Trump implicated as two lieutenants found guilty
NEW YORK — Donald Trump stood accused of conspiring to commit campaign fraud and two of his closest aides faced jail time Tuesday, after court proceedings delivered a legal and political one-two punch to his embattled presidency.
In a drama that played out simultaneously across two US cities, courts found the aides guilty of eight charges a piece, stemming from a federal investigation into the 2016 presidential election.
In New York, Mr. Trump’s longtime attack-dog fixer Michael Cohen admitted eight counts, including making illegal campaign contributions.
Mr. Cohen detailed how he made pre-election hush payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both claim to have had an affair with Mr. Trump.
IMPLICATING TRUMP
But in a sensational twist, Mr. Cohen also pointed to the president — or “individual 1” as a coconspirator — alleging that he acted “in coordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office.”
“I participated in this conduct with the purpose of influencing the election,” a visibly crestfallen Mr. Cohen told the judge, his voice trembling at times as he addressed the packed courtroom.
That admission put Mr. Trump himself in legal jeopardy and raised the prospect that a trusted lieutenant is ready to spill secrets, gathered over decades, in exchange for a reduced sentence.
The White House refused to comment on Mr. Cohen’s allegations, with spokeswoman Sarah Sanders tersely telling reporters: “Refer you to the president’s outside counsel.”
Mr. Cohen’s lawyer Lanny Davis, explained his client’s about face after years spent vowing to “take a bullet” for Mr. Trump.
“This is Michael fulfilling his promise… to put his family and country first and tell the truth about Donald Trump,” said Mr. Davis.
“Today, he 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,” the lawyer continued.
“If those payments were a crime for Michael Cohen, then why wouldn’t they be a crime for Donald Trump?”
While the Cohen drama was unfolding in New York, a jury in Virginia found Mr. Trump’s onetime campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, guilty on eight counts, including bank fraud, tax fraud and a failure to declare foreign bank accounts.
Mr. Trump expressed regret, calling Mr. Manafort “a good man.”
“I feel very sad about that,” Mr. Trump told reporters as he arrived in West Virginia for a rally, claiming the conviction was part of a “witch hunt” after the 2016 election.
“It’s a very sad thing that happened, this has nothing to do with Russian collusion.”
Mr. Trump also sought to distance himself from Mr. Manafort — who was instrumental in the 72-year-old securing the 2016 Republican nomination.
“He worked for many, many people,” said Mr. Trump, citing campaigns for former president Ronald Reagan and vice presidential candidate Bob Dole.
At the rally Mr. Trump made oblique but impassioned comments about Mr. Manafort and the Mueller probe.
“Where is the collusion?” he asked the crowd.
“They are still looking for collusion, where is the collusion? Find some collusion. We want to find of the collusion.”
It is Mr. Cohen’s decision to enter a plea deal that may pose the most problems for the White House.
While it is US legal tradition that the president cannot be tried, the allegation, if proven will only increase calls for his impeachment.
Questioned by a federal judge in Manhattan, Mr. Cohen indicated he had paid sums of $130,000 and $150,000 each to two women who claimed they had affairs with Mr. Trump.
Mr. Cohen said he made the payments “at the request of a candidate” to silence “information that would be prejudicial to the candidate and the campaign.”
In addition to two counts of violating campaign finance laws, Mr. Cohen pleaded guilty to five counts of tax fraud and one of bank fraud during the hearing before US District Judge William Pauley.
The federal judge informed the 51-year-old Mr. Cohen he faced a maximum of 65 years of imprisonment, with his sentence set to be handed down on December 12.
The US president had spent much of the day cooped up at the White House, as rainstorms raged outside and the two highprofile legal cases with profound implications for his presidency reached their coda.
At a courthouse close to Washington, jurors spent four days deliberating on the 18 charges against Mr. Manafort.
While the jury was unable to reach a verdict on 10 counts, prompting the judge to declare a partial mistrial, Mr. Manafort was found guilty on the eight remaining charges. These included five counts of making false income tax returns, two counts of bank fraud and one of failure to report foreign bank and financial accounts.
Each of the bank fraud counts carries a significant maximum sentence and the 69-year-old could theoretically live out the remainder of his years in prison — though a legal expert contacted by AFP predicted his sentence would in reality last less than a decade. —