| | | | The unbelievable story of Michael Cohen and Sean Hannity | | We thought the big news to come out of Michael Cohen's hearing on Monday in New York would be porn star Stormy Daniels' presence in the courtroom.
It turned out to be so much more.
We knew Cohen had a handful of clients at the time his law office, home and hotel room were raided by the FBI last week. And we knew the identities of two of them: - President Donald Trump was one. The two men have long been close -- Cohen is a fixer of sorts for Trump.
- Cohen also represented Elliott Broidy in his $1.6 million payoff of a former Playboy model who says the prominent GOP donor got her pregnant.
But until Monday afternoon, we didn't know the identity of Cohen's third client, because the mystery client asked to remain anonymous.
That's when Judge Kimba Wood -- yes, that Kimba Wood -- ruled that attorney-client privilege did not prohibit Cohen from revealing the identity of his third client. (The hearing was designed to consider Cohen's request that prosecutors not be allowed to examine materials seized in last week's raid.)
And the name of the third client is....
SEAN HANNITY!!!
Shortly after Cohen's forced disclosure, Hannity confirmed that "I have sought legal advice from Michael."
So. Many. Questions. (Why did Hannity retain Cohen's services? For how long? Why did he never disclose their connection on air?)
The Point: If I wrote a screenplay in which a lawyer/fixer had only three clients -- the President of the United States, a major GOP donor trying to cover up allegations of impregnating a Playmate and Sean Hannity -- roughly ZERO major or minor studios would buy that script, considering how improbable it all is. And rightly so! Yet here we are.
-- Chris | | "I raised $17,000 from ex-boyfriends."
-Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, in an interview with The New York Times, on fundraising during her first run for Senate | | | President Donald Trump spoke at a tax event in Hialeah, Florida, on Monday. Here are some notable soundbites: - On his Cabinet picks: "Not all of my choices were good, but they [Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Labor Secretary Alex Acosta] were great ones."
- On tax cuts: Democrats, if elected, will "raise your taxes. And we cannot let that happen, because this country is starting to rock with our businesses coming back in. It's starting to really rock."
- On attacks on Syria: "We just had a big successful hit."
- On Hispanics: "Are there are any Hispanics in the room? ... No, I doubt it." Per reporting from CNN's Kevin Liptak, Trump also described his nearby Doral Golf Club as "surrounded by Venezuelans," who he called "great, great people," and insisted his administration was "working very hard on the Venezuelan horror show." Hialeah, just outside Miami, is a Cuban-majority city.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will join the President at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday and stay through Wednesday. The two leaders are expected to discuss the "maximum pressure" campaign on North Korea ahead of Trump's expected meeting with Kim Jong Un this spring. | | | Happy Pulitzer Day! And congrats to all the amazing journalists and outlets who won this year. Here are some from the list of winners: Read the full list of winners here. | | | Never have we had Coachella FOMO more than when we saw Beyonce's performance from the musical festival, during which she brought up her fellow Destiny's Child ladies, her bae, Jay-Z, and her sister Solange. Watch some clips of the epic performance here. #Beychella | | Stormy Daniels appeared at a courthouse in New York on Monday to attend a hearing about evidence obtained in the FBI raid on Michael Cohen's office and hotel room. Speaking outside the court hearing, she said she and her attorney, Michael Avenatti, are committed to "making sure that everyone finds out the truth and the facts of what happened."
"So for years, Mr. (Michael) Cohen has acted like he is above the law. He has considered himself and openly referred to himself as Mr. Trump's fixer, " she told reporters. "He has played by a different set of rules, or should we say no rules at all."
Avenatti added: "(Cohen) is radioactive. Anyone that had any contact with this man in the last 20 years should be very concerned about what secrets of theirs are within these documents."
Read more from CNN's Sophie Tatum here. | | ICYMI: FLOTUS VISITS OPIOIDS MEMORIAL | | First lady Melania Trump on Monday visited the Prescribed to Death opioid memorial. She tweeted "very moving visit today."
From CNN's Cassie Spodak: "It's hard to actually visualize the scope of the opioids epidemic and how many Americans it affects every day. But the new Prescribed to Death Memorial that first lady Melania Trump visited today brings the faces of those affected right to the White House. We talked to Missy Owen. The face of her son, Davis Owen, is one of thousands that have been engraved on tiny white pills representing the number of overdose fatalities in America. The memorial is on display in President's Park until April 18."
Watch CNN's video about the memorial -- by Cassie and CNN's Jeremy Moorhead -- here. | | GET READY: COMEY BOOK MANIA | | CNN's Maegan Vazquez reported Monday: "President Donald Trump on Monday accused fired FBI officials James Comey and Andrew McCabe of committing 'many crimes,' his latest salvo at the bureau in the wake of the former bureau director's media tour to support his upcoming book."
The tweet came the morning after ABC aired an interview with Comey, who is promoting his new book, " A Higher Loyalty," in which he declares the President to be morally unfit to lead the nation.
Speaking of that interview, it won't be the last of Comey's media appearances. His book, which hits shelves on Tuesday, is already guaranteed to be a best-seller based solely on the number of preorders, CNN's Brian Stelter reported last week. That doesn't come as a surprise, because as Brian pointed out in a follow-up story: "Since January, each book at the top of The New York Times best-seller list has had one thing in common: President Trump."
Bookstores in D.C. -- including Kramerbooks and Politics & Prose -- are already gearing up for crowds. Kramerbooks owner Steve Salis told Saba the bookstore has approximately 600 copies available, and will start selling them at midnight ET. Stay tuned for Saba's full story on Comey book mania tomorrow. | | Chris broke down CNN's latest Key House Race ratings, using CNN's Magic Wall. When Paul Ryan announced he wasn't going to run again, his and six other seats tipped slightly in the Democrats' favor. Take a look here.
Thanks for reading. As always, please tell people you know to subscribe to The Point. | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the world's top stories, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media, and more. Our authors for The Point are Chris Cillizza and Saba Hamedy. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris or Saba. Follow on Twitter: Chris and Saba. | | | | | | |
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