AT&T confirms part of Avenatti's claim -- says it paid Trump lawyer Michael Cohen for 'insight' into Trump administration

AT&T on Tuesday admitted it paid Essential Consultants LLC, Michael Cohen’s private company, for “insight into understanding” Donald Trump’s administration.

Essential Consultants LLC, founded by Cohen in October 2016, is the same company used to pay adult film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 in a hush payment prior to the election.

The AT&T statement follows a release by Daniel’s lawyer, Michael Avenatti, alleging a $500,000 payment to Cohen from Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg. In that release, Avenatti also flagged other suspicious transactions involving Cohen, including AT&T’s.

Tuesday, CNN reported that special counsel Robert Mueller has questioned Vekselberg about payments to Cohen.