DEMS/LEGAL/MICHAEL COHEN/PHARMA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A key Democratic senator is joining at least one other lawmaker Friday [5-11-18] in requesting that pharmaceutical giant Novartis turn over documents relating to President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state, the top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, has sent a letter to the CEO of Novartis International requesting documents and information about the company’s payments to Cohen, who had a $1.2 million contract with the company during the beginning of the Trump administration…A Novartis spokesperson confirmed to CNN on Friday afternoon that they received the letter and plan to cooperate. Murray joins Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, who sent a separate letter Friday to Cohen regarding the payments from Novartis to his shell company Essential Consultants. Novartis was among several companies revealed this week to have had financial connections to Cohen. A source familiar told CNN earlier this week that Cohen had a one-year $1.2 million contract with the company in exchange for access to the White House on health care policy.”
-Elizabeth Landers, “Democratic senator demands answers from Novartis over Cohen contract,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, May 11, 2018 4:54 pm