Kellyanne Conway meets with Manhattan prosecutors amid Trump probe
Kellyanne Conway, who was former President Donald Trump's senior counselor, met for at least the second time Wednesday with Manhattan prosecutors as they investigate an alleged "hush money" payment made by Trump to an adult film star.
Conway arrived in a black SUV at the back entrance of the prosecutor's office building in downtown Manhattan, and was escorted in by Manhattan district attorney personnel.
She waved and said "how are you doing?" to reporters at the building, but did not otherwise comment.
Her appearance at the office comes amid a flurry of activity in the investigation in recent weeks. Former Trump "fixer" and lawyer Michael Cohen has met with investigators repeatedly, while describing himself as central to a case focused on a $130,000 payment made to Stephanie Clifford, an adult film star who goes by the name Stormy Daniels, in the runup to the 2016 presidential election.
If indicted, Trump—who is running for president against the incumbent who beat him—would be the first former president ever charged with a crime. The probe is focused on Trump's alleged role in a scheme to cover up the payment to Daniels.
Cohen has said he made the payment on Trump's behalf, to secure Daniels' silence about an alleged affair. He pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion and campaign finance charges in 2018 related to the payments to Daniels.
Cohen wrote in his 2020 memoir "Disloyal," that on Oct. 27, 2016, he unsuccessfully attempted to call Trump to confirm that he had made the payment to Daniels. Conway, he said, called back and "said she'd pass along the good news."
On Monday, Trump's former director of strategic communications, Hope Hicks, was also reportedly escorted in the D.A.'s office building through the back entrance.
In Cohen's book, he describes Hicks consulting Trump's schedule in October 2016 after Cohen asked for "five minutes" with Trump — a short conversation in which he says he first began talking to Trump about the payoff. Hicks has not commented publicly about the meeting.
A spokesperson for Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg declined to comment Wednesday.
Bragg's office secured in December the conviction of two Trump Organization companies, and a combined $1.6 million penalty, on 17 criminal counts related to tax fraud. In August, former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg entered a guilty plea in the case. He is currently incarcerated in New York City's Rikers Island jail as part of a five month sentence.
Trump has repeatedly called Bragg, Manhattan's first Black district attorney, "racist" and accused him of pursuing the investigation out of political bias.
Conway's and Hicks' meetings with the Manhattan D.A. come as Trump is facing intense legal scrutiny. A special grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, completed its seven-month inquiry into Trump's activities following the 2020 election, delivering to the district attorney there in January a lengthy report, the majority of which remains under wraps.
In Washington, D.C., a special counsel is reviewing Trump's handling of sensitive government documents found at his Mar-a-Lago home and possible obstruction of efforts to retrieve them. It is also investigating efforts to interfere with the lawful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election or the certification of the Electoral College vote held at the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Trump has not been charged and has denied wrongdoing in connection with each of the investigations.
Graham KatesGraham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at KatesG@cbsnews.com or grahamkates@protonmail.com
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