The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen took out nearly $775,000 in lines of credit during the 2016 presidential campaign.
According to real estate records cited by the newspaper, Cohen nearly doubled how much he could use on a credit line linked to his apartment in Manhattan. As the Trump income increased during the presidential race in February of 2016, the amount of credit hit $245,000. But then Cohen gained access to an additional $529,000 through a mortgage he co-signed with his wife for a condominium owned by her parents at Trump World Tower in late 2015, according to the Journal.
The journal reported that it is unclear whether or how the money might have been spent. And the paper reported that authorities are looking into whether Cohen committed bank fraud by issuing false statements regarding his assets in his effort to secure loans.
Neither Cohen, his lead attorney nor his wife’s parents responded to requests for comment.
The FBI raided Cohen’s home, office and hotel room last month, reportedly seeking documents related to a $130,000 payment to adult-film star Stormy Daniels shortly before the election.
Cohen has stated in the past that he used his home-equity line of credit to pay Daniels just weeks before the presidential election in exchange for her to stay quiet about an alleged sexual encounter with Trump more than a decade ago.
In an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Wednesday night, Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani said that Cohen was reimbursed for that payment through a $35,000-a-month retainer from Trump. Giuliani also said that Cohen had used the same method to resolve other issues on Trump’s behalf.
Giuliani, the newest member of Trump’s personal legal team, did not specify what those issues were or where the money came from.
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