The identity of Michael D. Cohen's mysterious third client was revealed Monday to be the Fox News host Sean Hannity.
The dramatic legal twist came to light as Cohen’s lawyers tried to delay prosecutors from sifting through records that the FBI seized in its surprise raid of his office and hotel earlier this month. The attorneys initially tried to keep Hannity’s name out of the proceedings on the grounds that he would be embarrassed. But that argument didn't convince Judge Kimba Wood.
“I understand he doesn’t want his name out there, but that’s not enough under the law,” said Wood, forcing Cohen’s attorneys to reveal the name of his client. It’s unclear what kinds of legal services Cohen provided Hannity.
The judge also rejected the defense's request to review the seized files before prosecutors.
Hannity, a loyal supporter of President Donald Trump, tried to distance himself from Cohen on his radio show Monday.
“Michael never represented me in any matter,” he said. “But I have occasionally had brief discussions with him about legal questions.” He did not elaborate on the nature of those matters.
Prior to Monday's revelation, Cohen had disclosed that he provided legal services for three clients in the past year.
One of them is Trump, who allegedly had an affair with the adult film actress Stormy Daniels in 2006. Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 to stay quiet about the sexual encounter as part of a non-disclosure agreement that Daniels is currently challenging in court.
Cohen’s other client is Elliot Broidy, a prominent GOP fundraiser who used Cohen to negotiate a $1.6 million payoff for a Playboy model he had impregnated. After news of that affair broke last week, Broidy was forced to resign as deputy finance chair of the Republican National Committee.
Cohen also serves as a deputy finance chair at the RNC, but the political organization is so far not irked by the recent slew of negative press.
“We stand behind Michael Cohen,” the RNC spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany told Cheddar’s J.D. Durkin hours before Cohen's hearing.
“We don’t weigh in to legal matters. He stands with us, he has been a great ally of this president, and he’s still at the RNC,” she said.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-rnc-fires-back-after-james-comey-interview).
Many U.S. consumers say they’ve noticed higher than usual prices for holiday gifts in recent months, according to a a December poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. A contributing factor is the unusually high import taxes the Trump administration put on foreign goods. While the worst-case consumer impact that many economists foresaw from the administration’s trade policies hasn’t materialized, some popular gift items have been affected more than others. Most toys and electronics sold in the U.S. come from China. So do most holiday decorations. Jewelry prices have risen due to the cost of gold.
Serbia’s prosecutor for organized crime has charged a government minister and three others with abuse of position and falsifying of documents related to a luxury real estate project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The charges came on Monday. The investigation centers on a controversy over a a bombed-out military complex in central Belgrade that was a protected cultural heritage zone but that is facing redevelopment as a luxury compound by a company linked to Kushner. The $500 million proposal to build a high-rise hotel, offices and shops at the site has met fierce opposition from experts at home and abroad. Selakovic and others allegedly illegally lifted the protection status for the site by falsifying documentation.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to block states from regulating artificial intelligence. He argues that heavy regulations could stifle the industry, especially given competition from China. Trump says the U.S. needs a unified approach to AI regulation to avoid complications from state-by-state rules. The order directs the administration to draw up a list of problematic regulations for the Attorney General to challenge. States with laws could lose access to broadband funding, according to the text of the order. Some states have already passed AI laws focusing on transparency and limiting data collection.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
House Republicans in key battleground districts are working to contain the political fallout expected when thousands of their constituents face higher bills for health insurance coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act. For a critical sliver of the GOP majority, the impending expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits after Dec. 31 could be a major political liability as they potentially face midterm headwinds in a 2026 election critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda. For Democrats, the party’s strategy for capturing the House majority revolves around pinning higher bills for groceries, health insurance and utilities on Republicans.
