The New York Times has revealed that Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's personal attorney, will plead the Fifth if he is called upon as a witness in the lawsuit brought forth by Stormy Daniels. "Based on the advice of counsel, I will assert my 5th amendment rights in connection with all proceeding in this case due to the ongoing criminal investigation by the FBI and U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York," Cohen admitted in a court document obtained by The Hill.
Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti responded to Cohen's confession on Twitter, which he deems to be a "stunning development" in this ongoing legal saga.
Furthermore, during an interview on CNN's Erin Burnett Outfront, Avenatti believes that Cohen pleading the Fifth will inevitably benefit Daniels. "The fact finder—whether it be a jury or a judge—can find what is called a negative inference and what that means is that you can presume that if the witness answered the question instead of invoking his Fifth Amendment right that the answer would incriminate him that it would not be positive for him or her and that's a very serious matter," Avenatti reveals.
In addition, Cohen is currently being investigated for charges including bank and wire fraud, as well as campaign finance violations.