Former Trump lawyer Cohen says assisting with more probes

(Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen has received requests for information from at least six government entities since late February, according to a letter from Cohen’s attorney to Democratic lawmakers, a sign of ongoing interest in evidence Cohen may have on his former boss.

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The letter was sent by Lanny Davis on Thursday to the Democratic heads of four congressional committees asking that they attest in writing to his cooperation so far and the need to make him available to continue assisting with their probes.

Davis said he hoped federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York would take that into consideration and file a motion to have his sentence reduced and postpone the start of his prison term so he can readily assist investigators.

Cohen, who is due to start a three-year prison term on May 6, is still going through a recently accessed hard drive with more than 14 million files, including e-mails, voice recordings and attachments from his computers and phones, Davis said.

“It is our hope that the authorities in the Southern District of New York will consider this total picture of cooperation … and the particular facts involved here to grant Mr. Cohen a reduced term,” Davis wrote.

Cohen was one of Trump’s closest aides and once said he would “take a bullet” for him. But he turned against Trump last year and is cooperating with prosecutors after pleading guilty to tax evasion, bank fraud and campaign finance violations.

Cohen testified before a handful of congressional committees in late February including a dramatic televised hearing in front of the House Oversight Committee in which he denounced the president as a “conman” and a “cheat” and accused Trump of breaking the law while in office.

“There is no doubt that Mr. Cohen’s testimony, both public and private, has contributed substantially, with documents and other evidence, to triggering additional areas for investigation by law enforcement authorities and the Congress,” Davis wrote.

Davis did not identify the six government entities.

(Reporting by Nathan Layne in New York; Editing by Daniel Wallis)