FBI agents looked for all of the records related to the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape involving President Donald Trump when they raided the New York office and hotel room of Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen, The New York Times reported Wednesday, citing sources.
That tape, which came to light just a month before the 2016 presidential election, revealed Trump and Billy Bush, then host of “Access Hollywood,” talking in lewd terms about women in 2005.
The Times said that a search warrant executed on Cohen’s property on Monday also was seeking evidence about whether he tried to suppress damaging information about Trump during the presidential campaign.
The FBI was acting as part of a probe related to Cohen by federal prosecutors in Manhattan, who were acting on a referral from special counsel Robert Mueller. Mueller is investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election as well as potential collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. Trump has repeatedly denied that he colluded and obstructed justice.
He condemned the raid against Cohen as a “disgrace” and claimed it was a violation of attorney-client privilege.
Exposure of the “Access Hollywood” tape, on which Trump is heard bragging about grabbing women without their consent, caused a sensation and led to speculation that it would doom his candidacy.
“I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab them by the p—-. You can do anything,” Trump told Bush on the tape. As the campaign was headed into the home stretch, Trump recorded a video in which he apologized for making the remarks.
It was already known that FBI agents seized records relating to a $130,000 payment that Cohen made to porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before Election Day 2016.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has said that she was paid that money in exchange for her agreement to remain silent about an affair she had with Trump that began in 2006. The White House has denied such an affair.
FBI agents were also looking for documents in Cohen’s possession related to payments made to another woman who said she had an affair with Trump, Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Stephen Ryan, Cohen’s attorney, told CNBC on Wednesday that he was making no statement on the case.
“Access Hollywood,” which is an entertainment news show, is now known as “Access.” It is aired by NBCUniversal Television, which like CNBC is a division of NBCUniversal.
Bush was fired from his job at NBC’s “TODAY” after the tape with Trump came to light.
Bush told CNBC on Wednesday that he was unaware of the Times story about FBI agents being interested in the tape during their raid of Cohen.
“I have not been contacted” by federal investigators, Bush said.
CNBC has reached out for comment from both NBC Entertainment and “Access.”
