The innocent explanation for those Cohen payments is still pretty sketchy

No Images? Click here         What Did AT&T And Novartis Get For The Money They Paid Trump’s Lawyer? The world’s largest telecommunications company, an investment firm tied to a Russian oligarch, a pharmaceutical conglomerate and an aircraft manufacturer competing for a government contract all sent money to President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer through the same shell company he used to pay off a porn star who says she had sex with the reality television star turned commander-in-chief. That raises a few questions. But even the most innocent explanation for the transactions — that companies were paying Trump lawyer Michael Cohen in an attempt to buy access to or influence the president — represents a form of corruption. We also know that the special counsel team headed up by Robert Mueller has known about all of this for awhile. Novartis told The Wall Street Journal that Mueller’s office contacted the company about six months ago, in November 2017. Cohen’s attorney Stephen Ryan did not respond to HuffPost’s inquiry about the payments, but told The Atlantic only that the money Essential Consultants LLC received from Columbus Nova was “not a payment.” But Tuesday night’s revelations still leave us with more questions than answers. Here are a few of the big ones. FOUR BIG QUESTIONS WE STILL HAVE     WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING? Trump's pick for CIA director won't say torture program was morally wrong. Gina Haspel pledged not to revive the spy agency’s interrogation operation — but she wouldn’t condemn it. READ MORE Senators are forcing a vote that may ultimately reverse the FCC's previous decision on net neutrality. But if the effort makes it through the chamber, tougher battles await. READ MORE How the refugee caravan became a scapegoat for Trump's border crackdown. “There’s no hoard of invading people using fraud to game the asylum system.” READ MORE         ICYMI Don Blankenship's defeat is a relief to the families of Upper Big Branch miners. “For the first time in 8 years I feel like dancing.”   Here's why more than 90 percent of gun owners don't join the NRA. “It is unwise to assume that all gun owners are Republicans.”   Here's what waterboarding is really like, according to people who suffered through it. “You’ve got water in your lungs, your brain is on fire, your nasal cavity is on fire, your throat is completely swollen up,” a former Army interrogator said.       Want more?  Eric Schneiderman And The Particular Horror Of Strangling Women   Democratic Women Were Big Winners In Tuesday’s Primaries   Mitch McConnell Mocks Blankenship On Twitter With A Big Cloud Of Cocaine   HuffPost is now a part of Oath and a part of Verizon. On May 25th 2018 we will be introducing a new Oath Privacy Policy which will explain how your data is used and shared. Learn More. How will Trump’s administration impact you? Sign up for our email and find out. Did a friend send you this? Subscribe here. Like what you see? Share it. Want more? Here are two other newsletters you'll love: The Morning Email and Must Reads. ©2017 HuffPost | 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 You are receiving this email because you signed up for updates from HuffPost Feedback | Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe   - - Preferences  |  Unsubscribe