The FBI raid on the offices of President Trump's personal lawyer was "striking in its breadth," sources say, with investigators demanding records including those relating to Trump's infamous Access Hollywood recording, in which he boasts about grabbing women. The New York Times, citing "three people briefed on the matter," reports that investigators were seeking emails and other documents that could prove Michael Cohen violated campaign finance laws by coordinating with the Trump campaign ahead of the 2016 election to quash damaging information. Investigators are believed to have seized documents relating to payments made to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, who both claim to have had extramarital affairs with Trump.
The Times' sources say Trump is so angry about the Cohen raid that he now firmly believes the Robert Mueller investigation is a conspiracy to destroy his presidency and has decided against sitting for an interview with the special counsel. In an interview with CNN, Cohen said the raid was "upsetting to say the least," though he contradicted Trump's claim that investigators "broke into" his office. "I am unhappy to have my personal residence and office raided," said Cohen, who admitted he was worried. "But I will tell you that members of the FBI that conducted the search and seizure were all extremely professional, courteous, and respectful. And I thanked them at the conclusion." (Trump slammed Mueller and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in tweets Wednesday.)