One Friday afternoon in August of 2018, lawyers for President Trump’s longtime fixer, Michael D. Cohen, made a final bid for leniency to federal prosecutors in Manhattan. He was facing charges including that he paid hush money on Mr. Trump’s behalf to an adult film star during the 2016 campaign. Over the next few days, however, Ms. Strauss played a key role in the momentous decision to proceed against Mr. Cohen, a move that infuriated the White House. She will lead politically sensitive investigations into people in Mr. Trump’s orbit in the run-up to a hotly contested election, and her decisions will be scrutinized. Image Audrey Strauss, the new acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Source: New York Times June 21, 2020 22:24 UTC