Cohen has given 'critical information' to Mueller team, attorney says

Sept. 21 (UPI) -- Michael Cohen, the president's longtime former personal attorney, has provided "critical information" to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, his attorney said.

Lanny Davis, Cohen's attorney, said Thursday his client has cooperated with the Mueller investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Mueller's team is also working to learn if there was any collusion between Moscow and President Donald Trump's campaign.

Davis said Cohen, who pleaded guilty to eight criminal counts last month -- including tax evasion, excessive campaign contribution and making false statements to a bank -- cooperated without an agreement for sentence leniency.

"Good for [Cohen] in providing critical information to the Mueller investigation without a cooperation agreement," he wrote in a tweet. "No one should question his honesty, veracity or loyalty to his family and country over [Trump]."

Cohen has participated over the last month in multiple sessions that lasted for hours with investigators from Mueller's office, ABC News reported.

The questioning has focused on potential collusion, sources told ABC News.

While pleading guilty to the charges last month, Cohen said the president had directed him during the 2016 campaign to pay two women to keep silent about extramarital affairs.

Of particular interest to Mueller is Cohen's efforts to complete real estate deal for Trump Tower in Moscow during the campaign, the Wall Street Journal reported. At the time, Russia was trying to interfere in the election on Trump's behalf, U.S. intelligence agencies say.

Cohen told the Journal last year he discussed a prospective real estate deal in Moscow with Trump on three occasions during the campaign.