1 00:00:02,066 --> 00:00:03,966 WILLIAM BRANGHAM: FBI agents today raided and seized communications from President Trump's 2 00:00:03,966 --> 00:00:06,666 longtime personal attorney, Michael Cohen. 3 00:00:06,666 --> 00:00:11,666 In a statement, Cohen's lawyer called the seizures "completely inappropriate and unnecessary." 4 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:17,066 He confirmed federal prosecutors had obtained a series of search warrants, upon referrals 5 00:00:17,066 --> 00:00:21,200 from special counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the Russia probe. 6 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:25,633 Multiple news outlets report that agents seized records related to payments Cohen made to 7 00:00:25,633 --> 00:00:28,300 an adult film actress known as Stormy Daniels. 8 00:00:28,300 --> 00:00:31,833 She claims she had an affair with Mr. Trump in 2006. 9 00:00:31,833 --> 00:00:35,266 Eric Tucker covers the Justice Department for the Associated Press, and he has been 10 00:00:35,266 --> 00:00:36,533 on this story. 11 00:00:36,533 --> 00:00:38,633 Eric Tucker, welcome to the "NewsHour." 12 00:00:38,633 --> 00:00:40,733 I wonder if you could tell us, what else do we know about these raids today? 13 00:00:40,733 --> 00:00:44,866 ERIC TUCKER, Associated Press: So, we know they took place at his office in Manhattan, 14 00:00:44,866 --> 00:00:49,833 and we know that they seized records relating to multiple different topics, including, as 15 00:00:51,833 --> 00:00:55,000 you mentioned, records relating to the $130,000 that Michael Cohen has admitted making, the 16 00:00:56,133 --> 00:00:58,300 payment he has admitted to Stormy Daniels. 17 00:00:58,300 --> 00:01:02,200 WILLIAM BRANGHAM: We know -- I'm no lawyer, but the idea of attorney-client privilege 18 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:07,200 is an incredibly sacrosanct part of American law, so what is it that would prompt attorneys 19 00:01:09,500 --> 00:01:12,766 to have been investigated like this, to have these raids conducted? 20 00:01:12,766 --> 00:01:14,766 ERIC TUCKER: That's a great question. 21 00:01:14,766 --> 00:01:18,566 And when you actually look at the Justice Department protocol and manuals, they actually 22 00:01:18,566 --> 00:01:23,566 do lay out a mechanism by which you can seize records from an attorney. 23 00:01:25,666 --> 00:01:30,433 And so what it really does suggest is that this is a process that went through multiple 24 00:01:30,433 --> 00:01:34,433 levels and layers of approval in order to get the action that we saw today. 25 00:01:34,433 --> 00:01:39,400 So, you know, in an ordinary search warrant, obviously, you have to go to a judge and you 26 00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:43,933 lay out probable cause that a crime was committed and that the records that you're going to 27 00:01:43,933 --> 00:01:48,333 be obtaining will bear out evidence of a potential crime. 28 00:01:48,333 --> 00:01:53,300 And so one imagine that the government here must really think they have that sort of evidence. 29 00:01:55,300 --> 00:01:57,333 WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Help me understand something that seems a bit confusing on the surface. 30 00:01:57,333 --> 00:02:02,166 If this was a referral from Robert Mueller's office, yet it's relating to Stormy Daniels 31 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:05,766 and Michael Cohen's interactions with her, how does that work? 32 00:02:05,766 --> 00:02:10,333 As far as we know, Mueller wasn't necessarily looking into the Stormy Daniels issue. 33 00:02:10,333 --> 00:02:11,333 ERIC TUCKER: Right. 34 00:02:11,333 --> 00:02:13,366 That's another great question. 35 00:02:13,366 --> 00:02:17,233 We do know, based on on-the-record statements from a Trump campaign associate named Sam 36 00:02:17,233 --> 00:02:21,900 Nunberg, that among the questions he was asked before the grand jury were questions that 37 00:02:21,900 --> 00:02:24,700 related to the Stormy Daniels payment. 38 00:02:24,700 --> 00:02:28,466 He was around during the campaign and so he says he was asked about that. 39 00:02:28,466 --> 00:02:33,000 And so it does appear that special counsel Mueller is taking his mandate seriously to 40 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:38,000 say, look, I'm responsible for investigating certain elements of President Trump and his 41 00:02:38,733 --> 00:02:41,033 campaign and not others. 42 00:02:41,033 --> 00:02:46,033 And so he is empowered and indeed authorized and encouraged to make referrals to other 43 00:02:47,966 --> 00:02:50,966 entities within the Justice Department when he sees activity that might fall outside of 44 00:02:50,966 --> 00:02:53,066 his mandate. 45 00:02:53,066 --> 00:02:54,666 WILLIAM BRANGHAM: All right, Eric Tucker of the Associated Press, thank you very much. 46 00:02:54,666 --> 00:02:54,800 ERIC TUCKER: Thank you.