Michael Cohen Hires New Lawyers as He Heads to Prison

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen hired two new criminal defense lawyers to represent him as he continues cooperating with federal and state investigations into Russia’s election meddling.

Michael Monico and Barry Spevack of Chicago will take over for attorney Guy Petrillo as Cohen focuses on cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, they said in a joint statement Monday.

The new lawyers will also represent Cohen during congressional probes and in talks with New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose office sued Trump’s personal charity for fraud. Another Cohen lawyer, Lanny Davis, will remain on the team.

Cohen pleaded guilty to nine felonies and is due to surrender March 6 to begin serving a three-year prison sentence. Last week, he received a subpoena to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

“We look forward to helping Mr. Cohen fulfill what he has told us is his only mission -- to tell the truth as he knows it and to turn the corner on his past life," the new lawyers said in the statement. Cohen is "taking ownership for his past mistakes by cooperating as best as he can with all governmental authorities in search of the truth," they said.

Cohen claims Trump directed him to break campaign finance laws by paying hush-money to two women and says that he lied to Congress about the duration of talks to build a Trump tower in Moscow during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump has called Cohen a liar and “rat,” and says he’s cooperating to get a lighter sentence.

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Larson in New York at elarson4@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: David Glovin at dglovin@bloomberg.net

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