Special counsel Robert Mueller likely has the missing financial records detailing payments made to former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, an Obama-era official suggested Thursday.
“From time to time, there is a perfectly legitimate law enforcement reason not to have these reports in the database,” former Drug Enforcement Administration head Chuck Rosenberg told MSNBC’s Katy Tur. He was referring to a trove of missing documents from a suspicious activity’s report on Cohen.
“If we already have an investigation … I don’t need a suspicious activity report. I have all of the underlying records,” Rosenberg said of Mueller’s investigation. “Mueller has them,” he added, referring to the two missing records.
WATCH:
Rosenberg’s remarks come after reports from The New Yorker’s Ronan Farrow that a leak of Cohen’s financial documents Wednesday was intended to flush out several records appeared missing. (RELATED: Report: FBI Raids Office Of Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen)
The payments revealed the Media leaks came from an SAR from First Republic Bank, but the report also mentioned the bank compiled two additional reports not included in the released files. The apparently missing reports would explain some $3 million in additional payments. (RELATED: Mueller’s Team Questioned Swiss Drug Company Over Payments To Trump Lawyer)
What was truly concerning was the fact the two additional reports were simply missing from the database, the law enforcement official who leaked the report told Farrow. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN) is maintained by the Treasury Department, and records generally don’t just disappear, according to the official.
Federal agents raided Cohen’s offices on April 9 and seized records related to various topics — including payments made just before the 2016 presidential election to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. He paid $130,000 to Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.
Daniels had a one-night stand with President Donald Trump in 2006, she alleges. Cohen is under investigation for possible bank fraud and campaign finance violations, The Washington Post reported in April.
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