Judge on Cohen Raids: Likely There is ‘Criminal Action to Follow’

U.S. District Court Judge S. James Otero said Friday that the FBI’s raid on the home and office of President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, could result in a criminal charges, according to the Los Angeles Times. “It is substantially likely there is going to be criminal action to follow,” Otero said during a hearing in Los Angeles, adding that Cohen’s lawyers were advising him correctly to avoid self-incrimination. Otero also said there were “gaping holes” in Cohen’s request for a 90-day stay for the Stormy Daniels lawsuit, and gave him until Wednesday to file a declaration “stating he plans to assert his 5th Amendment rights in the Daniels’ case.” Otero subsequently postponed the ruling for the lawsuit delay. Daniels is suing to free herself from the 2016 nondisclosure agreement regarding her alleged affair with Trump. The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York is investigating Cohen for criminal charges.