Maggie Habermaan, Matt Apuzzo, and Michael Schmidt are three of the best reporters at the New York Times. This afternoon they report a story peddled by “three people who have been briefed on the contents of a federal search warrant.” I therefore take it that the story is derived from no one with first-hand knowledge. Indeed, it sounds like it comes from three people trying to discredit the Mueller project in stereo:
The F.B.I. agents who raided the office and hotel of President Trump’s lawyer on Monday were seeking all records related to the “Access Hollywood” tape in which Mr. Trump was heard making vulgar comments about women, according to three people who have been briefed on the contents of a federal search warrant.
The search warrant also sought evidence of whether the lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, tried to suppress damaging information about Mr. Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.
It is not clear what role, if any, Mr. Cohen played regarding the tape, which was made public a month before the election. But the fact that the agents were seeking documents related to the tape reveals a new front in the investigation into Mr. Cohen that is being led by the United States attorney’s office in Manhattan.
In the genre of “as told to” journalism on which the Times has been running in the Trump era, this reads like parody.
