Authorities searched the office of Michael Cohen, the personal lawyer of US President Donald Trump. The raid followed a referral from special counsel Robert Mueller, Cohen's lawyer said. Trump labeled it a "disgrace."
Image: Reuters/J. Ernst
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Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted a raid at the offices of President Donald Trump's longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen (pictured) on Monday.
The raid responded at least partly to a referral by Robert Mueller, the special counsel in charge of investigating allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the US presidential election, Cohen's lawyer Stephen Ryan said.
Speaking with reporters, Trump strongly condemned the raid and said that the Mueller investigation was "an attack on our country."
The US president has offered praise and dished out criticism of Germany. Whether describing the chancellor as "the greatest" or claiming Berlin owes "vast sums of money" to the US, here are his most memorable quotes.
Image: picture-alliance/NurPhoto/C. May
The good, the bad and the ugly
US President Donald Trump has offered both candid praise and unabashed criticism of Germany and its policies. From calling German Chancellor Angela Merkel "possibly the greatest world leader" to describing her open-door refugee policy as a "catastrophic mistake," here are his most memorable quotes regarding Germany.
Image: picture-alliance/NurPhoto/C. May
'Greatest'
"Germany's like sitting back silent, collecting money and making a fortune with probably the greatest leader in the world today, Merkel," Trump said in a 2015 interview with US news magazine Time.
Image: Picture alliance/AP Photo/M. Schreiber
'Very bad'
"The Germans are bad, very bad ... Look at the millions of cars they sell in the US. Terrible. We'll stop that," Trump said during a NATO leaders summit, according to German news magazine Der Spiegel, which cited sources at the alliance's meeting.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AP/E. Vucci
'Something in common'
"As far as wiretapping, I guess, by - you know - [the Obama] administration, at least we have something in common, perhaps," Trump said in March during a press conference with Merkel. He was referring to his unproven allegations that ex-President Barack Obama tapped his phone. There was widespread anger in Germany in 2013 when it was revealed the US National Security Agency tapped Merkel's phone.
Image: Picture alliance/R. Sachs/CNP
'Illegals'
"I think she made one very catastrophic mistake and that was taking all of these illegals (sic), you know taking all of the people from wherever they come from," Trump said in a joint interview published by German daily Bild and British newspaper The Times, referring to Merkel's open-door policy for refugees fleeing war and persecution.
Image: Getty Images/S. Gallup
'Germany owes vast sums of money'
"Despite what you have heard from the fake news, I had a great meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Nevertheless, Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO and the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defense it provides to Germany," Trump said in a two-tweet statement after meeting with Merkel for the first time in March 2017.
Image: Picture alliance/dpa/L. Mirgeler
'Turning their backs'
"The people of Germany are turning against their leadership as migration is rocking the already tenuous Berlin coalition," Trump tweeted in the midst of a row within the German goverment. He went on to claim that: "Crime in Germany is way up. Big mistake made all over Europe in allowing millions of people in who have so strongly and violently changed their culture!"
Image: AFP/Getty Images/L. Marin
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Although the referral reportedly came from Robert Mueller's offices, The New York Times (NYT) reported that the raid did not appear to be directly related to Mueller's Russia probe. The referral likely resulted from information Mueller uncovered and handed over to prosecutors.
Stephen Ryan, Michael Cohen's lawyer, confirmed the raid and said that certain "privileged communications" between Cohen and his clients had been seized. An unnamed source told the NYT that the FBI obtained emails, tax documents and business records from the search.
Ryan issued a statement saying that his client had already cooperated with authorities in turning over thousands of documents to congressional investigators, who are also looking into Moscow's alleged attempts to influence the US election.
Cohen's lawyer denounced the FBI raid, saying that the use of search warrants in an investigation was "completely inappropriate and unnecessary." Neither Michael Cohen nor Robert Mueller has commented on the FBI raid.
'An attack' on the US
The move drew the ire of President Donald Trump, who said it was a "disgrace" that federal agents "broke into" the office of his personal attorney.
Trump also spoke again about Robert Mueller's Russia probe, calling the investigation a "witch hunt" and "an attack on our country." The president told reporters that "many people" have advised him to fire the special counsel and that "no collusion whatsoever" with Russia has been found.
