8/2/2018

LEGAL/LOBBYING/MICHAEL COHEN/NUCLEAR ENERGY/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A major donor to President Trump agreed to pay $10 million to the president’s then-personal attorney if he successfully helped obtain funding for a nuclear-power project, including a $5 billion loan from the U.S. government, according to people familiar with the matter. The donor, Franklin L. Haney, gave the contract to Trump attorney Michael Cohen in early April to assist his efforts to complete a pair of unfinished nuclear reactors in Alabama, known as the Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant, these people said. Had he been paid the success fee, Mr. Cohen’s deal with Mr. Haney could have been among the most lucrative of the known consulting agreements he secured after Mr. Trump’s election by emphasizing his personal relationship with the president, according to people familiar with his pitches. The president has since severed ties with Mr. Cohen, who is under federal investigation in New York in connection with his work for Mr. Trump and private business dealings. Authorities are investigating whether Mr. Cohen engaged in unregistered lobbying in connection with his consulting work for corporate clients after Mr. Trump went to the White House, according to people familiar with the probe.”

Michael Rothfeld, Rebecca Ballhaus and Joe Palazzolo, “Top Trump Donor Agreed to Pay Michael Cohen $10 Million for Nuclear Project Push,” The Wall Street Journal, August 2, 2018 7:39 pm