Lanny Davis Admits He Lied About Being Source for CNN Trump Tower Story

Michael Cohen’s attorney, Lanny Davis, has admitted to BuzzFeed News that he served as an anonymous source for a bombshell CNN report on the notorious Trump Tower meeting that he himself now disputes. The July report, which claimed Cohen had personally seen Donald Trump Jr. notify then-candidate Donald Trump about a meeting where Russians were offering compromising information on Hillary Clinton, contradicted Trump’s public statements that he was unaware of the meeting. The report appeared to signal a possible breakthrough in special counsel Robert Mueller’s obstruction-of-justice investigation, with Cohen appearing ready to testify. But Davis, who was mentioned in the story only as having “declined to comment,” has now subjected the report to new scrutiny. After insisting in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper last week that he was not a source for the reporting, he admitted to BuzzFeed News on Monday that he had in fact been an anonymous source and had lied about his role in the reporting, according to the news outlet. “I’m glad to take ownership of the mistake. Now I’m taking the heat, and it’s justified,” he was quoted as saying. Davis reportedly told the news outlet he regrets his role as a source in the story as well as his later denials of any involvement. But he insisted he did not lie to Cooper and instead “unintentionally misspoke.” A CNN spokesperson told BuzzFeed the news outlet stands by the original reporting.