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John Fry, an analyst with the Internal Revenue Service, was charged Thursday with leaking Michael Cohen's confidential bank records to Stormy Daniels' attorney Michael Avenatti.

Why it matters: Avenatti posted a report on Twitter last May detailing payments that various firms made to a shell company Cohen set up called Essential Consultants — the same company Cohen used to pay off Daniels — for "insights into understanding the new administration." The companies included AT&T, Novartis and Columbus Nova, a U.S. investment firm with ties to Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg.

Go deeper: Corporate America paid Michael Cohen millions, left with nothing

IRS analyst charged with leaking Cohen bank records to Michael Avenatti

The records showed that a number of companies paid Cohen for insights into the Trump administration.

Michael Cohen and Michael Avenatti. Photos: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez; Corey Sipkin/AFP via Getty Images

Politics

Michael Cohen

John Fry, an analyst with the Internal Revenue Service, was <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="charged" data-vars-click-url="http://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2019/images/02/21/fry.complaint.and.summons.pdf" data-vars-content-id="6a43b43d-50c2-4b17-aef4-e6e59a47bb48" data-vars-headline="IRS analyst charged with leaking Cohen bank records to Michael Avenatti" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="http://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2019/images/02/21/fry.complaint.and.summons.pdf" target="_blank">charged</a> Thursday with leaking Michael Cohen&#x27;s confidential bank records to Stormy Daniels&#x27; attorney Michael Avenatti.Why it matters: Avenatti posted <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="a report" data-vars-click-url="https://www.dropbox.com/s/2l7qztjakjpqcdl/Executive%20Summary.pdf?dl=0" data-vars-content-id="6a43b43d-50c2-4b17-aef4-e6e59a47bb48" data-vars-headline="IRS analyst charged with leaking Cohen bank records to Michael Avenatti" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/2l7qztjakjpqcdl/Executive%20Summary.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank">a report</a> on Twitter last May detailing payments that various firms made to a shell company Cohen set up called Essential Consultants — the same company Cohen used to pay off Daniels — for &quot;insights into understanding the new administration.&quot; The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="companies included" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/michael-cohen-was-a-one-way-atm-for-corporate-america-578bae70-fa28-4c6b-a64b-8791bf7689ce.html" data-vars-content-id="6a43b43d-50c2-4b17-aef4-e6e59a47bb48" data-vars-headline="IRS analyst charged with leaking Cohen bank records to Michael Avenatti" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/michael-cohen-was-a-one-way-atm-for-corporate-america-578bae70-fa28-4c6b-a64b-8791bf7689ce.html" target="_self">companies included</a> AT&amp;T, Novartis and Columbus Nova, a U.S. investment firm with ties to Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg.

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.