Trump donor’s contract with Cohen included $10 million success fee: report

A major donor to President Trump reached a deal earlier this year to pay Michael Cohen a $10 million reward if the president’s then-lawyer could secure funding involving a government loan for a nuclear power plant, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. 

Franklin Haney, who donated $1 million to the Trump inauguration fund, reportedly reached an agreement with Cohen in April to lobby on his behalf for funding for the Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant in Alabama. 

The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that Haney was seeking a $5 billion loan from the Department of Energy as part of funding for the project. 

Haney denied entering “a contract with Michael Cohen or his affiliate for lobbying services related to the Bellefonte project,” through his lawyer Larry Blust, according to the Journal.

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The contract allegedly included a monthly retainer for Cohen in addition to the $10 million “success fee” if he was able to secure funding for the nuclear project, the Journal reported.

The newspaper said it could not verify how much, if anything, Haney paid Cohen in retainer fees.

The Journal previously reported that Haney hired Cohen as a consultant while pitching a nuclear-power investment to Qatari officials.

President Trump has severed ties with Cohen, who is reportedly under investigation for bank fraud and campaign finance law violations.

In addition to the Haney deal, Cohen received lucrative payments for consulting work in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election from Swiss drug company Novartis, AT&T and Korean Aerospace Industries.

Both AT&T and Novartis issued statements after the payments were disclosed expressing regret over the arrangements with Cohen. Haney did not confirm a relationship with Cohen.