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https://www.todayonline.com/world/former-lawyer-tells-court-trump-told-him-commit-crime-paying-women
Wednesday 22 August 2018
Trump told me to commit crime by paying off women, former lawyer testifies
THE NEW YORK TIMESMichael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer and longtime fixer, leaves federal court, in New York, Aug 21.
Published22 August, 2018
Updated 22 August, 2018
Cohen's voice cracked several times as he pleaded guilty to eight criminal charges in federal court in Manhattan, including tax evasion, bank fraud and campaign finance violations.
He told a judge in US District Court in Manhattan that the payments to the women were made “in coordination with and at the direction of a candidate for federal office,” implicating the president in a federal crime.
“I participated in this conduct, which on my part took place in Manhattan, for the principal purpose of influencing the election” for president in 2016, Cohen said, referring to the payments of US$130,000 (S$177,600) to adult-film star Stormy Daniels and US$150,000 to former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Facing up to five years in prison, the admissions by Cohen represented a pivotal moment in the investigation into the president, and the scene in the Manhattan courtroom was remarkable.
Cohen, a longtime lawyer for Trump — and loyal confidant — described in plain-spoken language how Mr Trump worked with him to cover up a potential sex scandal that Trump feared would endanger his rising candidacy.
Cohen had been the president’s longtime fixer, handling some of his most sensitive personal matters over a decade at the Trump Organization. He once said he would take a bullet for Mr Trump.
Most legal experts say a sitting president cannot be indicted for a crime, but the Constitution allows Congress to impeach and remove a president from office for "high crimes and misdemeanors."
Mr Trump’s lawyers have, for months, said privately that they considered Cohen’s case to be potentially more problematic for the president than the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 US election and possible coordination with the Trump campaign.
Cohen’s accusation also increases political pressure for Mr Trump ahead of November’s congressional elections where Democrats are trying to regain control of the House of Representatives and Senate.
Cohen did not name Trump in court, but his lawyer, Lanny Davis, said afterward that he was referring to the president.
"Today he (Cohen) stood up and testified under oath that Donald Trump directed him to commit a crime by making payments to two women for the principal purpose of influencing an election," Mr Davis said in a statement.
"If those payments were a crime for Michael Cohen, then why wouldn't they be a crime for Donald Trump?" Mr Davis said.
Mr Trump has denied having affairs with the women. His lawyer Rudy Giuliani has said the payments were made to spare Mr Trump and his family embarrassment and were unrelated to the campaign.
Mr Trump did not mention Cohen at a rally in West Virginia hours later.
Mr Giuliani lashed out at Cohen on Tuesday, calling him a "devious little rat" and saying he had a history of lying.
"I think the president is absolutely in the clear," Mr Giuliani told Reuters. "The Cohen thing is over."
Under US election law, campaign contributions, defined as things of value given to a campaign to influence an election, must be disclosed.
A payment intended to silence allegations of an affair just before an election could constitute a campaign contribution, which is limited to US$2,700 per person per election, some experts said.
Ross Garber, a lawyer who has represented four Republican governors in impeachment proceedings, said Cohen’s statement “dramatically increases the likelihood that, were Democrats to take control of the House in the midterms, they would begin an impeachment investigation.”
"The odds of an investigation have definitely gone up,” Mr Garber said.
The guilty pleas came in the same hour that a federal jury in Alexandria, Virginia, convicted former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort of eight charges of tax and bank fraud and failing to disclose foreign bank accounts.
The Manafort conviction resulted from Mr Mueller's investigation and the charges against Manafort mostly predate his work on Mr Trump's campaign.
The probe also led to a referral from Mr Mueller about Cohen to federal prosecutors in New York who began their own probe of the longtime Trump lawyer.
Mr Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion and has called the Mueller investigation a "witch hunt." Russia has denied meddling in the election, although US intelligence agencies have concluded Moscow interfered.
Mr Mueller has also brought indictments against 12 Russian intelligence officers in the hacking of Democratic National Committee emails.
Cohen is scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 12 and his bail was set at US$500,000.
Mr Davis told CNN he believed his client had information that would be of interest to the special counsel, but did not give further details.
Mueller's investigation, which began in May 2017, has resulted in the indictment of more than 30 people and five guilty pleas. AGENCIES
Wednesday 22 August 2018Trump told me to commit crime by paying off women, former lawyer testifies
Published22 August, 2018
Updated 22 August, 2018
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Cohen's voice cracked several times as he pleaded guilty to eight criminal charges in federal court in Manhattan, including tax evasion, bank fraud and campaign finance violations.
He told a judge in US District Court in Manhattan that the payments to the women were made “in coordination with and at the direction of a candidate for federal office,” implicating the president in a federal crime.
“I participated in this conduct, which on my part took place in Manhattan, for the principal purpose of influencing the election” for president in 2016, Cohen said, referring to the payments of US$130,000 (S$177,600) to adult-film star Stormy Daniels and US$150,000 to former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Facing up to five years in prison, the admissions by Cohen represented a pivotal moment in the investigation into the president, and the scene in the Manhattan courtroom was remarkable.
Cohen, a longtime lawyer for Trump — and loyal confidant — described in plain-spoken language how Mr Trump worked with him to cover up a potential sex scandal that Trump feared would endanger his rising candidacy.
Cohen had been the president’s longtime fixer, handling some of his most sensitive personal matters over a decade at the Trump Organization. He once said he would take a bullet for Mr Trump.
Most legal experts say a sitting president cannot be indicted for a crime, but the Constitution allows Congress to impeach and remove a president from office for "high crimes and misdemeanors."
Mr Trump’s lawyers have, for months, said privately that they considered Cohen’s case to be potentially more problematic for the president than the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 US election and possible coordination with the Trump campaign.
Cohen’s accusation also increases political pressure for Mr Trump ahead of November’s congressional elections where Democrats are trying to regain control of the House of Representatives and Senate.
Cohen did not name Trump in court, but his lawyer, Lanny Davis, said afterward that he was referring to the president.
"Today he (Cohen) stood up and testified under oath that Donald Trump directed him to commit a crime by making payments to two women for the principal purpose of influencing an election," Mr Davis said in a statement.
"If those payments were a crime for Michael Cohen, then why wouldn't they be a crime for Donald Trump?" Mr Davis said.
Mr Trump has denied having affairs with the women. His lawyer Rudy Giuliani has said the payments were made to spare Mr Trump and his family embarrassment and were unrelated to the campaign.
Mr Trump did not mention Cohen at a rally in West Virginia hours later.
Mr Giuliani lashed out at Cohen on Tuesday, calling him a "devious little rat" and saying he had a history of lying.
"I think the president is absolutely in the clear," Mr Giuliani told Reuters. "The Cohen thing is over."
Under US election law, campaign contributions, defined as things of value given to a campaign to influence an election, must be disclosed.
A payment intended to silence allegations of an affair just before an election could constitute a campaign contribution, which is limited to US$2,700 per person per election, some experts said.
Ross Garber, a lawyer who has represented four Republican governors in impeachment proceedings, said Cohen’s statement “dramatically increases the likelihood that, were Democrats to take control of the House in the midterms, they would begin an impeachment investigation.”
"The odds of an investigation have definitely gone up,” Mr Garber said.
The guilty pleas came in the same hour that a federal jury in Alexandria, Virginia, convicted former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort of eight charges of tax and bank fraud and failing to disclose foreign bank accounts.
The Manafort conviction resulted from Mr Mueller's investigation and the charges against Manafort mostly predate his work on Mr Trump's campaign.
The probe also led to a referral from Mr Mueller about Cohen to federal prosecutors in New York who began their own probe of the longtime Trump lawyer.
Mr Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion and has called the Mueller investigation a "witch hunt." Russia has denied meddling in the election, although US intelligence agencies have concluded Moscow interfered.
Mr Mueller has also brought indictments against 12 Russian intelligence officers in the hacking of Democratic National Committee emails.
Cohen is scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 12 and his bail was set at US$500,000.
Mr Davis told CNN he believed his client had information that would be of interest to the special counsel, but did not give further details.
Mueller's investigation, which began in May 2017, has resulted in the indictment of more than 30 people and five guilty pleas. AGENCIES
