New York tax investigators to meet with Cohen's attorney, at odds with federal prosecutors' request

Source: CNN

New York state tax department investigators are scheduled to meet Tuesday with an attorney for President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, as part of a state probe regarding Cohen and the Trump Organization that comes as federal prosecutors have asked state and local prosecutors' offices to avoid taking steps that could interfere with their federal case, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The move puts state investigators at odds with the senior leadership of the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, which in the weeks since it charged Cohen with eight criminal counts has requested that other offices with related inquiries hold off on proceeding with certain investigative actions that might derail their efforts.

"This is clear interference with an ongoing criminal investigation," a law-enforcement official involved in the matter said.

Further complicating the situation is that state tax officials, who are examining potential tax fraud by the Trump Organization, have sought to include local prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney's office in any meeting with Cohen and his attorney, the sources said. A spokesman for the New York tax department declined to comment.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/11/politics/new-york-tax-investigators-michael-cohen/index.html