CNN legal analyst explains why Mueller farmed out the Cohen case -- and how it could circle back to Trump

On Tuesday, as President Donald Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen waited to reach a plea deal with federal prosecutors, political analysts wondered what information Cohen has that might be of interest to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team.

Although it's not yet clear if Cohen will be testifying against any Trump associates, it's likely that Cohen, as Trump's longtime fixer, has information that no one else has.

"This is a guy that knows things nobody else does, " said CNN political analyst Rachael Bade. "Of course they're going to want to try to get information from him."

CNN legal analyst Laura Coates then explained why Special Counsel Robert Mueller referred Cohen's case to the southern district of New York instead of handing it himself.

She pointed out that Mueller likely does not want to appear like he's overreaching. But that doesn't mean that any information gleaned from Cohen can't be used in the Russia probe. She likened his position to a law enforcement official told to investigate a homicide, who during the course of the investigation enters a house and encounters a pile of cocaine.

"The Michael Cohen case is the cocaine on the coffee table and he farmed that out," she said.