Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen pleads guilty to federal crimesBy: Eileen Roberts, Xiro Xone News August 21, 2018 Updated: 4:55 PM PT
Photo: AP
President Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen has pleaded guilty to 8 charges, including campaign finance violations in the 2016 presidential election.
Cohen appeared in a New York City federal courthouse Tuesday, and pleaded guilty to five counts of tax evasion, one count of making a false statement to a bank and two campaign finance violations: willfully causing an illegal corporate contribution and making an excessive campaign contribution. He admitted to paying hush money at the direction of Donald Trump during the presidential campaign to silence two women who said they had affairs with Trump. Cohen's conduct "reflects a pattern of lies and dishonesty over a significant period of time," said Robert Khuzami, deputy U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. In April the FBI raided Cohen’s residence, office, and a hotel where he was staying and seized several of his electronic devices.
Cohen agreed to a plea bargain but the agreement doesn’t include cooperation with prosecutors, including those on special counsel Robert Mueller’s team. Last month Cohen, released recording of himself and then candidate Trump discussing the payoff to former Playboy model Karen McDougal. The news of Cohen’s guilty plea comes on the same day that a jury convicts former Trump campaign boss Paul Manafort on eight of the 18 counts of tax- and bank-fraud charges. |
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