Cohen says president knew of Trump Tower meeting with Russians

Donald Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen says the US president knew in advance about an infamous June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower during which Russians offered to provide comprising information about Hillary Clinton, his Democratic rival in the presidential election.

Sources told CNN that Cohen claims he was with Trump when his son, Donald Trump Jr., told him of the offer from a Russian lawyer and that then-candidate Trump approved going ahead with the meeting between his campaign officials and the Russians.

The Trump Tower meeting has been of particular interest to Special Counsel Robert Mueller investigating possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 presidential election.

Cohen does not have evidence to back up his claim but he is willing to make that assertion to Mueller, according to CNN.

Previously Trump has denied having prior knowledge of the meeting.

Trump Jr. had attended the meeting with Nataliya Veselnitskaya, a Russian lawyer and acknowledged Kremlin informant, and other Russians after he was promised damaging information on Clinton. However, he later told the investigators that the meeting provided no useful information and was a waste of time.

Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and senior campaign aide Paul Manafort were also present at the meeting.

The president’s current personal attorney Rudy Giuliani lashed out at Cohen on Thursday night, questioning his credibility and calling him a "pathological liar."

“He’s been lying all week, he’s been lying for years,” Giuliani said of Cohen on CNN.

“The tapes that we have demonstrate any number of very serious lies back a year and a half ago, including his fooling people, hiding tape recordings, telling them they aren’t recorded, lying to their face, breaking faith with them,” Giuliani said. “I don’t see how he has any credibility.”

Cohen is under federal investigation for possible bank and tax fraud as well as possible violation of campaign laws in connection with a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels who has claimed she had a sexual encounter with Trump.

Cohen has not been charged with a crime, but there are fears in the White House that the longtime attorney might “flip” on the president.

Earlier this week, CNN aired audio from a 2016 conversation between Cohen and Trump about another payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who also alleges an affair with Trump.

Cohen had secretly recorded the two-minute conversation two months before the 2016 election. The tape fell into the FBI’s possession during a raid on Cohen’s office earlier this year.