal of FBI chief James Comey, will not be included within the scope of the investigation. Democrats, as well as some legal experts, consider the dismissal of Comey, who was conducting the “Russia Investigation” prior to Mueller, as the “obstruction of justice.” The obstruction of justice is one of the grounds of dismissal for U.S. presidents.
It seems the “Russia Investigation” that has been ongoing for more than two years is nearing its end. Yet, what Mueller will pull out of his hat remains a mystery. The content of the documents seized in the FBI search in Cohen’s office last April are carefully being kept hidden. There is a significant number who think that Cohen’s confessions are the reason Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the “G20 Summit” was cancelled. The White House claims the cancellation was due to the “new crisis” between Russia and Ukraine. However, according to the statement from Russia, it was the developments in the U.S.’s internal politics that led to the decision to cancel the meeting.
On a different note, it is said the police raids on “Deutsche Bank” offices in Germany and an attorney’s office in Chicago, U.S. on Thursday are connected to the Russia Investigation. According to information leaked to the media, the searches conducted at Deutsche Bank are related to “money laundering” and “tax evasion” claims. However, it was known that Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s bank and credit relations were under Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. It was said that last year, Mueller’s team had requested information from Deutsche Bank on Trump’s financial transactions. Yet, it is common information that Edward Burke, whose Chicago office was searched by FBI agents, was Trump’s attorney until May 2018. Notorious for his cunning in property tax cases, Burke made a name for himself with his smooth escapes from several federal investigations.
Official statements and information leaked to the media lead on that neither raid involves Trump, but the truth will be revealed in time. If this is the end of the road in the “Mueller Investigation,” it means new surprises are in store. Meanwhile in Congress, pro-Trump Republicans are striving to stop the “Russia Investigation,” while Democrats and some Republicans are trying to secure the same investigation. In any case, it appears that the “political chaos” in Washington will become more prevalent in the upcoming days.
