Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Novartis Paid $1.2M To Trump's Lawyer In Effort To Get Foot Into President's Inner Circle
The Hill: Cohen Promised Novartis Access To Trump: Report
President Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen promised the pharmaceutical company Novartis that it could have access to Trump and his inner circle if they signed a contract with Cohen, a Novartis employee told Stat on Wednesday. The employee told Stat that Cohen contacted then-CEO Joe Jimenez last year, promising that he could get Novartis access to both Trump and top administration officials. Jimenez then reportedly ordered company officials to make a deal with Cohen. (Thomsen, 5/9)
The New York Times: How Michael Cohen, Denied Job In White House, Was Seen As Its Gatekeeper
On Wednesday, additional details emerged. Novartis, the Swiss drug maker, said it had paid Mr. Cohen $1.2 million after he approached the company early last year promising insights into Mr. Trump’s views on health care. (McIntire, Vogel, Thomas and Kang, 5/9)
The Washington Post: ‘I’m Crushing It’: How Michael Cohen, Touting His Access To President Trump, Convinced Companies To Pay Millions
Novartis is one of the world’s largest drug companies, with a business deeply shaped by U.S. government actions — including drug approvals and drug reimbursements. But after an initial meeting with Cohen, Novartis determined that he “would be unable to provide the services that Novartis had anticipated related to US healthcare policy matters and the decision was taken not to engage further,” Mirza-Reid said. But she said the company could not terminate the contract “for cause,” and thus paid the agreed-upon $1.2 million. (Kranish, Helderman, Johnson and Dawsey, 5/9)
Stat: Michael Cohen Pitched Himself As A Fixer To Novartis And Got $1.2 Million
“He reached out to us,” the Novartis employee said, providing STAT with the company’s version of events as it scrambles to contain the fallout from being entangled in the investigations surrounding Trump and his inner circle, including Cohen. “With a new administration coming in, basically, all the traditional contacts disappeared and they were all new players. We were trying to find an inroad into the administration. Cohen promised access to not just Trump, but also the circle around him. It was almost as if we were hiring him as a lobbyist.” (Silverman, 5/9)
Stat: Novartis Paid Trump's Lawyer's Firm Far More Than Any Of Its Actual Lobbyists
The $100,000 monthly fee Novartis paid a company set up by President Trump’s personal attorney to help it better understand “U.S. healthcare policy matters” in the Trump era is almost four times more than it paid any actual outside lobbyist in the same time period. None of the contracts for the nearly four dozen external lobbyists Novartis employs to help explain and advocate on health care policy issues came close to the amounts paid Essential Consultants LLC, according to a STAT review of the Swiss drug maker’s 2017 and 2018 filings. (Mershon, 5/10)
The Hill: Mueller Contacted Drug Company About Cohen Payment In November
The Swiss drug company Novartis on Wednesday revealed that special counsel Robert Mueller contacted the company last year about payments it made to Michael Cohen, President Trump's longtime personal attorney. “Novartis cooperated fully with the special counsel’s office and provided all the information requested,” the company said in a statement. (Manchester, 5/9)
Politico: Mueller Team Questioned Novartis And AT&T Over Michael Cohen Payments
Novartis and AT&T revealed their contact with Mueller’s office after the companies were named in a document distributed by Michael Avenatti, a lawyer representing porn film actress Stormy Daniels. Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, is suing to be released from a contract, inked weeks before Election Day, that paid her $130,000 to keep quiet about an alleged sexual relationship with Trump. (Woellert, 5/9)
The Hill: White House Dodges Questions On Cohen Payments
The White House on Wednesday largely avoided questions about reports that President Trump’s longtime lawyer, Michael Cohen, received payments from businesses seeking access to the administration. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders skirted several questions about the revelation that Swiss drug company Novartis and AT&T each paid Cohen in exchange for insights and access to the president. (Samuels, 5/9)
Stat: Untangling Michael Cohen's Ties To Novartis: 6 Unanswered Questions
Thanks to Novartis, the investigations of President Trump and his minions now have a Big Pharma angle: The drug maker admitted to wiring monthly payments to a company controlled by the president’s lawyer — the same one that paid adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an extramarital affair with Trump. But in exchange for what? And who thought this was a good idea? (Feuerstein, Garde and Robbins, 5/9)
