Donald Trump’s longtime personal lawyer convinced major corporations to pay into his shell company by promising access to the president, according to one firm that doled out the cash. But this week, it was revealed that the financiers for Cohen’s company included major corporations, including Korea Aerospace Industries, the pharmaceutical company Novartis and AT&T. Novartis paid $1.2 million for “healthcare policy matters.” KAI said it needed help on U.S. accounting standards, and Columbus Nova said it paid a “consulting fee” that had nothing to do with Vekselberg. AT&T, in a memo to staff Wednesday, explained that it needed to “understand” how the Trump administration would approach issues like tax reform and antitrust regulations. CORRECTION: An earlier version of the story misstated the name of Cohen’s shell company Essential Consultants LLC.

Source: Huffington Post May 09, 2018 18:31 UTC