Trump's personal lawyer coughs up name of mystery client - Sean Hannity

By Brendan Pierson, Karen Freifeld and Jonathan Stempel

 

U.S. President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen arrives at federal court in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., April 16, 2018. REUTERS/Mike Segar

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - As adult-film actress Stormy Daniels looked on, a federal judge ordered U.S. President Donald Trump's longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen to cough up the name of a client he had hoped to keep secret at a Monday court hearing: Fox News personality Sean Hannity, an outspoken champion of the president.

 

Hannity said on Monday that he had never paid for Cohen's services or been represented by him, but had sought confidential legal advice from him.

 

Cohen, Trump's fiercely loyal and pugnacious lawyer, was in Manhattan federal court to ask the judge to limit the ability of federal prosecutors to review documents seized from his offices and home last week as part of a criminal investigation.

 

The investigation has frustrated the White House as it has spread to enfold some of Trump's closest confidantes.

 

The unexpected naming of Hannity made him only the latest outsized media personality to be drawn into the investigation's cast of unlikely supporting characters. Another, the stripper and actress Daniels, sat in the back of the gallery's public courtroom as part of her efforts to keep attention on her story, relating to what she says is a past affair with Trump.

 

Daniels is engaged in a separate civil legal fight over $130,000 she received in a 2016 agreement arranged by Cohen to stop her from discussing a sexual encounter she says she had with Trump a decade earlier.

 

Photographers knocked over barricades outside the courthouse as they scrambled to get pictures of Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, arriving dressed in a lavender suit. Inside, she quietly took a seat in the public gallery with her lawyer.

 

Cohen has argued that some of the documents and data seized from him under a warrant are protected by attorney-client privilege or otherwise unconnected to the investigation. But Judge Kimba Wood rejected his efforts to mask the identity of Hannity, a client Cohen had said wanted to avoid publicity.

 

"I understand if he doesn't want his name out there, but that's not enough under the law," Wood said, before ordering a lawyer for Cohen to disclose the name.

 

Hannity is a conservative television host known for passionately advocating for Trump on his Fox News <FOXA.O> show, and sometimes receiving public praise from Trump in return.

 

After his identity was revealed, Hannity said on his radio show said he had never received an invoice from Cohen, nor had Cohen ever represented him in a legal matter.

 

"But I have occasionally had brief discussions about legal questions about which I wanted his input and his perspective," Hannity said. He assumed those discussions were covered by attorney-client privilege, he said, and emphasized that they were never about matters involving "any third party."

 

Cohen has asked the court to give his own lawyers the first look at the seized materials so they can identify documents that are protected by attorney-client privilege.

 

Failing that, they want the court to appoint an independent official known as a special master, a role typically filled by a lawyer, to go through the documents and electronic data seized under a warrant and decide what prosecutors can see.

 

Prosecutors have asked that the documents be reviewed for attorney-client privilege by a "filter team" of lawyers within their own office, who would be walled off from the main prosecution team.

 

A lawyer for Trump, Joanna Hendon, asked in a filing on Sunday to be allowed to review documents that in any way relate to the president, which she described as being seized amid a "highly politicized, even fevered, atmosphere."

 

"I'm asking for the president to have the opportunity to protect his sacred privilege," Hendon told the court. "The president has the right, he is entitled to perform the initial review of materials."

 

A person familiar with the raids said last week that the information Federal Bureau of Investigation agents were seeking included information about payments to Daniels.

 

The hearing ended on Monday with no ruling on who gets to filter the seized documents.

 

(Reporting by Brendan Pierson, Karen Freifeld and Jonathan Stempel in New York, Writing by Jonathan Allen, Editing by Susan Thomas and Rosalba O'Brien)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-04-17

At loss for words.

You just can't make this Sh*# up.

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Hannity said on Monday that he had never paid for Cohen's services or been represented by him, but had sought confidential legal advice from him.

 

So Hannity is a non-paying client of Cohen? Boy, that Cohen is one heck of a giving person. Cohen gives away $130K of his own money to Stormy for the settlement and he also freely gives away free legal advice to Hannity.

 

Hannity is a lying sack of crap. There is no way in hell that any lawyer just gives away legal advice without some kind of quid pro quo. Why would Cohen's lawyer state that Hannity is a client but yet Hannity never paid Cohen a dime? Do the Deplorons actually believe this load of bull?

 

Hannity's totally unbiased take on the FBI raid on Cohen's office in which he discloses his association with Cohen .

                             NOT!!

Good thing Trump is draining the swamp

  

Clearly FAKE NEWS!!

 

Drain the swamp (just not this one....)

 

MAGA!!!  5555

2 hours ago, webfact said:

"I'm asking for the president to have the opportunity to protect his sacred privilege," Hendon told the court. "The president has the right, he is entitled to perform the initial review of materials."

and I always thought that a President does not have anything that is "sacred", except his Citizens' Rights and what is prescribed in, and subject to, the Law.

Edited April 17, 20188 yr by KKr

1 hour ago, sirineou said:

Hannity's totally unbiased take on the FBI raid on Cohen's office in which he discloses his association with Cohen .

                             NOT!!

Good thing Trump is draining the swamp

listen to the Donald, talking about a two tier system of Law where Mueller is out of control while working within the Law..
Sounds like he alludes to the Donald being above the Law instead of subject to.

Man oh man, I would want to laugh but started crying instead, soooo sad

3 hours ago, webfact said:

"But I have occasionally had brief discussions about legal questions about which I wanted his input and his perspective," Hannity said. He assumed those discussions were covered by attorney-client privilege, he said, and emphasized that they were never about matters involving "any third party."

"legal questions not involving a third party" means that Hannity had legal issues with himself?

1 hour ago, Silurian said:

 

So Hannity is a non-paying client of Cohen? Boy, that Cohen is one heck of a giving person. Cohen gives away $130K of his own money to Stormy for the settlement and he also freely gives away free legal advice to Hannity.

 

Hannity is a lying sack of crap. There is no way in hell that any lawyer just gives away legal advice without some kind of quid pro quo. Why would Cohen's lawyer state that Hannity is a client but yet Hannity never paid Cohen a dime? Do the Deplorons actually believe this load of bull?

 

Of course hannity is all those things.

DT has to be surrounded by like minded and principled individuals.

Pointless for a clearly corrupt and flawed individual to surround himself wuth decent people.

It worked for stalin, and works for putin.

Don is learning fast

Tell you what, the left knows no bounds when it comes to double standards & hypocrisy. 

 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Judge Kimba Wood

 

Says it all. Politicization of the legal system continues. 

It makes perfect sense that the head of Trumps propaganda team is a customer of Trumps legal team. Hanity needs advice on walking the fine line between an "opinion " show presented as an actual news show.

 

8 minutes ago, UncleTouchyFingers said:

Facts matter.

Funniest statement of the year coming from a Trump supporter.

21 minutes ago, UncleTouchyFingers said:

Fun fact:

 

Judge Kimba Wood officiated George Soros’s wedding in 2013. 

Another deep state conspiracy theorist heard from.... 

19 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

You could go on Hanity's show, he pays good money for deflection like that. 

No kidding.  And I'm wondering if the poster might share with us why he suggested that there was "politicization" of the judicial system simply because of the Judge's name.  The answer to that seems obvious to me but I thought I'd give the poster a chance to explain that one before commenting further.

 

And, of course, because it likely doesn't fit the obvious agenda, the poster fails to mention that Judge Kimba Wood was nominated to the federal bench by Ronald Reagan (and was unanimously confirmed by the Senate). 

 

Back on topic, while I personally think the whole issue of the alleged representation means nothing (and has no basis for real news), it is interesting to note that Hannity essentially claims he's not a client of Cohen whereas Cohen's current lawyer told Judge Wood otherwise.  One would think they would have gotten their stories a bit straighter before embarrassing each other.  

Edited April 17, 20188 yr by CMBob

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Hannity said on Monday that he had never paid for Cohen's services or been represented by him, but had sought confidential legal advice from him.......................

 

After his identity was revealed, Hannity said on his radio show said he had never received an invoice from Cohen, nor had Cohen ever represented him in a legal matter.

 

"But I have occasionally had brief discussions about legal questions about which I wanted his input and his perspective," Hannity said. He assumed those discussions were covered by attorney-client privilege, he said,

Well Mr Hannity you should have sought legal advice about that then because if you never paid for services, and never received an invoice, you were never a "client" and therefore were never protected by Attorney-Client privilege. Unless payment was in a different method like the unswerving coverage of Trump that you give no matter what the situation.

 

Mayday, mayday, mayday, Robinsons has run out of popcorn how will I last till delivery time tomorrow!!

37 minutes ago, UncleTouchyFingers said:

Kimba Wood is a Clinton confidant and was chosen by Hillary for AG.

I think you will find it was Bill in 1993, a different administration.

Hanity would be proud, misquoting irrelevant facts from 20 years ago. 

Edited April 17, 20188 yr by Peterw42

8 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

I think you will find it was Bill in 1993, a different administration.

Hanity would be proud, misquoting irrelevant facts from 20 years ago. 

 Bill... Hillary... Whatever.

24 minutes ago, kamahele said:

Another deep state conspiracy theorist heard from.... 

 

But is it true?

1 hour ago, klauskunkel said:

"legal questions not involving a third party" means that Hannity had legal issues with himself?

Clearly Hannity is involved in the Trump Russia election conspiracy! Add him to the list of people Mueller will send to prison!

3 minutes ago, BuriramSam said:

 

But is it true?

The clutching at straws here is embarrassing.

 

1 minute ago, BuriramSam said:

Clearly Hannity is involved in the Trump Russia election conspiracy! Add him to the list of people Mueller will send to prison!

Nobody has said that. However if Cohen recorded Hannity asking for legal advice on any "illegal" activity he may have been involved in, say for example tax,  you can be absolutely sure that the State AG will come down on Hannity like a ton of bricks.

 

Off out to see if Tesco's have popcorn.

1 hour ago, Expatthailover said:

Of course hannity is all those things.

DT has to be surrounded by like minded and principled individuals.

Pointless for a clearly corrupt and flawed individual to surround himself wuth decent people.

It worked for stalin, and works for putin.

Don is learning fast

To compare Trump to Stalin and Putin is an outrage.

59 minutes ago, UncleTouchyFingers said:

Fun fact:

 

Judge Kimba Wood officiated George Soros’s wedding in 2013. 

The Clintons went to Trumps wedding in 2005. Billy Joel played piano and Tony Bennett sang.

50 minutes ago, UncleTouchyFingers said:

 

Facts matter. Politization of the Justice system matter. Context matters. 

 

Hypocrisy pisses people off, bud. 

Yes you bait well. Of course it matters not that ALL judges at this level are political appointees of one party or the other. In the view if some you can only get an unbiased trial if the judge is the same persuation as you.

3 hours ago, Silurian said:

 

So Hannity is a non-paying client of Cohen? Boy, that Cohen is one heck of a giving person. Cohen gives away $130K of his own money to Stormy for the settlement and he also freely gives away free legal advice to Hannity.

 

Hannity is a lying sack of crap. There is no way in hell that any lawyer just gives away legal advice without some kind of quid pro quo. Why would Cohen's lawyer state that Hannity is a client but yet Hannity never paid Cohen a dime? Do the Deplorons actually believe this load of bull?

 

 

Further, who believes this lawyer (any lawyer) paid the girl US$130,000 out of his own pocket, didn't tell the clown about it and didn't expect the clown to reimburse him?

 

Do you believe him? 

 

The whole rat pack are way less than ethical and the electorate should wake up to their tricky words and activities, this rat pack should be the first on the clowns' make America great again clear the swamp list!

 

 

 

Can Hannity continue to keep pretending he's objective in his reporting? Probably, and Trump fans will continue to lap up all the anti-American lies he spouts, like kittens lapping up spilt milk.

 

Hannity should be booted from his job - if Murdoch had an iota of decency.

1 hour ago, klauskunkel said:

"legal questions not involving a third party" means that Hannity had legal issues with himself?

He could of had legal questions regarding the content of his show, that wouldn't directly involve a third party would it?

2 minutes ago, nahkit said:

He could of had legal questions regarding the content of his show, that wouldn't directly involve a third party would it?

 

Is that really the point?

 

Whichever scenario do you believe he got legal advice from the is very high profile lawyer free? 

 

 

Cohen reluctantly admits Hannity is a client - thereby opening the possibility for lawyer/client confidentiality between the two.

 

Oh, but wait a kotonpikinminute, ....25 minutes later Hannity says Cohen is not his lawyer, ....thereby nixing kicking lawyer/client privilege.

 

Which is it?  Even the mafia can get their lies lined up.  These guys can't get anything right.

 

Hannity, on his show, will devolve to Trump's level of incessantly bellyaching about himself being the target of a witch hunt, and they will both continue to denigrate US institutions, courts, judges, FBI, etc.   

 

Thanks Trump voters, for enabling these diseased people to infect the USA.

More concerning to me than whether Hannity is covered by privilege is the defence’s demand/request that they, the defense team(s), should be the adjudicators of what collected evidence is privileged and what is not. Not the taint team, and in 45’s lawyers case, not even a special master... yeah, that seems right... investigators collect evidence of my bank robbery then allow me to judge which evidence they should be able to see!!! Cannot make this shizzle up.

Edited April 17, 20188 yr by mikebike
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